- Electrical: busiest October (110), quietest December (89) on the average of 41 cities; the most common peak month city by city is October (9 of 41).
- Plumbing: busiest October (108), quietest December (86) on the average of 33 cities; the most common peak month city by city is April (9 of 33).
- HVAC: busiest July (123), quietest February (82) on the average of 42 cities; the most common peak month city by city is July (19 of 42).
- Roofing: busiest October (125), quietest December (63) on the average of 24 cities; the most common peak month city by city is October (7 of 24).
- Remodel: busiest April (113), quietest November (85) on the average of 36 cities; the most common peak month city by city is July (11 of 36).
- New home: busiest July (111), quietest November (89) on the average of 28 cities; the most common peak month city by city is April (6 of 28).
- Solar: busiest October (141), quietest February (81) on the average of 25 cities; the most common peak month city by city is October (12 of 25).
For each city and trade we counted the permits filed in each calendar month over three years and scaled them so that an average month is 100. A month at 130 saw 30% more filings than average; a month at 70 saw 30% fewer.
The average year, by trade
Each city counts once (the index is averaged across cities, not weighted by size). The busiest month for each trade is in bold.
| Trade | Cities | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 41 | 90 | 90 | 100 | 103 | 102 | 107 | 110 | 103 | 107 | 110 | 90 | 89 |
| Plumbing | 33 | 104 | 96 | 101 | 108 | 101 | 99 | 104 | 103 | 99 | 108 | 90 | 86 |
| HVAC | 42 | 92 | 82 | 92 | 102 | 103 | 111 | 123 | 110 | 98 | 105 | 92 | 91 |
| Roofing | 24 | 64 | 69 | 100 | 118 | 114 | 118 | 116 | 115 | 115 | 125 | 85 | 63 |
| Remodel | 36 | 94 | 93 | 102 | 113 | 109 | 105 | 110 | 104 | 95 | 105 | 85 | 85 |
| New home | 28 | 90 | 98 | 108 | 109 | 111 | 93 | 111 | 95 | 92 | 107 | 89 | 96 |
| Solar | 25 | 82 | 81 | 86 | 92 | 89 | 94 | 106 | 107 | 115 | 141 | 109 | 98 |
Where the seasons swing most and least
All trades in the city together, each trade weighted by its permits (as on each city's statistics page). The first rows are the cities with the biggest gap between their busiest and quietest month, the last rows the smallest. Only cities with 3,000 or more permits are ranked.
| City | Busiest month (index) | Quietest month (index) | Busiest vs quietest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naperville, IL | Apr (143) | Jan (52) | 2.7x |
| Wheaton, IL | Oct (134) | Dec (55) | 2.4x |
| Minneapolis, MN | Oct (148) | Feb (71) | 2.1x |
| Cleveland, OH | Oct (117) | Jan (57) | 2.0x |
| Bismarck, ND | Aug (131) | Feb (65) | 2.0x |
| Saint Paul, MN | Oct (134) | Feb (67) | 2.0x |
| Citrus Heights, CA | Jun (132) | Dec (67) | 2.0x |
| Albuquerque, NM | Oct (148) | Sep (77) | 1.9x |
| Scottsdale, AZ | May (112) | Dec (85) | 1.3x |
| Cambridge, MA | Oct (116) | Dec (89) | 1.3x |
| Arlington, VA | Oct (115) | Jun (89) | 1.3x |
| Wilmington, NC | Oct (114) | Sep (88) | 1.3x |
| Orlando, FL | Oct (111) | Sep (88) | 1.3x |
Every city, every trade
Each cell is the busiest month for that trade and its index. City names link to the permit statistics page, which charts every month. A dash means no such trade, or fewer than 500 permits.
