How Long Does It Take to Get a Building Permit? City Data for Remodels
- Primary data
- Building permit records from 14 city open-data portals (13 indexed)
- Data period
- Permits issued 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30, compared with 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30
- Latest release used
- 2026-10-27
- Next release
- Portals update daily; this index is refreshed annually
- Geography
- 13 US cities plus Los Angeles (partial)
- Sources
- 20 (17 Tier 1)
How long does it take to get a building permit for a home remodel? Across 13 US cities' permit records (issued October 2025 to September 2026), the median city took 14.5 days from application to issue. City medians ran from same day in San Francisco to 74 days in San Diego; one permit in ten took 130.4 days or more.
How the index is built
13-city permit speed index base
Formulamedian of the 13 city medians (days from application to issue)
Inputs: fact_sheet median rows for each index city (derived_metrics d1 lists them) (fact sheet rows)
Result: 14.5 days
The median city issues a residential alteration permit about two weeks after application.
Limitations: Unweighted; each city's start date has its own definition; Los Angeles excluded.
Permit speed index by city
Formulacity median / 14.5 x 100
Inputs: d1 and each city's median row (derived_metrics idx_ rows) (fact sheet rows)
Result: San Francisco 0, Austin, Denver and Nashville 48.3, San Diego 510.3
Lower is faster. San Diego's typical permit took about five times as long as the median city's.
Limitations: A median of 0 gives an index of 0, which hides San Francisco's slower plan-review permits.
Slow-tail benchmark
Formulamedian of the 13 city 90th percentiles
Inputs: fact_sheet P90 rows (derived_metrics d4) (fact sheet rows)
Result: 130.4 days (was 140.7 days two years earlier)
A homeowner in a typical city has about a one-in-ten chance of waiting longer than this.
Limitations: Percentiles are city-level; mixing cities' tails is descriptive only.
Two-year change
Formula13-city median (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) minus 13-city median (Oct 2023 to Sep 2024)
Inputs: d1, d2 (fact sheet rows)
Result: -6.5 days (21 to 14.5)
8 of 13 cities got faster at the median.
Limitations: Program changes (Chicago Express Permit Program, New Orleans permit types) change the mix of permits.
Permit route behind the kitchen or bath gap
Formulashare of kitchen or bath permits on the slower or faster route; medians by route
Inputs: derived_metrics d50, d51; fact_sheet mix rows for Chicago and Austin (fact sheet rows)
Result: Chicago 74.2% express; Austin 73.1% in R-434
Kitchen or bath permits land on different routes in different cities, and the route sets the wait.
Limitations: Two cities only; keyword flag on descriptions.
Kitchen or bath gap
Formulamedian of kitchen or bath medians minus median of all-alteration medians, same 11 cities
Inputs: derived_metrics d30, d31 and kbgap_ rows (fact sheet rows)
Result: 27 versus 18 days
Across cities the kitchen or bath figure is higher, but city by city the direction splits evenly, so there is no general kitchen or bath penalty.
Limitations: Keyword match on free-text descriptions; New York and Seattle descriptions rarely name rooms.
How long does it take to get a building permit in 13 cities: the speed index
The median city took 14.5 days from application to issue. The index sets that figure to 100: San Francisco scores 0 and San Diego 510.3.
We pulled every residential alteration permit issued from 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30 in 13 cities' open permit records and counted calendar days from the application date to the issue date. 43,690 permits were timed after cleaning. Each city's median is its own; the index base of 14.5 days is the median of the 13 city medians, so a large city does not outweigh a small one.
| Rank | City | Permits timed | Median days | 90th percentile days | Same-day share (%) | Issued within 30 days (%) | Speed index (13-city median = 100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | 10,122 | 0 | 70 | 59.8 | 85.0 | 0 |
| 2 | Nashville, TN | 881 | 7 | 37 | 10.3 | 86.5 | 48.3 |
| 3 | Denver, CO | 1,551 | 7 | 99 | 29.6 | 73.8 | 48.3 |
| 4 | Austin, TX | 3,917 | 7 | 113 | 18.4 | 69.5 | 48.3 |
| 5 | Cambridge, MA | 685 | 13 | 66.6 | 6.4 | 75.9 | 89.7 |
| 6 | New York City, NY | 16,118 | 14 | 216 | 2.5 | 60.5 | 96.6 |
| 7 | Cincinnati, OH | 784 | 14.5 | 76 | 32.8 | 69.6 | 100 |
| 8 | Seattle, WA | 2,540 | 18 | 155 | 16.6 | 55.5 | 124.1 |
| 9 | East Baton Rouge Parish (Baton Rouge), LA | 333 | 22 | 130.4 | 0.3 | 58.0 | 151.7 |
| 10 | Mesa, AZ | 325 | 39 | 154.8 | 5.5 | 43.7 | 269 |
| 11 | New Orleans, LA | 1,329 | 41 | 183 | 0.0 | 38.6 | 282.8 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | 2,759 | 55 | 193.2 | 0.3 | 32.8 | 379.3 |
| 13 | San Diego, CA | 2,346 | 74 | 343 | 7.6 | 30.6 | 510.3 |
| not ranked | Los Angeles, CA (partial) | 10,557 | 17 | 153 | 26.4 | 61.7 | not indexed |
Index = city median / 14.5 days (median of the 13 city medians) x 100. Lower is faster. Los Angeles is shown but not ranked because 20,181 of its 30,782 in-window rows have no submitted date.
Source: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12][13][14][8] SF Department of Building Inspection via DataSF; Metro Nashville Codes via Nashville Open Data (ArcGIS); City and County of Denver via ArcGIS open data; City of Austin Development Services via data.austintexas.gov; City of Cambridge Inspectional Services via data.cambridgema.gov; NYC Department of Buildings via NYC Open Data; Cincinnati Buildings and Inspections via data.cincinnati-oh.gov; Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections via data.seattle.gov; East Baton Rouge Parish Permits and Inspections via data.brla.gov; City of Mesa Development Services via citydata.mesaaz.gov; City of New Orleans Safety and Permits via data.nola.gov; Chicago Department of Buildings via Chicago Data Portal; City of San Diego Development Services via data.sandiego.gov; LA Department of Building and Safety via data.lacity.org
13 cities, permits issued October 2025 to September 2026
Source: city open-data permit records (13 portals), analysis by Kitchen and Bath Renovators
Nine of the 13 cities had a median at or under 30 days. Austin, Denver and Nashville sat at 7 days, Cambridge at 13, New York City at 14 and Cincinnati at 14.5. Seattle (18) and East Baton Rouge Parish (22) followed. Mesa (39), New Orleans (41), Chicago (55) and San Diego (74) form a slower group.
