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 | $2,835 | $1,800–$5,358 | 1,330 (99.1%) | 55 | cost · compare firms |
| Water heater | $3,518 | $2,675–$4,030 | 1,267 (99.9%) | 137 | cost · compare firms |
| HVAC & mechanical | $10,572 | $7,750–$15,000 | 4,460 (100.0%) | 76 | cost · compare firms |
| Roof replacement | $11,500 | $9,398–$16,000 | 2,516 (100.0%) | 41 | cost · compare firms |
| Solar & battery | $21,000 | $6,750–$28,742 | 1,489 (100.0%) | 72 | cost · compare firms |
| Remodel & repair | $25,862 | $14,431–$73,225 | 1,178 (100.0%) | 141 | cost · compare firms |
| Garage, ADU & accessory building | $90,500 | $45,000–$125,000 | 142 (99.3%) | 411 | cost · compare firms |
| Home addition | $100,000 | $70,000–$313,436 | 369 (99.7%) | 415 | cost · compare firms |
| New home | $850,000 | $500,000–$2,250,000 | 116 (100.0%) | 532 | cost · compare firms |
Demolition has a compare page but no cost page. The new-home row rests on 116 permits and 10 builders with three or more, so treat its band as a rough guide.
What moves the price in Boulder
The home. Each cost page splits firms into thirds by the usual value of the homes they work on (Boulder County Assessor values). Boulder's single-family value figure is $1,265,000, one of the highest on the site.
| Job | Firms on the least expensive third | Firms on the most expensive third |
|---|---|---|
| Remodel & repair | $15,932 | $65,554 |
| Solar & battery | $22,528 | $29,700 |
| HVAC & mechanical | $9,500 | $13,444 |
| Roof replacement | $12,500 | $11,957 |
| New home | $500,000 | $2,250,000 |
Figures from each cost page, data of 16 October 2026. Remodels quadruple with home value and new homes rise more than fourfold; roofs don't move, so for a roof the house is not what sets the price.
The firm. In remodels the ten busiest firms usually file $7,287 a permit, while the 396 firms with fewer than ten permits usually file $44,339 (Boulder remodel cost page). The busiest remodel filers mostly do small repairs. Solar runs the other way: $22,528 for the ten busiest against $12,240 for the 91 smaller firms (Boulder solar cost page).
The season. HVAC permits peak in August (index 131, where 100 is an average month) and are fewest in February (72). We have no prices by month.
What a Boulder permit costs
From the City's Planning and Development Services 2026 Schedule of Fees (read 22 October 2026):
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Building, roofing, siding: valuation $2,000.01 to $25,000 | $74 for the first $2,000 + $14.95 per additional $1,000 |
| Building: $25,000.01 to $50,000 | $418 for the first $25,000 + $10.75 per additional $1,000 |
| Building: $50,000.01 to $100,000 | $686 for the first $50,000 + $7.45 per additional $1,000 |
| Building: $100,000.01 to $500,000 | $1,059 for the first $100,000 + $5.95 per additional $1,000 |
| Plan check, single-family | 25% of the building permit fee |
| Mechanical (HVAC) | $19.90 for the first $800 of labor and materials + $3.75 per additional $100 |
| Residential solar (photovoltaic) | $69.60 |
| Fence and retaining wall | $4.05 per $100 of valuation |
A roof at the usual $11,500 works out to $223.50; an HVAC job at the usual $10,572 to $387.40 in mechanical fee. City and county use tax is prepaid at issue on materials, which the schedule estimates at 50% of a building permit's valuation. All these fees double for work started without a permit.
Filed value is not the price
- The City may raise it. The schedule sets the building valuation as the higher of the City's valuation table (per square foot, from ICC cost data) and the applicant's estimate, so a building permit's value can be the table figure rather than the contract.
- Mechanical fees ride on it. HVAC fees climb $3.75 per $100, which is a reason to write the lower end of a quote.
- Solar is flat. A $69.60 residential solar fee gives no reason to trim the value; the middle half of solar firms still spans $6,750 to $28,742, because battery jobs share the type.
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 permit, the City's use-tax prepayment and the final inspection; the usual addition here took 415 days to reach final.
Single-job guides: roof replacement cost, HVAC replacement cost, electrical work cost. To check a Colorado licence, see how to check a contractor's license in Colorado.
How we know this
Every row is a permit type with a cost page: the City of Boulder issued at least 100 priced permits of it 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. Fees are quoted from the City's 2026 Schedule of Fees linked under Sources.
Numbers come from City of Boulder construction permits, data through October 16, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Compare every Boulder HVAC firm by usual job and finished share →
Questions
- How much does electrical work cost in Boulder?
Electrical permits in Boulder were usually filed at $2,835 (1,330 permits), with the middle half of 107 electrical firms between $1,800 and $5,358. The usual electrical permit took 55 days from issue to final.
- How much does HVAC replacement cost in Boulder?
HVAC and mechanical permits were usually filed at $10,572, across 4,460 permits, the biggest trade in the table. The middle half of 136 HVAC firms usually file between $7,750 and $15,000; firms on the most expensive third of homes usually file $13,444, against $9,500 on the least expensive third (Boulder HVAC cost page).
- How much does a home remodel cost in Boulder?
Remodel and repair permits were usually filed at $25,862, but the middle half of 112 remodelers file anywhere from $14,431 to $73,225. Remodelers on the most expensive third of homes usually file $65,554, against $15,932 on the least expensive third.
- What is the cost to build a house in Boulder?
New-home permits were usually filed at $850,000, but only 116 were issued in three years and the middle half of builders file between $500,000 and $2,250,000. The lot, and any house torn down to clear it, are not in the figure.
- How much is a building permit in Boulder?
The City's 2026 schedule charges $74 for the first $2,000 of valuation plus $14.95 per additional $1,000 up to $25,000, then $418 plus $10.75 per $1,000 up to $50,000. A roof filed at the usual $11,500 comes to $223.50, and a single-family plan check adds 25% of the building permit fee.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
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- Home improvement costs in Palo Alto, CA (2026): what 12 kinds of jobs were filed at
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For one city
- City of Boulder, Planning and Development Services 2026 Schedule of Fees (accessed 2026-10-22)