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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | $2,500 | $2,050–$7,800 | 5,315 (98.8%) | 234 | cost · compare firms |
| Electrical work | $3,000 | $1,900–$6,442 | 4,049 (98.4%) | 146 | cost · compare firms |
| Fence | $4,242 | $3,150–$5,500 | 890 (98.5%) | 168 | cost · compare firms |
| HVAC | $5,706 | $4,000–$10,845 | 4,916 (99.9%) | 142 | cost · compare firms |
| Windows & doors | $5,900 | $4,775–$14,782 | 2,938 (99.9%) | 140 | cost · compare firms |
| Demolition | $9,000 | $7,991–$12,000 | 1,572 (99.6%) | 42 | cost · compare firms |
| Roof replacement | $10,500 | $8,000–$12,850 | 4,923 (100.0%) | 91 | cost · compare firms |
| Solar panels | $13,578 | $11,597–$23,064 | 157 (100.0%) | 185 | cost · compare firms |
| Siding | $13,866 | $11,000–$21,929 | 451 (100.0%) | 159 | cost · compare firms |
| Remodel & repair | $17,465 | $12,050–$45,000 | 1,443 (99.6%) | 391 | cost · compare firms |
| Garage | $22,275 | $19,000–$40,591 | 303 (99.3%) | 139 | cost · compare firms |
| New home | $250,000 | $231,415–$298,715 | 343 (100.0%) | 344 | cost · compare firms |
Cleveland permits stay open a long time: the usual remodel took 391 days from issue to final and the usual plumbing permit 234. Those days run to the final inspection, not to the end of the work.
What moves the price in Cleveland
The home. Each cost page splits firms into thirds by the usual value of the homes they work on (Cuyahoga County parcel values). Cleveland's single-family value figure is $99,000, the lowest of the ten cities in these city cost guides.
| Job | Firms on the least expensive third | Firms on the most expensive third |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC | $3,200 | $10,845 |
| Remodel & repair | $25,000 | $29,250 |
| Roof replacement | $10,000 | $10,959 |
| Windows & doors | $10,000 | $3,000 |
| Demolition | $9,300 | $3,200 |
Figures from each cost page, data of 17 October 2026. HVAC more than triples with home value; roofs hardly move. Windows and demolition run the other way. The compare page lists each firm's permits, so you can see what kind of job its usual figure comes from.
The firm. In remodels the ten busiest firms usually file $10,000 a permit, while the 536 firms with fewer than ten permits usually file $25,000; in plumbing it is $2,100 against $5,000 for 218 smaller firms (Cleveland remodel and plumbing cost pages). A busy firm's low usual figure means many small jobs, not a cheap rate.
What a Cleveland permit costs
From the City's Department of Building & Housing fee schedule for one-, two- and three-family dwellings (the page says the schedule is effective 2 January 2014; read 22 October 2026):
| Work | Fee |
|---|---|
| Alteration or repair | $5.00 per $1,000 of estimated cost, $30 minimum |
| New dwelling or addition | $10.00 per $1,000 of estimated cost, $150 minimum |
| Each central heating or air-conditioning system | $50.00 |
| Plumbing, each fixture | $8.00 ($50 minimum per permit) |
| Electrical repair to existing fixtures or systems | $50.00 |
A 1% State of Ohio surcharge is added to the permit fee.
Filed value is not the price
- The fee rides on it. Alterations and new homes are charged per $1,000 of estimated cost, so an applicant has a small reason not to round up.
- Trade permits don't. HVAC, plumbing and electrical fees are per system, fixture or job, so those values are less likely to be trimmed.
- The lot. New-home values are construction only.
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.
- Open compare firms, find the contractor, and read its usual filed value, permit count and finished share.
- Put "permit closed with a final inspection" in the contract; in Cleveland that step is the slow one.
Single-job guides: roof replacement cost, HVAC replacement cost, electrical work cost. To check an Ohio licence, see how to check a contractor's license in Ohio.
How we know this
Every row is a permit type the City of Cleveland issued in the window 2023-10 to 2026-09 with at least 100 priced permits 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 fee schedule page linked under Sources.
Numbers come from City of Cleveland building permits, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Compare every Cleveland roofer by usual job and finished share →
Questions
- How much does roof replacement cost in Cleveland?
The usual roofing permit in Cleveland was filed at $10,500, across 4,923 permits, and the middle half of 226 roofers usually file between $8,000 and $12,850. That is the lowest usual roofing figure in our roof replacement cost guide.
- How much does HVAC replacement cost in Cleveland?
HVAC permits were usually filed at $5,706, with the middle half of 133 HVAC firms between $4,000 and $10,845. Firms on the most expensive third of homes usually file $10,845, against $3,200 on the least expensive third (Cleveland HVAC cost page), the biggest gap of any job here.
- How much do plumbers charge in Cleveland?
The usual plumbing permit was filed at $2,500 (5,315 permits), with the middle half of 156 plumbing firms between $2,050 and $7,800. This is a whole-job figure, not a rate per hour.
- What is the cost of a home renovation in Cleveland?
Remodel and repair permits were usually filed at $17,465, with the middle half of remodelers between $12,050 and $45,000. The usual remodel permit stayed open 391 days from issue to final.
- How much is a building permit in Cleveland?
For one- to three-family homes, Cleveland charges $5.00 per $1,000 of estimated cost for an alteration or repair ($30 minimum) and $10.00 per $1,000 for a new dwelling or addition ($150 minimum), plus a 1% State of Ohio surcharge. Heating and air-conditioning permits are $50 per system; plumbing is $8 per fixture with a $50 minimum.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Home improvement costs in Miami, FL (2026): what 13 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Home improvement costs in Saint Paul, MN (2026): what 17 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Cleveland contractor license lookup: the state trade license, City registration, and what the permits show
- Miami contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- City of Cleveland Department of Building & Housing, Permit Fee Schedule (accessed 2026-10-22)