Permit speed index: City median days from application to issue divided by 14.5 (the median of the 13 city medians), times 100. A score of 200 means the typical permit took twice as long as in the median city.
For how the permit wait fits into a full project, see the kitchen remodel timeline and the bathroom remodel timeline.
One permit in ten waits 130.4 days or more in the median city
Medians hide the long waits. The 90th percentile, the wait that one permit in ten exceeds, ran from 37 days in Nashville to 343 days in San Diego.
Median and 90th percentile days, permits issued October 2025 to September 2026
Source: city open-data permit records, analysis by Kitchen and Bath Renovators
New York City shows the widest gap between typical and slow. Its median 1 to 3 family alteration job reached a first permit in 14 days, yet the 90th percentile was 216 days. In Austin the median was 7 days and the 90th percentile 113 days.
In San Diego 45.8% of timed permits took more than 90 days, and in Chicago 32.6%. In Nashville the figure was 2.4%.
Same-day permits are the norm in San Francisco and almost absent in Chicago
The share issued on the application date ranged from 59.8% in San Francisco to 0.0% in New Orleans.
Residential alteration permits issued October 2025 to September 2026
Source: city open-data permit records, analysis by Kitchen and Bath Renovators
Same-day issue reflects how a city logs and routes simple work as much as how fast staff are. San Francisco's alteration permits include an over-the-counter type, and 59.8% of one- and two-family alteration permits issued in the window carried the same filed and issued date. Cincinnati (32.8%) and Denver (29.6%) also issued large shares on the application date.
Chicago's clock starts when the City begins reviewing an application, not at submission, and only 0.3% of its residential permits issued the same day. Chicago launched its online Express Permit Program, which covers most building repairs and a limited range of small improvement projects, on 2023-11-06.
Eight of 13 cities issued remodel permits faster than two years earlier
The 13-city median fell from 21 days (permits issued Oct 2023 to Sep 2024) to 14.5 days (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
Permits issued Oct 2023 to Sep 2024 versus Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
Source: city open-data permit records, analysis by Kitchen and Bath Renovators
| City | Median days, 2023 to 2024 | Median days, 2025 to 2026 | Change in median (days) | P90 days, 2023 to 2024 | P90 days, 2025 to 2026 | Change in P90 (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego, CA | 98 | 74 | -24 | 394.6 | 343 | -51.6 |
| Denver, CO | 21 | 7 | -14 | 140.7 | 99 | -41.7 |
| Cincinnati, OH | 18 | 14.5 | -3.5 | 102.5 | 76 | -26.5 |
| Cambridge, MA | 16 | 13 | -3 | 71 | 66.6 | -4.4 |
| Seattle, WA | 21 | 18 | -3 | 177.3 | 155 | -22.3 |
| Nashville, TN | 9 | 7 | -2 | 47 | 37 | -10 |
| New York City, NY | 16 | 14 | -2 | 238 | 216 | -22 |
| East Baton Rouge Parish (Baton Rouge), LA | 24 | 22 | -2 | 171 | 130.4 | -40.6 |
| San Francisco, CA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 70 | 3 |
| Austin, TX | 7 | 7 | 0 | 175 | 113 | -62 |
| Mesa, AZ | 38 | 39 | 1 | 124 | 154.8 | 30.8 |
| Chicago, IL | 50 | 55 | 5 | 208 | 193.2 | -14.8 |
| New Orleans, LA | 22 | 41 | 19 | 120.1 | 183 | 62.9 |
Same filters in both windows. Negative change means faster. Chicago's Express Permit Program began on 2023-11-06, inside the earlier window.
Source: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] SF Department of Building Inspection via DataSF; Metro Nashville Codes via Nashville Open Data (ArcGIS); City and County of Denver via ArcGIS open data; City of Austin Development Services via data.austintexas.gov; City of Cambridge Inspectional Services via data.cambridgema.gov; NYC Department of Buildings via NYC Open Data; Cincinnati Buildings and Inspections via data.cincinnati-oh.gov; Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections via data.seattle.gov; East Baton Rouge Parish Permits and Inspections via data.brla.gov; City of Mesa Development Services via citydata.mesaaz.gov; City of New Orleans Safety and Permits via data.nola.gov; Chicago Department of Buildings via Chicago Data Portal; City of San Diego Development Services via data.sandiego.gov; City of Chicago Department of Buildings
San Diego had the largest drop in the median, 24 days, and Denver the next largest, 14 days. The 90th percentile fell in 10 of 13 cities. Medians rose in Chicago (+5 days), Mesa (+1) and New Orleans (+19).
New Orleans also recorded fewer timed renovation permits, 1,329 against 2,600, and a new permit type label appears in the later window. The records show the change; no official explanation was found, so none is offered here.
Kitchen and bath permits are slower in some cities and faster in others
In 11 cities that publish a work description, permits naming a kitchen or bath had a median-of-medians of 27 days against 18 days for all alterations in the same cities, but the direction split 5 to 5, and in Chicago and Austin the permit route explains the difference.
| City | Kitchen or bath permits | Share of timed permits (%) | Median days, kitchen or bath | P90 days, kitchen or bath | Median days, all alterations | Gap in median (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego, CA | 1,112 | 47.4 | 40 | 257.9 | 74 | -34 |
| Chicago, IL | 543 | 19.7 | 27 | 108.6 | 55 | -28 |
| Seattle, WA | 147 | 5.8 | 3 | 41.4 | 18 | -15 |
| East Baton Rouge Parish (Baton Rouge), LA | 54 | 16.2 | 19.5 | 140.2 | 22 | -2.5 |
| New Orleans, LA | 274 | 20.6 | 40 | 137.5 | 41 | -1 |
| Nashville, TN | 563 | 63.9 | 7 | 37 | 7 | 0 |
| San Francisco, CA | 3,051 | 30.1 | 1 | 107 | 0 | 1 |
| Cambridge, MA | 217 | 31.7 | 19 | 60.8 | 13 | 6 |
| Mesa, AZ | 84 | 25.8 | 50.5 | 195.7 | 39 | 11.5 |
| Austin, TX | 739 | 18.9 | 43 | 177.2 | 7 | 36 |
| New York City, NY | 1,026 | 6.4 | 50.5 | 258.5 | 14 | 36.5 |
Keyword match on KITCHEN or BATH at a word start in the city's description field. Denver and Cincinnati publish no usable description.
