PermitNotebook / Data

What does a building permit cost?

By Mario Bailey Last checked

We read the official fee schedule of every locality we cover and recorded what it says for 1293 permit scenarios across 134 US localities. Each entry below quotes the schedule's own terms, with the verification date. Where a locality publishes no figure, or hands the permit to a state agency, we say that instead of guessing. Many localities bill by project valuation, so a single flat number often does not exist; the notes keep that honesty.

Median fees measured from real permit records

For jurisdictions whose open-data portals publish issued permits, we compute the median fee from the records themselves. These are actual amounts charged, not schedule text.

Jurisdiction Median fee Records
Chicago, Illinois $1,142 5,329
Mesa, Arizona $520 5,364
Boston, Massachusetts $90 19,468

Medians, not averages, so a few large projects cannot skew the figure. Full context in the turnaround study.

Bathroom Remodel permit fees

Verified in 15 localities. Dollar figures appearing in those schedules run from $0.10 to $5,000, and the two ends are rarely for the same thing: minimum permit fees, flat per-trade rates, plan-review percentages, and valuation tiers all appear below exactly as each schedule states them.

Plus 3 more localities with a verified note, each on its own permit page. Browse every bathroom remodel page

Deck permit fees

Verified in 126 localities. Dollar figures appearing in those schedules run from $0.03 to $100,000, and the two ends are rarely for the same thing: minimum permit fees, flat per-trade rates, plan-review percentages, and valuation tiers all appear below exactly as each schedule states them.

Plus 114 more localities with a verified note, each on its own permit page. Browse every deck page

Electrical permit fees

Verified in 131 localities. Dollar figures appearing in those schedules run from $0.03 to $100,000, and the two ends are rarely for the same thing: minimum permit fees, flat per-trade rates, plan-review percentages, and valuation tiers all appear below exactly as each schedule states them.

Plus 119 more localities with a verified note, each on its own permit page. Browse every electrical page

EV Charger permit fees

Verified in 13 localities. Dollar figures appearing in those schedules run from $0.15 to $18,975, and the two ends are rarely for the same thing: minimum permit fees, flat per-trade rates, plan-review percentages, and valuation tiers all appear below exactly as each schedule states them.

Plus 1 more localities with a verified note, each on its own permit page. Browse every ev charger page

Fence permit fees

Verified in 121 localities. Dollar figures appearing in those schedules run from $0.05 to $75,001, and the two ends are rarely for the same thing: minimum permit fees, flat per-trade rates, plan-review percentages, and valuation tiers all appear below exactly as each schedule states them.

Plus 109 more localities with a verified note, each on its own permit page. Browse every fence page

HVAC permit fees

Verified in 131 localities. Dollar figures appearing in those schedules run from $0.03 to $1,000,000, and the two ends are rarely for the same thing: minimum permit fees, flat per-trade rates, plan-review percentages, and valuation tiers all appear below exactly as each schedule states them.

Plus 119 more localities with a verified note, each on its own permit page. Browse every hvac page

Patio permit fees

Verified in 95 localities. Dollar figures appearing in those schedules run from $0.03 to $100,000, and the two ends are rarely for the same thing: minimum permit fees, flat per-trade rates, plan-review percentages, and valuation tiers all appear below exactly as each schedule states them.

Plus 83 more localities with a verified note, each on its own permit page. Browse every patio page

Plumbing permit fees

Verified in 131 localities. Dollar figures appearing in those schedules run from $0.03 to $100,000, and the two ends are rarely for the same thing: minimum permit fees, flat per-trade rates, plan-review percentages, and valuation tiers all appear below exactly as each schedule states them.

Plus 119 more localities with a verified note, each on its own permit page. Browse every plumbing page

Pool permit fees

Verified in 131 localities. Dollar figures appearing in those schedules run from $0.05 to $100,000, and the two ends are rarely for the same thing: minimum permit fees, flat per-trade rates, plan-review percentages, and valuation tiers all appear below exactly as each schedule states them.

Plus 119 more localities with a verified note, each on its own permit page. Browse every pool page

Roof Replacement permit fees

Verified in 128 localities. Dollar figures appearing in those schedules run from $0.03 to $100,000, and the two ends are rarely for the same thing: minimum permit fees, flat per-trade rates, plan-review percentages, and valuation tiers all appear below exactly as each schedule states them.

Plus 116 more localities with a verified note, each on its own permit page. Browse every roof replacement page

Shed permit fees

Verified in 127 localities. Dollar figures appearing in those schedules run from $0.02 to $100,000, and the two ends are rarely for the same thing: minimum permit fees, flat per-trade rates, plan-review percentages, and valuation tiers all appear below exactly as each schedule states them.

Plus 115 more localities with a verified note, each on its own permit page. Browse every shed page

Solar permit fees

Verified in 129 localities. Dollar figures appearing in those schedules run from $0.02 to $300,000, and the two ends are rarely for the same thing: minimum permit fees, flat per-trade rates, plan-review percentages, and valuation tiers all appear below exactly as each schedule states them.

Plus 117 more localities with a verified note, each on its own permit page. Browse every solar page

Water Heater permit fees

Verified in 15 localities. Dollar figures appearing in those schedules run from $0.15 to $5,000, and the two ends are rarely for the same thing: minimum permit fees, flat per-trade rates, plan-review percentages, and valuation tiers all appear below exactly as each schedule states them.

Plus 3 more localities with a verified note, each on its own permit page. Browse every water heater page

Methodology

Every fee note above was written while reading the locality's current official fee schedule and was reviewed against a quoted line of that schedule before it entered the dataset, with the date recorded. Notes repeat the schedule's own billing basis (flat fee, valuation tier, plan review percentage) rather than reducing everything to one number.

Honest gaps stay gaps: a few localities publish no usable schedule (some block archives, some publish none for certain trades), and some permits are issued by a state agency instead of the locality. Those rows say exactly that.

The measured medians come from official open-data portals and are computed from real issued permits. Sample sizes are shown; medians are used throughout. Read more about the process on how we verify.

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