How permit fees are calculated

We do not publish fee amounts anywhere on this site. They are set by local ordinance, revised without notice, and a stale figure in a directory is worse than no figure at all. What we can do is explain how the number is built, so you can read your jurisdiction's own fee schedule properly and recognise when a quote is missing something.

The components

Almost every permit invoice in the United States is assembled from some subset of these.

• Base permit fee. A flat charge for small, defined scopes; above a threshold it usually becomes a sliding scale tied to declared valuation.
• Plan review fee. Commonly a fixed percentage of the base fee — often somewhere between a quarter and two-thirds of it — charged whenever drawings need examination.
• Trade permits. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical are normally separate permits with their own fees, not inclusions in the building permit.
• Zoning or planning review. Applies when footprint, height, use or lot coverage changes.
• Impact or capacity fees. Charged on new dwelling units and new commercial floor area to fund roads, schools, water and parks. On a new house these frequently exceed the permit fee several times over, and they are the line item people most often fail to budget for.
• Technology or records surcharge. A small percentage funding the permit system itself.
• State surcharge. Some states levy a per-permit charge that the local office collects on the state's behalf.
• Reinspection fee. From the second visit onward when work fails or is not ready.
• After-hours inspection fee. A premium rate for inspections outside normal hours.
• Work-without-permit penalty. Commonly a doubling of the permit fee, sometimes more.

Valuation is the number that matters most

Where fees scale with valuation, the declared project cost drives everything downstream. Declare it accurately and include labour as well as materials, even when you are doing the work yourself — most jurisdictions require a labour value to be imputed. Offices maintain valuation tables based on square footage and construction type, and they will correct a declaration that falls below them. An under-declaration discovered later can be treated as a misrepresentation rather than an error.

Why the invoice comes in above the schedule

Three explanations cover most cases. Trade permits were quoted separately and you read only the building permit line. Surcharges are listed apart from the headline fee rather than inside it. Or the valuation was revised upward at review.

When fees are due

Most jurisdictions invoice at issuance rather than at submission, and some split it: a plan review fee at intake, the balance at issuance. This matters for cash flow on larger projects, and it is worth asking at the counter rather than discovering it.

Refunds

Refund policies are narrow. Plan review fees are usually non-refundable once review has begun, because the work has been done. Permit fees are sometimes partially refundable if the permit is withdrawn before any inspection. Ask before you withdraw rather than after.