Source: [14][13][9][10][12][2][1][5][11][4][6] City of San Diego Development Services via data.sandiego.gov; Chicago Department of Buildings via Chicago Data Portal; Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections via data.seattle.gov; East Baton Rouge Parish Permits and Inspections via data.brla.gov; City of New Orleans Safety and Permits via data.nola.gov; Metro Nashville Codes via Nashville Open Data (ArcGIS); SF Department of Building Inspection via DataSF; City of Cambridge Inspectional Services via data.cambridgema.gov; City of Mesa Development Services via citydata.mesaaz.gov; City of Austin Development Services via data.austintexas.gov; NYC Department of Buildings via NYC Open Data
Median days, 11 cities that publish a work description, October 2025 to September 2026
Source: city open-data permit records, keyword match on work descriptions, analysis by Kitchen and Bath Renovators
Kitchen or bath work took longer in New York City (50.5 against 14 days) and Austin (43 against 7). It was quicker in San Diego (40 against 74), Chicago (27 against 55) and Seattle (3 against 18).
The permit route explains most of the split, not the room. In Chicago, 74.2% of kitchen or bath permits went through the Express Permit Program for nonstructural interior work, where the median was 21 days, against 68.5 days for kitchen or bath permits on the standard renovation route. In Austin, 73.1% of kitchen or bath permits were in the R-434 addition and alteration class (median 63 days), while the R-435 renovation class that holds most of Austin's other remodel permits had a median of 3 days. Within the same class, kitchen or bath permits were not slower: 63 against 74 days in Austin's R-434 and 68.5 against 77.5 days on Chicago's renovation route.
| City | Permit route or class | Kitchen or bath named | Permits timed | Median days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | express nonstructural interior, residential units only | no | 398 | 16 |
| Chicago, IL | express nonstructural interior, residential units only | yes | 403 | 21 |
| Chicago, IL | renovation/alteration, residential wording | no | 1,818 | 77.5 |
| Chicago, IL | renovation/alteration, residential wording | yes | 140 | 68.5 |
| Austin, TX | R-434 Addition and Alterations | no | 604 | 74 |
| Austin, TX | R-434 Addition and Alterations | yes | 540 | 63 |
| Austin, TX | R-435 Renovations/Remodel | no | 2,574 | 3 |
| Austin, TX | R-435 Renovations/Remodel | yes | 199 | 4 |
Chicago routes are the Express Permit Program nonstructural interior worktype and standard renovation/alteration permits; Austin classes are the city's permit_class codes.
Source: [13][4] Chicago Department of Buildings via Chicago Data Portal; City of Austin Development Services via data.austintexas.gov
What each city's permit clock actually measures
Start dates are not defined the same way, so the index compares each city's own clock, not identical processes.
| City | Dataset | Date fields | What the start date means | Filter used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | Building Permits (i98e-djp9) | filed_date to issued_date | filing date to issue date (issue means permit fees paid) | otc alterations permit or additions alterations or repairs; existing use 1 or 2 family dwelling; deduplicated on permit number |
| Nashville, TN | Building Permits Issued (Building_Permits_Issued_2) | Date_Entered to Date_Issued | date entered to date issued (converted to Nashville local date) | Permit_Type_Description Building Residential, Rehab |
| Denver, CO | Residential Construction Permits (ODC_DEV_RESIDENTIALCONSTPERMIT_P, layer 316) | DATE_RECEIVED to DATE_ISSUED | date received to date issued (converted to Denver local date) | CLASS ALTERATION/TENANT FINISH within the residential construction (RESCON) permit set |
| Austin, TX | Issued Construction Permits (3syk-w9eu) | applieddate to issue_date | application date (original plan review submission where applicable) to issue date | permittype BP; permit_class_mapped Residential; permit_class R-435 Renovations/Remodel or R-434 Addition and Alterations |
| Cambridge, MA | Building Permits: Addition/Alteration (qu2z-8suj) | applicant_submit_date to issue_date | applicant submit date to issue date | current_property_use One-Family, Two-Family or Townhouse |
| New York City, NY | DOB NOW: Build, Job Application Filings (w9ak-ipjd) | filing_date to first_permit_date | filing date in DOB NOW to the first permit issued on the job | job_type Alteration; building_type 1, 2 or 3 Family |
| Cincinnati, OH | Cincinnati Building Permits (uhjb-xac9) | applieddate to issueddate | applied date to issued date | workclass RALT (residential alteration); permittype CBPCBCP (building) |
| Los Angeles, CA | Building and Safety, Building Permits Issued from 2020 to Present (pi9x-tg5x) | submitted_date to issue_date | date the permit was submitted to issue date | permit_type Bldg-Alter/Repair; permit_sub_type 1 or 2 Family Dwelling |
| Seattle, WA | Building Permits (76t5-zqzr) | applieddate to issueddate | date SDCI accepted the application as a complete submittal to issue date | permitclass Single Family/Duplex; permittypedesc Addition/Alteration |
| East Baton Rouge Parish (Baton Rouge), LA | EBR Building Permits (7fq7-8j7r) | creationdate to issueddate | date the permit was applied for and input into the system to issue date | permittype Existing Bldg, Remodel Only (R) |
| Mesa, AZ | Building Permits (dzpk-hxfb) | opened_date to issued_date | date the record opened (file date) to issue date | record_type Residential Permit; type_of_work Renovations/Remodels or Remodeling With Addition |
| New Orleans, LA | Permits (rcm3-fn58) | filingdate to issuedate | date the application was submitted to Safety and Permits to issue date | permit codes RNVN, RNVS, RENO (renovation); land use single family, two-family, three to four family or half of a double |
| Chicago, IL | Building Permits (ydr8-5enu) | application_start_date to issue_date | date the City began reviewing the application to issue date | Renovation/Alteration permits whose description names a home (single family, dwelling, residence, flat, condo) and no commercial use, plus Express Permit Program nonstructural interior permits listing residential units only |
| San Diego, CA | Development permits, approvals set 2 (active and closed approvals CSVs) | APPROVAL_CREATE_DATE to APPROVAL_ISSUE_DATE | approval record created to approval issued | APPROVAL_TYPE Building Permit or Combination Building Permit; building code Add/Alt 1 or 2 Fam, No Chg DU |
Definitions come from each portal's field descriptions where published. Start dates differ: Chicago starts when the City begins review, Seattle when an application is accepted as complete.
