The usual Bellingham permit takes 60 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout, across all 12 kinds of work on file (8,682 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). The usual electrical permit, the biggest trade here, takes 89 days. EV Charger is quickest at 18 days; side sewer repair the slowest at 369 days. This is the turnaround to finish the work and close the permit, not the wait for approval.
“How long does a permit take?” can mean two waits. This page measures the second one.
Getting the permit (not measured): application → issue, the wait for the city to approve it. Bellingham's file we read does not carry a usable application date, so we don't guess at it. Ask the permit office for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → completion. The day the city issued the permit to the day it recorded a final inspection or closeout. That is the contractor's part: doing the work and getting it signed off.
What “finished” means in Bellingham: For contractors with at least 5 permits a year or more old, the share that passed final inspection.
Speed: How long their permits take from issue to final inspection, using the city's dates, compared with other Bellingham contractors in the trade. Shown for firms with 10+ permits.
Usual is the middle permit: half finish sooner, half later. Finished is the share of permits a year or more old that the city closed out.
| Trade | Permits | Usual days to finish | Finished | Firms with 10+ permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 2,730 | 89 | 89.4% | 44 |
| HVAC & Mechanical | 2,581 | 24 | 92.9% | 18 |
| Water Heater | 813 | 31 | 88.8% | 7 |
| Solar & Battery | 729 | 22 | 97.7% | 10 |
| New Home | 449 | 326 | 83.8% | 11 |
| Side Sewer Repair | 267 | 369 | 77.4% | 5 |
| Remodel & Repair | 252 | 275 | 48.9% | 5 |
| EV Charger | 248 | 18 | 86.9% | 10 |
| Fire Sprinkler | 237 | 179 | 99.3% | 6 |
| Plumbing | 135 | 134 | 58.1% | 3 |
| Addition | 131 | 328 | 65.1% | 1 |
| ADU | 110 | 329 | 79.2% | 0 |
Each trade on its own, from issue to the city's sign-off. The spread between the quickest and slowest quarter of firms is the part you can choose.
The usual electrical permit in Bellingham takes 89 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (2,730 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 89.4% of electrical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.2 months, the slowest quarter in 4.9 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bellingham's file.
43 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Bellingham electrical contractors →
The usual HVAC & mechanical permit in Bellingham takes 24 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (2,581 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 92.9% of HVAC & mechanical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.7 months, the slowest quarter in 0.9 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bellingham's file.
15 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Bellingham HVAC & mechanical contractors →
The usual water heater permit in Bellingham takes 31 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (813 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 88.8% of water heater permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.8 months, the slowest quarter in 1.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bellingham's file.
7 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Bellingham water heater contractors →
The usual solar & battery permit in Bellingham takes 22 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (729 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 97.7% of solar & battery permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.5 months, the slowest quarter in 0.6 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bellingham's file.
10 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Bellingham solar & battery contractors →
The usual new home permit in Bellingham takes 326 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (449 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 83.8% of new home permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 8.8 months, the slowest quarter in 9.5 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bellingham's file.
10 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Bellingham new home contractors →
The usual side sewer repair permit in Bellingham takes 369 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (267 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 77.4% of side sewer repair permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bellingham's file.
The usual remodel & repair permit in Bellingham takes 275 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (252 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 48.9% of remodel & repair permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bellingham's file.
The usual EV charger permit in Bellingham takes 18 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (248 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 86.9% of EV charger permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.4 months, the slowest quarter in 0.6 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bellingham's file.
9 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Bellingham EV charger contractors →
The usual fire sprinkler permit in Bellingham takes 179 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (237 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 99.3% of fire sprinkler permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 5.8 months, the slowest quarter in 6.5 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bellingham's file.
6 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Bellingham fire sprinkler contractors →
The usual plumbing permit in Bellingham takes 134 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (135 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 58.1% of plumbing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1 month, the slowest quarter in 17.4 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bellingham's file.
3 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Bellingham plumbing contractors →
The usual addition permit in Bellingham takes 328 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (131 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 65.1% of addition permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bellingham's file.
The usual ADU permit in Bellingham takes 329 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (110 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 79.2% of ADU permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bellingham's file.
Source: City of Bellingham permits on single-family homes, duplexes and townhomes. The window is October 2023 through September 2026; a permit filed after that isn't here yet.
A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit when they applied. It is not a quote and not the final bill.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits, and one permit can cover several visits.
Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. How the records work in Bellingham →
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