| City | Busiest / quietest (all trades) | Electrical | Plumbing | HVAC | Roofing | Remodel | New home | Solar | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque, NM | Oct / Sep | — | — | — | — | — | Dec (127) | Oct (192) | |
| Ames, IA | Jul / Feb | Oct (125) | Apr (151) | Jul (150) | — | — | — | — | |
| Anaheim, CA | Sep / Feb | Sep (148) | Jan (183) | Aug (147) | Aug (116) | May (131) | — | Oct (124) | |
| Arlington, VA | Oct / Jun | Oct (117) | Mar (117) | Oct (119) | — | Jul (117) | Sep (129) | Oct (223) | county permits |
| Austin, TX | Jun / Dec | Jun (112) | Apr (116) | Jun (129) | — | Mar (119) | Mar (141) | — | |
| Bellevue, WA | Jul / Nov | Jul (121) | Jul (139) | Jun (119) | — | Apr (155) | — | — | |
| Bellingham, WA | Jul / Dec | Sep (128) | — | Jul (112) | — | — | — | May (146) | |
| Bend, OR | Apr / Feb | Apr (133) | Apr (120) | Oct (122) | — | Oct (143) | Apr (131) | Sep (122) | |
| Bismarck, ND | Aug / Feb | Aug (137) | Oct (208) | Oct (136) | — | — | Jul (171) | — | remodel includes additions |
| Boulder, CO | Jul / Feb | Oct (173) | — | Aug (131) | Jun (126) | Jul (142) | — | Jul (141) | |
| Burlington, VT | Aug / Dec | Mar (110) | — | — | — | May (121) | — | — | file ends Mar 2026; roofing includes siding |
| Cambridge, MA | Oct / Dec | Sep (118) | Jul (113) | Oct (119) | Apr (127) | Oct (124) | — | — | remodel includes additions |
| Cary, NC | Jul / Feb | Jul (116) | Sep (136) | Jun (142) | — | Apr (126) | Jul (147) | Nov (166) | |
| Chicago, IL | Sep / Dec | Sep (125) | Apr (118) | Apr (121) | Aug (164) | Apr (140) | Aug (121) | Aug (146) | |
| Cincinnati, OH | Aug / Sep | — | Aug (125) | Oct (140) | — | Aug (134) | — | — | |
| Citrus Heights, CA | Jun / Dec | Jun (158) | — | Jul (151) | Apr (141) | Jun (175) | — | — | remodel includes additions |
| Cleveland, OH | Oct / Jan | Oct (123) | Mar (129) | Dec (119) | Oct (135) | Jul (124) | — | — | |
| Colorado Springs, CO | Oct / Feb | Jul (156) | Apr (106) | Jul (134) | Oct (191) | Apr (123) | May (157) | Oct (180) | remodel includes additions |
| Columbus, OH | Jun / Jan | Aug (126) | Apr (107) | Jun (129) | — | Apr (117) | Nov (186) | — | |
| Denton, TX | Jul / Nov | — | — | Jul (155) | Jul (149) | — | Jan (128) | — | |
| Denver, CO | Oct / Feb | — | — | — | — | Jul (114) | Jul (157) | — | |
| Elk Grove, CA | Jun / Nov | Jul (118) | Jan (143) | Jul (160) | Apr (141) | Jan (118) | Apr (138) | Oct (182) | remodel includes additions |
| Greensboro, NC | Jul / Dec | Mar (118) | Jun (133) | Jul (135) | — | May (135) | Apr (136) | — | |
| Henderson, NV | Oct / Jan | Jan (115) | Aug (125) | Jul (162) | — | Apr (148) | Apr (144) | Oct (143) | |
| Honolulu, HI | Aug / Jan | Sep (120) | — | — | — | Aug (190) | Mar (174) | Dec (123) | file ends Jun 2025 |
| Marin County, CA | Oct / Mar | Jan (150) | — | Dec (132) | Aug (125) | Jan (118) | — | Oct (182) | unincorporated county |
| Medford, OR | May / Feb | Sep (144) | — | Jul (133) | — | — | May (150) | Jul (125) | remodel includes additions |
| Mesa, AZ | Oct / Aug | — | — | — | — | — | Oct (127) | Apr (142) | |
| Miami, FL | Jul / Dec | Apr (116) | Mar (111) | Jul (122) | Oct (111) | Jul (125) | May (115) | — | |
| Minneapolis, MN | Oct / Feb | — | Apr (108) | Jul (116) | Oct (243) | Oct (119) | — | Oct (153) | |
| Naperville, IL | Apr / Jan | Oct (156) | — | — | — | May (118) | Jul (158) | — | timed only in the permit system used from 2024 |
| New York City, NY | Oct / Feb | Oct (122) | Apr (111) | Jul (117) | — | — | Apr (142) | Aug (116) | HVAC includes boilers |
| Orlando, FL | Oct / Sep | Jul (114) | Jul (111) | Aug (112) | Mar (125) | Jul (117) | Jun (131) | Oct (130) | |
| Palo Alto, CA | Oct / Feb | May (117) | Jan (127) | Jul (125) | Sep (129) | Jul (141) | — | — | |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Oct / Aug | Oct (114) | — | Oct (137) | — | May (188) | — | Jul (174) | remodel includes windows |
| Raleigh, NC | Jul / Dec | Jul (115) | Aug (117) | Jul (116) | — | — | May (122) | — | |
| Sacramento County, CA | May / Nov | Sep (132) | Apr (128) | Jul (160) | Apr (126) | Aug (120) | May (287) | Sep (216) | unincorporated county; remodel includes additions |
| Saint Paul, MN | Oct / Feb | Aug (121) | Jan (115) | Nov (126) | Sep (196) | Oct (111) | — | Feb (141) | file ends Jun 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | Oct / Sep | Mar (167) | Jan (124) | Jul (138) | — | Jul (144) | — | Oct (143) | |
| San Diego County, CA | Oct / Feb | Oct (185) | Jan (133) | Aug (147) | Mar (112) | May (170) | Oct (210) | Oct (130) | unincorporated county |