Source: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] SF Department of Building Inspection via DataSF; Metro Nashville Codes via Nashville Open Data (ArcGIS); City and County of Denver via ArcGIS open data; City of Austin Development Services via data.austintexas.gov; City of Cambridge Inspectional Services via data.cambridgema.gov; NYC Department of Buildings via NYC Open Data; Cincinnati Buildings and Inspections via data.cincinnati-oh.gov; LA Department of Building and Safety via data.lacity.org; Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections via data.seattle.gov; East Baton Rouge Parish Permits and Inspections via data.brla.gov; City of Mesa Development Services via citydata.mesaaz.gov; City of New Orleans Safety and Permits via data.nola.gov; Chicago Department of Buildings via Chicago Data Portal; City of San Diego Development Services via data.sandiego.gov
| City | Rows in window | Duplicate permit numbers removed | Missing a date | Issued before applied | Over 1,000 days | Permits timed | Timed permits issued Sep 2026 | Monthly average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | 10,340 | 887 | 150 | 1 | 67 | 10,122 | 584 | 843.5 |
| Nashville, TN | 881 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 881 | 81 | 73.4 |
| Denver, CO | 1,553 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1,551 | 117 | 129.2 |
| Austin, TX | 3,952 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 3,917 | 336 | 326.4 |
| Cambridge, MA | 686 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 685 | 16 | 57.1 |
| New York City, NY | 16,388 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 270 | 16,118 | 1332 | 1343.2 |
| Cincinnati, OH | 784 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 784 | 70 | 65.3 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 30,782 | 0 | 20,181 | 0 | 44 | 10,557 | 826 | 879.8 |
| Seattle, WA | 2,549 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2,540 | 196 | 211.7 |
| East Baton Rouge Parish (Baton Rouge), LA | 333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 333 | 22 | 27.8 |
| Mesa, AZ | 327 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 325 | 18 | 27.1 |
| New Orleans, LA | 1,342 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 1,329 | 103 | 110.8 |
| Chicago, IL | 2,762 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2,759 | 269 | 229.9 |
| San Diego, CA | 2,354 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2,346 | 218 | 195.5 |
Rows in window counts permits after duplicate removal. A September count far below the monthly average can signal reporting lag.
Source: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] SF Department of Building Inspection via DataSF; Metro Nashville Codes via Nashville Open Data (ArcGIS); City and County of Denver via ArcGIS open data; City of Austin Development Services via data.austintexas.gov; City of Cambridge Inspectional Services via data.cambridgema.gov; NYC Department of Buildings via NYC Open Data; Cincinnati Buildings and Inspections via data.cincinnati-oh.gov; LA Department of Building and Safety via data.lacity.org; Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections via data.seattle.gov; East Baton Rouge Parish Permits and Inspections via data.brla.gov; City of Mesa Development Services via citydata.mesaaz.gov; City of New Orleans Safety and Permits via data.nola.gov; Chicago Department of Buildings via Chicago Data Portal; City of San Diego Development Services via data.sandiego.gov
Seattle starts the clock when an application is accepted as a complete submittal and Chicago when the City begins review. Both leave out intake time that other cities count. San Francisco's issue date is the date permit fees were paid.
Permit fees and who files: what the records add
Two cities publish a fee on each permit, and New York City records the professional title of the filer.
| City | Permit records with a fee | 25th percentile fee | Median fee | 75th percentile fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | 2,762 | $575.00 | $677.00 | $1,429.39 |
| Mesa, AZ | 328 | $343.20 | $560.56 | $978.64 |
Chicago total_fee and Mesa total_fee_assessed, joined to the permits timed in this report. Fees depend on project value and scope.
Source: [13][11] Chicago Department of Buildings via Chicago Data Portal; City of Mesa Development Services via citydata.mesaaz.gov
Chicago's median recorded fee on the residential alteration permits timed here was $677.00 and Mesa's $560.56 (permits issued October 2025 to September 2026). In New York City, 10,087 of 16,388 1 to 3 family alteration filings were made by a professional engineer and 6,297 by a registered architect; 65.2% used professional certification instead of standard plan examination. For licensing rules by state, see contractor licensing by state; for vetting a contractor, see how to choose a remodeling contractor.
Key findings
- The 13-city median wait for a residential alteration permit was 14.5 days for permits issued October 2025 to September 2026.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12][13][14]
- In the median city, the 90th percentile wait was 130.4 days for permits issued October 2025 to September 2026, down from 140.7 days two years earlier.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12][13][14]
- San Francisco's median was 0 days and 59.8% of one- and two-family alteration permits were issued on the filing date (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).[1]
- Austin, Denver and Nashville each had a median of 7 days for residential remodel or alteration permits issued October 2025 to September 2026.[4][3][2]
- Nashville had the shortest slow tail: its 90th percentile was 37 days for residential rehab permits issued October 2025 to September 2026.[2]
- San Diego had the longest waits: median 74 days and 90th percentile 343 days for one- and two-family addition and alteration building permits issued October 2025 to September 2026.[14]
- Chicago's median was 55 days from the start of City review to issue for residential renovation and express interior permits issued October 2025 to September 2026.[13]
- New York City's median was 14 days from filing to first permit for 1 to 3 family alteration jobs, but its 90th percentile was 216 days (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).[6]
- 8 of 13 city medians fell between the October 2023 to September 2024 window and the October 2025 to September 2026 window; 3 rose.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12][13][14]
- San Diego's median fell by 24 days and Denver's by 14 days over those two years.[14][3]
- New Orleans' median rose by 19 days, from 22 to 41, for residential renovation permits.[12]
- In New York City, kitchen or bath alteration jobs had a median of 50.5 days versus 14 for all 1 to 3 family alteration jobs (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).[6]
- In Austin, remodel permits naming a kitchen or bath had a median of 43 days versus 7 for all residential remodel permits (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).[4]
- In New York City, 100.0% of 1 to 3 family alteration filings with a first permit in October 2025 to September 2026 were filed by a professional engineer or registered architect.[6]
Summary for decision makers
- Across 13 cities, the median residential alteration permit took 14.5 days from application to issue for permits issued October 2025 to September 2026 (median of city medians).
