How Much Does a Building Permit Cost? How Fees Are Set
Updated 6 min read
Short answer
There is no national price. Most U.S. cities charge a fee from a table keyed to your project's declared valuation, then add plan review (often 65% of the permit fee) and surcharges. Your city's current fee schedule gives the real number.
- Plan review fee
- 65% of the building permit fee
- MN Stat. 326B.153; St. Paul DSI fee schedule
- State surcharge example
- valuation x $0.0005
- St. Paul new-construction checklist
- ICC permit fee formula
- Gross area x square foot cost x multiplier
- ICC Building Valuation Data
On this page (8)
How much a building permit costs depends on one thing more than any other: the valuation you declare for the work. Most cities run that valuation through a fee table, then add a plan review fee and a few surcharges. The result can be a few dozen dollars for a small job or several thousand for a larger one. No national average will tell you your number. Your building department's current fee schedule will.
This guide shows how the fee is built so you can estimate it before you apply, and spot the line items that surprise people at the counter.
What a building permit costs: the typical range
Consumer cost sites give wide ranges. HomeAdvisor reports that building permits run between $530 and $3,040, with most projects near $1,650. Treat figures like these as marketing estimates. They average cities with very different fee tables, and they are not published by any building department.
What you can rely on is the method. Nearly every jurisdiction does some version of this:
- Decide the project's valuation.
- Look up the building permit fee for that valuation in a fee table.
- Add plan review, usually as a percentage of the permit fee.
- Add state or local surcharges and any separate trade permits.
A small job with no plan review, like a water heater swap, can land in flat-fee territory. A new building lands in table territory, where the fee climbs with valuation.
Step 1: How valuation is set
The model International Building Code (IBC) has the applicant state an estimated value of the work when applying. Spokane's policy, quoting the 2018 IBC, says the applicant provides an estimated permit value at the time of application. Local amendments often define it broadly, so ask whether labor, design fees and overhead count.
The building official can push back on a low number. The International Code Council (ICC) publishes Building Valuation Data (BVD) that officials use to check whether a declared valuation looks too low. ICC says the data is offered as an aid to the building official for exactly that purpose.
Some cities skip your number and calculate valuation themselves. ICC's formula is:
The square foot costs change. For the same occupancy and construction type (B, IIB), ICC's table showed $179.18 per square foot in August 2020 and $260.46 in August 2024, according to ICC's own page. Cities such as Kirkland, Washington post the current table. If your city uses it, find the edition they use.
Practical advice: Declare a full, honest valuation. An undervalued permit can be corrected at plan review and can cause trouble at final inspection. For owner-supplied materials and labor, ask the counter whether they count toward valuation.
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Step 2: The permit fee table
Cities publish a table that converts valuation into a fee. Two shapes show up in the schedules cited here:
| Shape | How it works | Example from a published schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Valuation bands | Fixed fee per band | Morgan Hill, CA lists fees in $1,000 valuation bands, with a 15% long-range planning fee added on top |
| Base plus per-$1,000 rate | A base amount for the tier, plus a rate for each additional $1,000 | Ramsey, MN's 2026 valuation schedule lists a base fee and a per-$1,000 amount for each tier |
Valuation bands
- How it works
- Fixed fee per band
- Example from a published schedule
- Morgan Hill, CA lists fees in $1,000 valuation bands, with a 15% long-range planning fee added on top
Base plus per-$1,000 rate
- How it works
- A base amount for the tier, plus a rate for each additional $1,000
- Example from a published schedule
- Ramsey, MN's 2026 valuation schedule lists a base fee and a per-$1,000 amount for each tier
Minnesota is a useful example because the plan review rate comes from statute. Minnesota's statute 326B.153 sets plan review at 65 percent of the building permit fee, and Ramsey's fee page lists residential plan check at 65% of the building permit fee.
Do not copy a tier from another city. The same valuation produces different fees in different places, because each jurisdiction sets its own table and updates it on its own schedule.
