The usual Boulder permit takes 81 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout, across all 10 kinds of work on file (12,984 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). The usual HVAC & mechanical permit, the biggest trade here, takes 76 days. Roofing is quickest at 41 days; new home the slowest at 532 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. Boulder'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 Boulder: 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 completion, using the city's dates, compared with other Boulder 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC & Mechanical | 4,460 | 76 | 69.6% | 65 |
| Roofing | 2,516 | 41 | 86.0% | 51 |
| Solar & Battery | 1,489 | 72 | 93.4% | 21 |
| Electrical | 1,330 | 55 | 75.2% | 25 |
| Water Heater | 1,267 | 137 | 50.1% | 18 |
| Remodel & Repair | 1,178 | 141 | 81.4% | 18 |
| Addition | 369 | 415 | 77.2% | 5 |
| Garage, ADU & Accessory Building | 142 | 411 | 93.2% | 0 |
| Demolition & Deconstruction | 117 | 340 | 77.1% | 2 |
| New Home | 116 | 532 | 67.1% | 3 |
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 HVAC & mechanical permit in Boulder takes 76 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (4,460 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 69.6% of HVAC & mechanical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.4 months, the slowest quarter in 3.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Boulder's file.
53 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Boulder HVAC & mechanical contractors →
The usual roofing permit in Boulder takes 41 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (2,516 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 86.0% of roofing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1 month, the slowest quarter in 2.3 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Boulder's file.
48 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Boulder roofing contractors →
The usual solar & battery permit in Boulder takes 72 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,489 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 93.4% of solar & battery permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2 months, the slowest quarter in 3.2 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Boulder's file.
21 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Boulder solar & battery contractors →
The usual electrical permit in Boulder takes 55 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,330 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 75.2% of electrical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1 month, the slowest quarter in 1.7 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Boulder's file.
24 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Boulder electrical contractors →
The usual water heater permit in Boulder takes 137 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,267 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 50.1% of water heater permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.4 months, the slowest quarter in 11.4 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Boulder's file.
16 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Boulder water heater contractors →
The usual remodel & repair permit in Boulder takes 141 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,178 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 81.4% of remodel & repair permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2 months, the slowest quarter in 5.1 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Boulder's file.
16 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Boulder remodel & repair contractors →
The usual addition permit in Boulder takes 415 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (369 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 77.2% of addition permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 7.5 months, the slowest quarter in 12.9 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Boulder's file.
5 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Boulder addition contractors →
The usual garage, ADU & accessory building permit in Boulder takes 411 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (142 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 93.2% of garage, ADU & accessory building permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Boulder's file.
The usual demolition & deconstruction permit in Boulder takes 340 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (117 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 77.1% of demolition & deconstruction permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 8.3 months, the slowest quarter in 13.6 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Boulder's file.
2 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Boulder demolition & deconstruction contractors →
The usual new home permit in Boulder takes 532 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (116 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 67.1% of new home permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 8.6 months, the slowest quarter in 18.7 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Boulder's file.
3 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Boulder new home contractors →
Source: City of Boulder construction permits. 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 Boulder →
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