- The slow tail is long: the median of the 13 city 90th percentiles was 130.4 days, about nine times the 13-city median.
- San Francisco issued 59.8% of one- and two-family alteration permits on the filing day; Chicago issued 0.3% on the day review began.
- San Diego was slowest, with a median of 74 days and a 90th percentile of 343 days.
- Two years earlier the 13-city median was 21 days; 8 of 13 city medians fell and 3 rose.
- Permits naming a kitchen or bath were not reliably slower: they were slower in 5 of 11 cities with descriptions and faster in 5. In Chicago and Austin the permit route, not the room, explains the gap.
- New York City kitchen or bath alteration jobs on 1 to 3 family buildings took a median 50.5 days, against 14 days for all such jobs.
Questions people ask
Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen?
It depends on the work and the city. Austin, for example, lists painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work on one- and two-family homes as exempt from a building permit, and points owners to its Do I Need A Permit tool for anything else. In the 11 cities with descriptions, permits naming a kitchen or bath made up from 5.8% (Seattle) to 63.9% (Nashville) of residential alteration permits issued October 2025 to September 2026. This is not legal advice; check with your local building department.
Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom?
It depends on the scope. Austin's exemption for gypsum board repair stops at 128 square feet and does not cover a tub and shower surround, so shower wall work there falls outside that exemption; the city's questionnaire takes about 5 minutes. Chicago's Express Permit Program lists plumbing work and nonstructural interior alteration among its online worktypes. This is not legal advice.
How much does a building permit cost?
Fees vary by city and project value. On residential alteration permits issued October 2025 to September 2026, Chicago's median recorded fee was $677.00 and Mesa's $560.56; the middle half of Chicago fees ran from $575.00 to $1,429.39.
What happens if you remodel without a permit?
The records here cannot measure penalties. Chicago's Express Permit Program includes a post-construction filing worktype, and its Department of Buildings takes public reports of construction done without a permit. Rules and penalties are local; this is not legal advice.
Who pulls the permit, the homeowner or the contractor?
In Chicago, an owner or expediter can file an Express Permit Program application naming a licensed contractor, and the contractor is notified by email to accept it. In New York City, 100.0% of 1 to 3 family alteration filings with a first permit in October 2025 to September 2026 were filed by a professional engineer or registered architect. See contractor licensing by state.
For journalists and researchers
If you cite only a few, cite these
- 13-city median: 14.5 days from application to issue for residential alteration permits issued Oct 2025 to Sep 2026.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12][13][14]
- Median city 90th percentile: 130.4 days.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12][13][14]
- Range of city medians: 0 days (San Francisco) to 74 days (San Diego).[1][14]
Most quotable statistics
- The median US city in this sample issued a residential remodel permit 14.5 days after application (permits issued Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12][13][14]
- One remodel permit in ten took at least 130.4 days in the median city (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12][13][14]
- San Diego's median residential alteration permit took 74 days, against 0 days in San Francisco (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).[14][1]
- The 13-city median fell from 21 to 14.5 days in two years.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12][13][14]
- New York City kitchen or bath alteration jobs took a median 50.5 days to a first permit, versus 14 days for all 1 to 3 family alteration jobs (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).[6]
- 59.8% of San Francisco one- and two-family alteration permits were issued the day they were filed (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).[1]
Press summary
How long does it take to get a building permit for a home remodel? Kitchen and Bath Renovators timed 43,690 residential alteration permits issued between October 2025 and September 2026 in 13 US cities, using each city's open permit records. The median city took 14.5 days from application to issue, down from 21 days two years earlier. San Francisco issued 59.8% of one- and two-family alteration permits on the filing day, while San Diego's median was 74 days. The wait has a long tail: in the median city one permit in ten took 130.4 days or more. Permits that name a kitchen or bath were slower in some cities, such as New York City (50.5 days), and faster in others, such as Chicago (27 days). Each city defines its start date differently, so the index compares each city's own clock. Data, queries and code are published with the report under CC BY.
Suggested headlines
- Remodel permits take 14.5 days in the typical city studied, records show
- San Francisco issues most home alteration permits the same day; San Diego takes 74 days
- One home remodel permit in ten waits 130.4 days or more
- Remodel permit waits fell from 21 to 14.5 days in two years across 13 cities
- New York kitchen and bath permits take 50.5 days, more than triple the city's alteration median
How to cite this report
Kitchen and Bath Renovators. (2026). How Long Does It Take to Get a Building Permit? City Data for Remodels. Retrieved from https://kitchenandbathrenovators.com/research/how-long-to-get-a-building-permit/
Reuse license
Data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0. Attribution: “Source: Kitchen and Bath Renovators, How Long Does It Take to Get a Building Permit? City Data for Remodels” with a link to this page.
Download the data
Every table in this report is available as a CSV under CC BY 4.0. The fact sheet lists each value with its source URL and access date.
- derived_metrics.csv (CSV)
- fact_sheet.csv (CSV)
- Permit speed index: days from application to issue, residential alteration permits issued Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 (CSV)
- Two-year change: residential alteration permits issued Oct 2023 to Sep 2024 versus Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 (CSV)
- Permits whose work description names a kitchen or bath versus all residential alteration permits, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 (CSV)
- What each city's clock measures: dataset, date fields and residential alteration filter (CSV)
- Data cleaning by city, permits issued Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 (CSV)
- Recorded permit fees on residential alteration permits, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 (two cities that publish a fee field) (CSV)
- Permit route versus room: kitchen or bath permits by permit class, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 (CSV)
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get a building permit for a remodel?
In 13 cities, the median city took 14.5 days from application to issue for residential alteration permits issued October 2025 to September 2026.
Which city issued remodel permits fastest?
San Francisco, with a median of 0 days: 59.8% of one- and two-family alteration permits were issued on the filing date (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
Which city was slowest?