| San Francisco, CA | Oct / Dec | — | — | — | Oct (132) | Jul (125) | — | — | |
| Scottsdale, AZ | May / Dec | Jun (148) | Mar (117) | Jul (147) | — | Aug (127) | Oct (130) | Jan (116) | file ends Dec 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | Oct / Feb | Oct (154) | — | Oct (130) | Jun (136) | — | — | Oct (143) | HVAC = furnaces; heat pumps filed separately |
| Somerville, MA | Oct / Feb | Jul (124) | Jan (125) | Jan (122) | Oct (141) | Jul (116) | — | — | |
| St. Louis, MO | Oct / Mar | — | — | — | — | Oct (132) | — | — | |
| Sugar Land, TX | Apr / Nov | Sep (125) | Jan (127) | Jun (143) | Apr (173) | — | — | — | |
| Tyler, TX | Mar / Jan | Jun (135) | Aug (124) | Jul (122) | Mar (234) | — | Dec (150) | — | remodel includes additions |
| Waco, TX | Jun / Nov | Jun (128) | Feb (115) | Jul (122) | Jun (289) | — | Apr (131) | — | file ends May 2026 |
| Wheaton, IL | Oct / Dec | — | — | Jun (142) | Oct (181) | — | — | — | finish = last passed inspection |
| Wilmington, NC | Oct / Sep | Jan (114) | Oct (120) | Apr (140) | — | Jul (126) | Oct (175) | — |
Using this to plan a project
If the job can wait, the quiet month for your trade is when the fewest permits are being filed in your city, which is the closest public measure of how busy contractors are. HVAC is the clearest case: summer peaks in most places, so a replacement planned for spring or autumn is filed in a quieter month. Our guide to the best month to start electrical, HVAC and solar work goes through ten cities in detail, and how long home projects take covers the time from permit to sign-off.
How we know this
What is counted. Home permits that name a contractor, by the month they were issued, over the city's data window. For each city and trade the monthly count is divided by the average month and multiplied by 100.
Thresholds. A city-and-trade cell is shown only when the trade has 500 or more permits, because a small trade's monthly counts are lumpy. Cities whose window is not a whole number of years are left out, because some months would be counted more often than others (Cape Coral's file covers 21 months). The busiest-versus-quietest ranking needs 3,000 or more permits in the city.
Caveats. Three years is a short record: one storm, one subdivision or one incentive deadline can set a month on its own, and a trade that grew or shrank over the window tilts slightly toward the months at the start or end. Filing month is not start month; work often begins weeks after the permit. Saint Paul's and Honolulu's windows run July 2022 to June 2025, Scottsdale's is calendar 2023 to 2025, Burlington's April 2023 to March 2026 and Waco's June 2023 to May 2026. Trade names differ by city; the Notes column says where a column covers more or less than its name. San Diego County, Marin County and Sacramento County are unincorporated-county permits only.
Regenerating. The tables are built by seo/tools/studies.py from the same files as every city page.
Numbers come from public permit records in 53 cities, data through October 20, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Pick your city and trade and see who files the most work →
Questions
- What does an index of 125 mean?
That month saw 25% more permits filed than the average month for that trade and city over the data window. An index of 80 means 20% fewer. The twelve months average to 100.
- Is the quietest month the cheapest time to hire?
We do not know, and nobody can tell from permits. The index counts filings, not prices or wait times. A quiet month means fewer jobs are being filed in that trade, which can mean more open calendars; ask the contractor.
- When do HVAC permits peak?
In most cities, in summer: July is the most common peak month for HVAC (see the trade list above). Where heating dominates, the peak moves to autumn: Seattle's furnace and heating permits peak in October, while Miami's HVAC permits peak in July.
- Why does one month stand out so much in some cities?
A single unusual month in the window, such as a storm that brings a wave of roof claims, a builder filing a whole subdivision at once, or a rush before a deadline, can lift that month's index on its own. The index covers three years, so one big month is diluted but not removed.
- Where can I see one city's months in detail?
Each city name in the table links to that city's permit statistics page, which charts filings by month for every trade it has. In Colorado Springs, for example, roofing peaks in October at an index of 191.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
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