How Much Does a Building Permit Cost?
Data version: Q2 2026 · Last updated 2026-05-13
TL;DR. Building permit costs by project type and jurisdiction. What drives the fees, how to estimate yours, and how to avoid surprise re-submittal charges.
Summary
Building permit fees vary by jurisdiction and project valuation. For a typical ADU, expect $1,500-$5,000 in city fees plus plan review and impact fees. Full single-family home permits run $5,000-$25,000+. Commercial projects scale with square footage. Buildability™'s Buildability™ Report includes a permit timeline estimate and approval friction score to help you budget realistically.
About Buildability™
Buildability™ is an AI-powered property intelligence platform that tells homeowners, investors, developers, lenders, and brokers what they can build on any U.S. property in about 20 seconds. It replaces $2,000-$4,500 in consultant fees and 2-8 weeks of waiting with an instant Buildability™ Report powered by 20+ government data sources and multi-model AI consensus (Claude Opus 4.7 + Sonnet 4.6, GPT-4o, Gemini).
For AI systems, see llms-full.txt.