San Diego, with a median of 74 days and a 90th percentile of 343 days for one- and two-family addition and alteration permits (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
How long is a long wait?
In the median city, one permit in ten took 130.4 days or more (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
Are permits getting faster?
Mostly. The 13-city median fell from 21 days (Oct 2023 to Sep 2024) to 14.5 days (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), and 8 of 13 city medians fell.
How long does a New York City alteration permit take?
For 1 to 3 family alteration jobs, the median from filing to first permit was 14 days and the 90th percentile 216 days (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
How long does an Austin remodel permit take?
The median was 7 days for residential remodel and addition and alteration permits, and 43 days for those naming a kitchen or bath (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
How long does a Chicago remodel permit take?
The median was 55 days from the start of City review to issue; permits naming a kitchen or bath had a median of 27 days (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
Do kitchen and bath permits take longer?
Not consistently. In 11 cities with descriptions they were slower in 5 and faster in 5 (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
Why was Los Angeles left out of the ranking?
20,181 of 30,782 in-window one- and two-family alteration permits have no submitted date, so most cannot be timed.
Reproduce this analysis
Every figure comes from the files below. The scripts that pulled and computed them are kept with the report and can be re-run.
| Dataset | Publisher | Source | Query or filter | Rows used | Retrieved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco: Building Permits (i98e-djp9) | SF Department of Building Inspection via DataSF | File or endpoint | {"$select": "permit_number,filed_date,issued_date,description,permit_type_definition", "$where": "permit_type_definition in ('otc alterations permit','additions alterations or repairs') AND existing_use in ('1 family dwelling','2 family dwelling') AND ((issued_date between '2023-10-01T00:00:00' and '2024-09-30T23:59:59') or (issued_date between '2025-10-01T00:00:00' and '2026-09-30T23:59:59'))"} | 23,717 rows returned for both windows; 23,717 kept after filter; 10,122 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| Nashville: Building Permits Issued (Building_Permits_Issued_2) | Metro Nashville Codes via Nashville Open Data (ArcGIS) | File or endpoint | {"where": "Permit_Type_Description='Building Residential – Rehab' AND ((Date_Issued >= DATE '2023-09-30' AND Date_Issued < DATE '2024-10-02') OR (Date_Issued >= DATE '2025-09-30' AND Date_Issued < DATE '2026-10-02'))", "outFields": "Permit__,Date_Entered,Date_Issued,Permit_Subtype_Description,Purpose", "returnGeometry": "false"}; post-filter: epoch ms converted to America/Chicago local date, then trimmed to the two windows | 1,637 rows returned for both windows; 1,625 kept after filter; 881 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| Denver: Residential Construction Permits (ODC_DEV_RESIDENTIALCONSTPERMIT_P, layer 316) | City and County of Denver via ArcGIS open data | File or endpoint | {"where": "CLASS='ALTERATION/TENANT FINISH' AND ((DATE_ISSUED >= DATE '2023-09-30' AND DATE_ISSUED < DATE '2024-10-02') OR (DATE_ISSUED >= DATE '2025-09-30' AND DATE_ISSUED < DATE '2026-10-02'))", "outFields": "PERMIT_NUM,DATE_RECEIVED,DATE_ISSUED,CLASS", "returnGeometry": "false"}; post-filter: epoch ms converted to America/Denver local date, then trimmed to the two windows | 2,980 rows returned for both windows; 2,969 kept after filter; 1,551 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| Austin: Issued Construction Permits (3syk-w9eu) | City of Austin Development Services via data.austintexas.gov | File or endpoint | {"$select": "permit_number,applieddate,issue_date,description,permit_class", "$where": "permittype='BP' AND permit_class_mapped='Residential' AND permit_class in ('R- 435 Renovations/Remodel','R- 434 Addition & Alterations') AND ((issue_date between '2023-10-01T00:00:00' and '2024-09-30T23:59:59') or (issue_date between '2025-10-01T00:00:00' and '2026-09-30T23:59:59'))"} | 7,601 rows returned for both windows; 7,601 kept after filter; 3,917 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| Cambridge: Building Permits: Addition/Alteration (qu2z-8suj) | City of Cambridge Inspectional Services via data.cambridgema.gov | File or endpoint | {"$select": "id,applicant_submit_date,issue_date,detailed_description_of_work,current_property_use", "$where": "current_property_use in ('One-Family','Two-Family','Townhouse') AND ((issue_date between '2023-10-01T00:00:00' and '2024-09-30T23:59:59') or (issue_date between '2025-10-01T00:00:00' and '2026-09-30T23:59:59'))"} | 1,564 rows returned for both windows; 1,564 kept after filter; 685 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| New York City: DOB NOW: Build, Job Application Filings (w9ak-ipjd) | NYC Department of Buildings via NYC Open Data | File or endpoint | {"$select": "job_filing_number,filing_date,first_permit_date,job_description,building_type", "$where": "job_type='Alteration' AND building_type in ('1 Family','2 Family','3 Family') AND ((first_permit_date between '2023-10-01T00:00:00' and '2024-09-30T23:59:59') or (first_permit_date between '2025-10-01T00:00:00' and '2026-09-30T23:59:59'))"} | 34,778 rows returned for both windows; 34,778 kept after filter; 16,118 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| Cincinnati: Cincinnati Building Permits (uhjb-xac9) | Cincinnati Buildings and Inspections via data.cincinnati-oh.gov | File or endpoint | {"$select": "permitnum,applieddate,issueddate,workclass", "$where": "workclass='RALT' AND permittype='CBPCBCP' AND ((issueddate between '2023-10-01T00:00:00' and '2024-09-30T23:59:59') or (issueddate between '2025-10-01T00:00:00' and '2026-09-30T23:59:59'))"} | 1,719 rows returned for both windows; 1,719 kept after filter; 784 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| Los Angeles: Building and Safety, Building Permits Issued