What does a building permit cost in your city?
Updated November 11, 2026 · Built from official fee schedules and city permit records
Real permit fees and wait times, calculated from each city's official 2026 fee schedule and its own permit records for the last 12 months. No guesses, no lead forms.
Seattle, WA4,408 residential permits analyzed · median wait 62 daysChicago, IL31,361 residential permits analyzed · median wait 6 daysAustin, TX8,030 residential permits analyzed · median wait 28 daysSan Antonio, TX19,923 residential permits analyzed · median wait 1 dayFort Worth, TX15,699 residential permits analyzed · median wait 18 days
What you will find for each city
- How the city calculates the fee, with worked examples at typical project sizes.
- Real wait times: the median, fastest and slowest quarter, by permit type.
- What else you are likely to pay, and links to the official sources.