The usual Burlington, VT permit takes 129 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout, across all 7 kinds of work on file (4,863 permits, April 2023 through March 2026). The usual electrical permit, the biggest trade here, takes 84 days. EV Charger is quickest at 49 days; deck & porch the slowest at 374 days. This is the turnaround to finish the work and close the permit, not the wait for approval. Records run through March 2026; the city's file has nothing newer.
“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. Burlington, VT'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 Burlington, VT: For contractors with at least 5 permits a year or more old, the share the city closed, adjusted for permit age.
Speed: How long their permits take from application to the city's completion date, compared with other Burlington contractors in the trade. It includes plan-review time, because the feed has no issue date. 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 | 2,192 | 84 | 74.7% | 47 |
| Heat Pump | 674 | 70 | 83.1% | 10 |
| Remodel & Repair | 547 | 315 | 69.4% | 5 |
| Windows & Doors | 489 | 273 | 67.9% | 6 |
| Roofing & Siding | 473 | 159 | 67.7% | 11 |
| EV Charger | 268 | 49 | 73.8% | 6 |
| Deck & Porch | 220 | 374 | 77.1% | 1 |
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 Burlington, VT takes 84 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (2,192 permits, April 2023 through March 2026). 74.7% of electrical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.5 months, the slowest quarter in 2.9 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Burlington, VT's file.
39 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Burlington, VT electrical contractors →
The usual heat pump permit in Burlington, VT takes 70 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (674 permits, April 2023 through March 2026). 83.1% of heat pump permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.5 months, the slowest quarter in 1.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Burlington, VT's file.
8 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Burlington, VT heat pump contractors →
The usual remodel & repair permit in Burlington, VT takes 315 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (547 permits, April 2023 through March 2026). 69.4% of remodel & repair permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 6 months, the slowest quarter in 8.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Burlington, VT's file.
5 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Burlington, VT remodel & repair contractors →
The usual windows & doors permit in Burlington, VT takes 273 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (489 permits, April 2023 through March 2026). 67.9% of windows & doors permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 4.8 months, the slowest quarter in 11.1 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Burlington, VT's file.
6 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Burlington, VT windows & doors contractors →
The usual roofing & siding permit in Burlington, VT takes 159 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (473 permits, April 2023 through March 2026). 67.7% of roofing & siding permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.3 months, the slowest quarter in 5.2 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Burlington, VT's file.
9 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Burlington, VT roofing & siding contractors →
The usual EV charger permit in Burlington, VT takes 49 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (268 permits, April 2023 through March 2026). 73.8% of EV charger permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1 month, the slowest quarter in 1.5 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Burlington, VT's file.
6 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Burlington, VT EV charger contractors →
The usual deck & porch permit in Burlington, VT takes 374 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (220 permits, April 2023 through March 2026). 77.1% of deck & porch permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Burlington, VT's file.
Source: City of Burlington permits on 1–4 family homes, condos and mobile homes (the city's OpenGov permit feed). The window is April 2023 through March 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 Burlington, VT →
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