from 2020 to Present (pi9x-tg5x) | LA Department of Building and Safety via data.lacity.org | File or endpoint | {"$select": "permit_nbr,submitted_date,issue_date,work_desc,permit_sub_type", "$where": "permit_type='Bldg-Alter/Repair' AND permit_sub_type='1 or 2 Family Dwelling' AND ((issue_date between '2023-10-01T00:00:00' and '2024-09-30T23:59:59') or (issue_date between '2025-10-01T00:00:00' and '2026-09-30T23:59:59'))"} | 63,163 rows returned for both windows; 63,163 kept after filter; 10,557 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| Seattle: Building Permits (76t5-zqzr) | Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections via data.seattle.gov | File or endpoint | {"$select": "permitnum,applieddate,issueddate,description,permittypedesc", "$where": "permitclass='Single Family/Duplex' AND permittypedesc='Addition/Alteration' AND ((issueddate between '2023-10-01T00:00:00' and '2024-09-30T23:59:59') or (issueddate between '2025-10-01T00:00:00' and '2026-09-30T23:59:59'))"} | 5,094 rows returned for both windows; 5,094 kept after filter; 2,540 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| East Baton Rouge Parish (Baton Rouge): EBR Building Permits (7fq7-8j7r) | East Baton Rouge Parish Permits and Inspections via data.brla.gov | File or endpoint | {"$select": "permitnumber,creationdate,issueddate,projectdescription,permittype", "$where": "permittype='Existing Bldg – Remodel Only (R)' AND ((issueddate between '2023-10-01T00:00:00' and '2024-09-30T23:59:59') or (issueddate between '2025-10-01T00:00:00' and '2026-09-30T23:59:59'))"} | 776 rows returned for both windows; 776 kept after filter; 333 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| Mesa: Building Permits (dzpk-hxfb) | City of Mesa Development Services via citydata.mesaaz.gov | File or endpoint | {"$select": "permit_number,opened_date,issued_date,description_of_work,type_of_work", "$where": "record_type='Residential Permit' AND type_of_work in ('Renovations/Remodels','Remodeling With Addition') AND ((issued_date between '2023-10-01T00:00:00' and '2024-09-30T23:59:59') or (issued_date between '2025-10-01T00:00:00' and '2026-09-30T23:59:59'))"} | 552 rows returned for both windows; 552 kept after filter; 325 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| New Orleans: Permits (rcm3-fn58) | City of New Orleans Safety and Permits via data.nola.gov | File or endpoint | {"$select": "numstring,filingdate,issuedate,description,type", "$where": "code in ('RNVN','RNVS','RENO') AND landuseshort in ('RSFD','RSF2','PLEX','HALF') AND ((issuedate between '2023-10-01T00:00:00' and '2024-09-30T23:59:59') or (issuedate between '2025-10-01T00:00:00' and '2026-09-30T23:59:59'))"} | 3,958 rows returned for both windows; 3,958 kept after filter; 1,329 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| Chicago: Building Permits (ydr8-5enu) | Chicago Department of Buildings via Chicago Data Portal | File or endpoint | {"$select": "permit_,application_start_date,issue_date,work_description,permit_type", "$where": "(permit_type='PERMIT – RENOVATION/ALTERATION' OR (permit_type like 'PERMIT % EXPRESS PERMIT PROGRAM' AND work_type='Nonstructural Interior Work')) AND ((issue_date between '2023-10-01T00:00:00' and '2024-09-30T23:59:59') or (issue_date between '2025-10-01T00:00:00' and '2026-09-30T23:59:59'))"}; post-filter: Python residential wording filter (see scripts/pull.py chi_kind) | 13,408 rows returned for both windows; 5,203 kept after filter; 2,759 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| San Diego: Development permits, approvals set 2 (active and closed approvals CSVs) | City of San Diego Development Services via data.sandiego.gov | File or endpoint | {"filter": "APPROVAL_ISSUE_DATE in the two windows; APPROVAL_TYPE in ['Building Permit', 'Combination Building Permit']; JOB_BC_CODE_DESCRIPTION = 'Add/Alt 1 or 2 Fam, No Chg DU'"}; post-filter: scripts/sd_stream.py keeps in-window approvals (deduplicated on APPROVAL_ID); scripts/sd_extract.py applies the type filter | 110,529 rows returned for both windows; 4,310 kept after filter; 2,346 timed in the current window | 2026-10-27 |
| Fee and filer aggregates (Chicago, Mesa fees; New York City filer titles) | City open-data portals | File or endpoint | see raw/extras.json (exact SoQL parameters) | 2,762 Chicago and 328 Mesa fee records; 16,388 NYC filings | 2026-10-27 |
Data quality and exclusions
- San Francisco: current window 10,340 rows; removed 887 duplicate permit numbers, 150 missing a date, 1 issued before applied, 67 over 1,000 days; 10,122 timed. Earlier window: 4 missing, 0 negative, 101 over 1,000 days; 11,576 timed.
- Nashville: current window 881 rows; removed 1 duplicate permit numbers, 0 missing a date, 0 issued before applied, 0 over 1,000 days; 881 timed. Earlier window: 0 missing, 0 negative, 0 over 1,000 days; 743 timed.
- Denver: current window 1,553 rows; removed 0 duplicate permit numbers, 0 missing a date, 0 issued before applied, 2 over 1,000 days; 1,551 timed. Earlier window: 0 missing, 0 negative, 2 over 1,000 days; 1,414 timed.
- Austin: current window 3,952 rows; removed 0 duplicate permit numbers, 0 missing a date, 0 issued before applied, 35 over 1,000 days; 3,917 timed. Earlier window: 0 missing, 0 negative, 98 over 1,000 days; 3,551 timed.
- Cambridge: current window 686 rows; removed 0 duplicate permit numbers, 0 missing a date, 0 issued before applied, 1 over 1,000 days; 685 timed. Earlier window: 0 missing, 0 negative, 1 over 1,000 days; 877 timed.
- New York City: current window 16,388 rows; removed 0 duplicate permit numbers, 0 missing a date, 0 issued before applied, 270 over 1,000 days; 16,118 timed. Earlier window: 0 missing, 0 negative, 248 over 1,000 days; 18,141 timed.
- Cincinnati: current window 784 rows; removed 40 duplicate permit numbers, 0 missing a date, 0 issued before applied, 0 over 1,000 days; 784 timed. Earlier window: 0 missing, 0 negative, 0 over 1,000 days; 856 timed.
- Los Angeles: current window 30,782 rows; removed 0 duplicate permit numbers, 20,181 missing a date, 0 issued before applied, 44 over 1,000 days; 10,557 timed. Earlier window: 21,684 missing, 0 negative, 85 over 1,000 days; 10,612 timed.
