What each job was filed at
"Usual" is the middle permit: half were filed for less, half for more. "Middle half of firms" takes every firm with three or more permits in the trade, finds each firm's usual job, and shows the band the middle 50% of firms sit in; it is the number to hold a quote against.
| Job | Usual filed value | Middle half of firms | Permits (share priced) | Usual days to final | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical work | $3,000 | $2,000–$5,590 | 4,143 (99.9%) | 99 | cost · compare firms |
| Plumbing | $3,000 | $1,650–$6,800 | 6,454 (100.0%) | 75 | cost · compare firms |
| HVAC | $8,600 | $4,000–$12,320 | 2,807 (99.9%) | 148 | cost · compare firms |
| Foundation & waterproofing | $10,600 | $5,215–$13,900 | 202 (100.0%) | 106 | cost · compare firms |
| Remodel & renovation | $15,000 | $7,950–$25,000 | 777 (99.9%) | 112 | cost · compare firms |
| Solar panels | $16,000 | $9,166–$26,000 | 608 (100.0%) | 47 | cost · compare firms |
| Deck & porch | $18,500 | $12,000–$27,000 | 402 (100.0%) | 61 | cost · compare firms |
| Home addition | $80,000 | $48,000–$232,500 | 750 (99.9%) | 235 | cost · compare firms |
| New home | $500,000 | $400,000–$800,000 | 512 (100.0%) | 291 | cost · compare firms |
Arlington is a county with no separate towns, so one office issues every permit here. Demolition has a compare page but no cost page.
What moves the price in Arlington
The home. Each cost page splits firms into thirds by the usual value of the homes they work on (Arlington County 2026 assessed values). Arlington's single-family value figure is $1,220,000.
| Job | Firms on the least expensive third | Firms on the most expensive third |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical work | $3,000 | $7,000 |
| Home addition | $64,000 | $125,000 |
| Solar panels | $13,940 | $30,500 |
| New home | $375,000 | $550,000 |
| HVAC | $10,000 | $4,862 |
Figures from each cost page, data of 14 October 2026. Electrical, additions and solar roughly double with home value; HVAC halves, so for HVAC the house is not what sets the price.
The firm. In additions the ten busiest firms usually file $122,500 a permit, while the 340 firms with fewer than ten permits usually file $90,000 (Arlington addition cost page). In plumbing the ten busiest usually file $4,887, against $3,199 for 337 smaller firms (Arlington plumbing cost page).
The season. HVAC permits peak in October (index 119, where 100 is an average month) and are fewest in June (86). We have no prices by month.
Filed value is not the price
- It is what the applicant wrote down. Some contractors write the contract price, some the permitted part only.
- Trade permits are separate. A kitchen remodel's plumbing and electrical work sits on its own permits, so the remodel figure is not the whole bill.
- The lot. New-home values are construction only.
- Fees. Arlington's consolidated fee schedule would not open for us on 22 October 2026, so we don't quote permit fees; the County's Permit Arlington pages publish it.
Check a quote in five minutes
- Find your job in the table and open its cost page.
- Put your quote against the "middle half of firms" band. Inside it is normal here; above it, ask what the extra covers.
- Open compare firms, find the contractor, and read its usual filed value, permit count and finished share.
- Ask whether the price includes the County permit and the final inspection; the usual HVAC permit here took 148 days to reach final.
Single-job guides: electrical work cost, home addition cost, HVAC replacement cost. To check a Virginia licence, see Arlington contractor license lookup.
How we know this
Every row is a permit type with a cost page: Arlington County issued at least 100 priced permits of it on homes in the window 2023-10 to 2026-09, making up at least 80% of the type. Usual = median of the permits that carry a value; middle half of firms = 25th to 75th percentile of the usual value of firms with three or more permits in the trade (shown when at least eight firms qualify); days = median from permit issue to final inspection. Home-value thirds and busiest-firm figures are copied from each job's cost page and dated. No fee schedule was quoted.
Numbers come from Arlington County, VA building and trade permits, data through October 14, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Compare every Arlington electrician by usual job and finished share →
Questions
- How much does electrical work cost in Arlington, VA?
Electrical permits in Arlington were usually filed at $3,000 (4,143 permits), with the middle half of 266 electrical firms between $2,000 and $5,590. Electricians on the most expensive third of homes usually file $7,000, against $3,000 on the least expensive third (Arlington electrical cost page).
- How much does plumbing work cost in Arlington, VA?
Plumbing permits were usually filed at $3,000, across 6,454 permits, the biggest trade in the table, with the middle half of 244 plumbing firms between $1,650 and $6,800. That is a whole-job figure, not a rate per hour.
- How much does a home addition cost in Arlington, VA?
Addition permits were usually filed at $80,000 (750 permits), with the middle half of 64 firms between $48,000 and $232,500. Firms on the most expensive third of homes usually file $125,000, against $64,000 on the least expensive third.
- What is the cost to build a house in Arlington, VA?
New-home permits were usually filed at $500,000 across 512 permits, with the middle half of 43 builders between $400,000 and $800,000. The lot is not in the figure.
- What is the cost of a home renovation in Arlington, VA?
Remodel and renovation permits were usually filed at $15,000, with the middle half of 72 remodelers between $7,950 and $25,000. The usual one took 112 days from issue to final.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
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