Step 3: Plan review and plan check fees
Plan review is billed separately from the permit fee in most jurisdictions. It is usually a percentage of the permit fee, so it grows when the permit fee grows.
| Jurisdiction | Plan review rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ramsey, MN (residential plan check) | 65% of building permit fee | City fee page |
| St. Paul, MN (valuation over $1,000) | 65% of permit fee | DSI fee schedule |
| Boulder, CO (multifamily and nonresidential) | 65% | 2026 fee schedule |
| Sacramento, CA (some permits) | 42% | CDD-0245 |
Ramsey, MN (residential plan check)
- Plan review rate
- 65% of building permit fee
- Source
- City fee page
St. Paul, MN (valuation over $1,000)
- Plan review rate
- 65% of permit fee
- Source
- DSI fee schedule
Boulder, CO (multifamily and nonresidential)
- Plan review rate
- 65%
- Source
- 2026 fee schedule
Sacramento, CA (some permits)
- Plan review rate
- 42%
- Source
- CDD-0245
Some departments also charge for extra review rounds. Mammoth Lakes, California's FY 2024-25 schedule says that if a project goes through three plan checks, an additional plan review fee is charged at an hourly rate of $90 for in-house plan checks. Resubmittals after a correction letter can therefore cost money. Our guide to responding to plan check corrections explains how to avoid extra rounds.
Step 4: Surcharges and add-ons
The building permit fee is rarely the whole bill. Look for these lines:
- State surcharge. St. Paul's new-construction checklist says the state surcharge is the project valuation times $0.0005. That is arithmetic you can do yourself: a $300,000 valuation gives $150. Other states use different rates, and that checklist is undated, so confirm it.
- Long-range planning or technology fees. Morgan Hill adds 15% for long-range planning.
- Zoning or design review. St. Paul's checklist lists a separate zoning design review fee.
- Trade permits. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work often carry their own permits.
- Impact and utility fees. These are set by separate agencies and are not in the building fee table. Ask the counter which apply.
Ask for a written fee estimate that lists every line, not only the building permit fee.
Step 5: Estimate your own fee
- Find your jurisdiction's fee schedule. Search "[city name] building permit fee schedule" and use a .gov result. Check the effective date.
- Confirm how valuation is set: your number, or the ICC table.
- Look up the permit fee for your valuation.
- Add plan review at the listed percentage.
- Add the surcharges from step 4.
- Ask the counter which trade permits and outside-agency fees apply.
Run the numbers early, before you commit to a budget. Our guide to how long a building permit is good for matters here too, because an expired permit may need a new fee.
When the permit is free or very cheap
Exempt work pays no building permit fee. A shed or small deck may fall under the exemption in the model residential code. Our deck permit guide walks through the four tests. Even exempt work still has to meet zoning and structural rules, so a call to the counter is cheap.
Common questions
How much does a building permit cost for a house?
It depends on the valuation and the city. New houses are priced from the valuation table, then plan review and surcharges are added. Pull your city's schedule and run your valuation through it. Consumer averages are not a substitute.
Why do two cities charge different fees for the same project?
Each jurisdiction sets its own fee schedule and rates. They also use different valuation methods. Some use your declared number, others use the ICC square foot table, and the table values change as ICC updates them.
Is plan review included in the permit fee?
Usually not. Plan review is commonly billed separately as a percentage of the permit fee. Minnesota sets it at 65 percent by statute, and several other cities in this guide use the same rate. Others use different rates.
Can I lower my permit fee by lowering the valuation?
Not safely. The building official can check your valuation against ICC data and correct it. A realistic, complete number avoids revision and delays.
Do I pay the fee when I apply or when the permit is issued?
Schedules differ. Ask the counter when each fee is due and which payment methods they accept.
Where do I find the current fee schedule?
On your building department's website, usually under fees or forms. Check the effective date. Many schedules are updated annually.
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