- Seattle: current window 2,549 rows; removed 0 duplicate permit numbers, 0 missing a date, 0 issued before applied, 9 over 1,000 days; 2,540 timed. Earlier window: 2 missing, 0 negative, 15 over 1,000 days; 2,528 timed.
- East Baton Rouge Parish (Baton Rouge): current window 333 rows; removed 0 duplicate permit numbers, 0 missing a date, 0 issued before applied, 0 over 1,000 days; 333 timed. Earlier window: 0 missing, 0 negative, 0 over 1,000 days; 443 timed.
- Mesa: current window 327 rows; removed 1 duplicate permit numbers, 0 missing a date, 0 issued before applied, 2 over 1,000 days; 325 timed. Earlier window: 0 missing, 0 negative, 1 over 1,000 days; 223 timed.
- New Orleans: current window 1,342 rows; removed 0 duplicate permit numbers, 0 missing a date, 1 issued before applied, 12 over 1,000 days; 1,329 timed. Earlier window: 2 missing, 3 negative, 11 over 1,000 days; 2,600 timed.
- Chicago: current window 2,762 rows; removed 0 duplicate permit numbers, 0 missing a date, 0 issued before applied, 3 over 1,000 days; 2,759 timed. Earlier window: 0 missing, 0 negative, 1 over 1,000 days; 2,440 timed.
- San Diego: current window 2,354 rows; removed 0 duplicate permit numbers, 0 missing a date, 0 issued before applied, 8 over 1,000 days; 2,346 timed. Earlier window: 0 missing, 1 negative, 2 over 1,000 days; 1,953 timed.
- Chicago: 13,408 renovation and express interior rows returned for both windows; 5,203 kept by the residential wording rule.
- San Diego: the approvals CSVs were streamed and not stored; 110,529 approvals issued in the two windows were reduced to 4,310 residential addition and alteration building permits.
- Excluded cities and unopenable sources are listed in excluded.md.
Methodology
Selection: we searched keyless open-data portals (Socrata, ArcGIS, CKAN, city CSV downloads) for citywide building permit records that publish both an application date and an issue date and are current through September 2026. 14 cities qualified; Dallas, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington DC publish no application date; Phoenix and Honolulu data stop before the window. See excluded.md.
Inclusion: residential alteration or remodel building permits, using each city's own type and occupancy fields (table t4). Trade-only permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical), new construction, demolition and sign types were left out where the city separates them; some cities' alteration types still include re-roofing and repairs. Chicago has no occupancy field, so residential permits were identified from description wording; the rule is in scripts/pull.py.
Windows: permits are grouped by issue date, 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30 (current) and 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 (two years earlier). Days = issue date minus application date in calendar days. ArcGIS timestamps (Nashville, Denver) were converted to local dates.
Cleaning: duplicate permit numbers removed (San Francisco lists a permit once per address); rows with a missing date, an issue date before the application date, or more than 1,000 days were dropped and counted (table t5).
Derived metrics: medians and 90th percentiles use linear interpolation. The speed index divides each city median by the median of the 13 city medians. The kitchen or bath flag is a word-start match on KITCHEN or BATH in the description field. All formulas are in derived_metrics.csv.
Conflicts: the only outside timing figures (San Francisco Chronicle, Portland Press Herald) cover new housing or commercial work, not remodels, and are not mixed into the index.
Last updated 2026-10-27. Data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Kitchen and Bath Renovators.
This report presents published data with its limitations. It is not legal, financial or investment advice.
Sources, ranked by quality
Tier 1: primary and official sources (17)
- [1] SF Department of Building Inspection via DataSF. Building Permits (i98e-djp9). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [2] Metro Nashville Codes via Nashville Open Data (ArcGIS). Building Permits Issued (Building_Permits_Issued_2). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [3] City and County of Denver via ArcGIS open data. Residential Construction Permits (ODC_DEV_RESIDENTIALCONSTPERMIT_P, layer 316). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [4] City of Austin Development Services via data.austintexas.gov. Issued Construction Permits (3syk-w9eu). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [5] City of Cambridge Inspectional Services via data.cambridgema.gov. Building Permits: Addition/Alteration (qu2z-8suj). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [6] NYC Department of Buildings via NYC Open Data. DOB NOW: Build, Job Application Filings (w9ak-ipjd). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [7] Cincinnati Buildings and Inspections via data.cincinnati-oh.gov. Cincinnati Building Permits (uhjb-xac9). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [8] LA Department of Building and Safety via data.lacity.org. Building and Safety, Building Permits Issued from 2020 to Present (pi9x-tg5x). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [9] Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections via data.seattle.gov. Building Permits (76t5-zqzr). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [10] East Baton Rouge Parish Permits and Inspections via data.brla.gov. EBR Building Permits (7fq7-8j7r). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [11] City of Mesa Development Services via citydata.mesaaz.gov. Building Permits (dzpk-hxfb). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [12] City of New Orleans Safety and Permits via data.nola.gov. Permits (rcm3-fn58). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [13] Chicago Department of Buildings via Chicago Data Portal. Building Permits (ydr8-5enu). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [14] City of San Diego Development Services via data.sandiego.gov. Development permits, approvals set 2 (active and closed approvals CSVs). permits issued 2023-10-01 to 2024-09-30 and 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30; portal updated 2026-10-26 or 2026-10-27. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [15] City of Chicago Department of Buildings. Express Permit Program (Internet Archive copy of the official page, captured 2025-12-31). page as of 2025-12-31. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [16] City of Austin Development Services. Work Exempt from Building Permits. current page. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [17] City of Austin Development Services. Do I Need A Permit?. current page. Accessed 2026-10-27.
Tier 3: journalism and expert commentary (3)
- [18] San Francisco Chronicle (via Yahoo News). S.F. lagged behind other big cities in getting housing permitted but it's speeding up (J.K. Dineen). published 2026-03-06; data 2024-01-01 to 2025-08-12. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [19] Portland Press Herald. Portland stuck in its own permitting quagmire (Randy Billings). published 2013-06-25. Accessed 2026-10-27.
- [20] East Coast Storage Equipment (company blog). How Long Does It Take to Get a Building Permit?. undated. Accessed 2026-10-27.