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Deck construction cost in 2026: what deck permits were filed at in 21 cities

A new deck costs about $17,364, going by US permit records: the median of the usual filed value of a deck permit in 16 US cities and counties, across 10,200 permits that carry a value. By city, it usually runs from about $7,370 to $29,000 in the permit record: that is the usual filed value of a deck permit in Minneapolis and in Raleigh, North Carolina, with Colorado Springs ($10,000 across 2,531 permits), Columbus ($15,000) and Nashville ($16,229) in between. Bismarck ($3,024) and Marin County ($50,000) sit at the two ends. These are the builders' own figures for the whole job. Many cities file porches, stairs or pergolas with decks, so the permit type is in the table.

By Contractor Records · data through October 17, 2026

Deck construction cost by city

City Permit type Usual filed value Middle half of firms' usual job Permits Usual days, issue to final City page
Bismarck, ND Deck $3,024 $2,646–$3,687 191 58 Cost page
Minneapolis, MN Deck, Porch & Stoop $7,370 $4,500–$19,750 692 166 Cost page
Chicago, IL Porch & Deck $10,000 $8,000–$16,000 797 145 Cost page
Colorado Springs, CO Deck, Patio Cover & Pergola $10,000 $6,545–$15,000 2,531 54 Cost page
Saint Paul, MN Deck, Porch & Steps $10,000 $7,543–$15,000 442 — Cost page
St. Louis, MO Deck & Porch $11,850 $7,000–$20,000 703 234 Cost page
Ames, IA Deck & Porch $12,000 $5,000–$25,000 245 91 Cost page
Bend, OR Deck & Porch Cover $13,638 $11,485–$16,703 110 108 Compare firms
Burlington, VT Deck & Porch $15,000 $9,100–$32,000 212 366 Cost page
Columbus, OH Deck & Patio $15,000 $12,000–$21,028 624 51 Cost page
Greensboro, NC Deck $16,046 $11,000–$25,000 226 41 Cost page
Nashville, TN Deck $16,229 $12,075–$25,818 773 — Cost page
Arlington County, VA Deck & Porch $18,500 $12,000–$27,000 402 61 Cost page
Wheaton, IL Deck, Porch & Pergola $18,955 $21,375–$27,662 187 111 Cost page
Somerville, MA Deck & Porch $20,000 $15,582–$28,300 205 208 Cost page
San Francisco, CA Decks, Stairs & Porches $22,000 $12,000–$80,000 1,701 237 Cost page
Bellevue, WA Deck & Patio Cover $24,360 — 173 205 Cost page
Naperville, IL Deck, Pergola & Gazebo $25,000 $24,990–$31,734 348 169 Cost page
Raleigh, NC Deck $29,000 $24,000–$53,481 1,101 — Cost page
Cary, NC Deck, Porch & Sunroom $32,500 $22,245–$53,000 1,278 75 Cost page
Marin County, CA (unincorporated) Decks & Stairs $50,000 — 151 335 Cost page

Cary's row includes sunrooms and screened porches, which explains its high figure; Chicago files porches and decks together. Wilmington, North Carolina files deck permits without a value and is left out.

What drives the price

  • What sits under the deck word. A ground-level platform, a second-storey deck with stairs, and a screened porch with a roof are all deck permits somewhere. Compare your quote with cities whose permit type matches your job, not just with the nearest number.
  • Footings and height. Minneapolis inspects footing depth and size, framing and connections, lumber, and "guards, stairs, handrails"; footings must "show frost depth minimum of 42” below grade" (City of Minneapolis, read 23 October 2026). Ask whether a quote prices the footings to that depth and the guards a raised deck needs.
  • The middle half. In Raleigh, 71 builders' usual jobs sit mostly between $24,000 and $53,481; in Colorado Springs, 170 builders sit between $6,545 and $15,000. Material choice is a large part of that spread; our deck materials comparison covers what the warranties say.

Filed value is not the final price

The filed value is the builder's figure on the permit application, written before the first footing is dug. Nobody audits it, some builders file labour only, and an upgrade from treated lumber to composite is rarely refiled. Ask for the square footage, height, material and railing type in writing so two quotes can be compared like for like.

Permit rules in brief

Most decks need a permit. Austin exempts "a deck that is no more than 200 square feet", "no more than 30 inches" above grade, not attached and not providing egress (City of Austin, read 23 October 2026). Minneapolis: "deck projects require a permit, even if you are tearing down an old deck and reconstructing one the same size." Fourteen departments' rules are compared in do I need a permit for a deck.

How long the permit stays open

Greensboro (41 days), Columbus (51) and Colorado Springs (54) close deck permits in under two months. Burlington, Vermont (366) and Marin County (335) take about a year, and only 30.5% of Saint Paul's deck permits a year or more old reached a final. Put "final inspection passed" in the contract before the last payment.

Check a deck quote in five minutes

  1. Find your city in the table and open its cost page.
  2. Put the quote next to the middle-half range, and check the permit type matches your job.
  3. Ask whether the price includes the permit, the footings and the railings.
  4. On your city's compare page, read the builder's deck permits and finished share. Our deck builder hiring guide lists the license to check by state.

See every Colorado Springs deck builder by finished share →

What these numbers cannot tell you

Permits record no deck area, height or material, so there is no per-square-foot figure here. Low freestanding decks under a city's exemption, and any deck built without a permit, are not in the record. Cities that file decks with porches or patio covers mix those jobs into the same figure.

How we know this

Deck permits are those each city files under a deck, deck-and-porch or porch-and-deck work type over its three-year window ending September 2026 (a few cities end earlier; each city page names its window). The usual filed value is the median of permits that carry one; the middle-half range uses firms with three or more deck permits and is blank where fewer than eight such firms exist; days is the median from issue to final, blank where a city records no final date. Permit rules are quoted from the pages under Sources, read 23 October 2026.

Numbers come from Pikes Peak Regional Building Department permits inside Colorado Springs city limits; City of Columbus Building & Zoning Services permits on 1-, 2- and 3-family homes (the city's Accela permit layer); City of Raleigh building permits; City of Minneapolis construction permits (CCS); San Francisco DBI building permits on one- and two-family homes, with the contractor from the city's permit contacts file; City of Naperville building permits (the current permit system plus the city's older records); Arlington County, VA building and trade permits; Town of Cary building permit applications (issued permits only), data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.

Questions

  • What is the average deck construction cost?

    Going by permits, the usual deck job was filed at $7,370 in Minneapolis, $10,000 in Colorado Springs, $15,000 in Columbus, $16,229 in Nashville and $29,000 in Raleigh. That is the middle filed value for the whole job, so a few large multi-level decks do not pull it up.

  • How much does deck construction cost per square foot?

    The permit record does not say. Cities record a job value, not the deck's area, height or material, so dividing one by the other would be invented. Ask each builder for the square footage and a total, then compare the total to your city's middle-half range; in Columbus that band is $12,000 to $21,028.

  • Is there a deck construction cost estimator for my city?

    Your city's deck cost page, linked in the table, is the closest thing: it shows the 10th to 90th percentile of filed values and, where home values are available, the usual job for firms working on lower, middle and upper-third homes. Colorado Springs' is built on 2,531 permits.

  • How much does it cost to rebuild a deck?

    A rebuild is filed the same way as a new deck, and Minneapolis says a permit is required even when you tear down an old deck and rebuild one the same size. Its usual deck, porch and stoop permit was filed at $7,370; Saint Paul's at $10,000.

  • Does a deck need a permit?

    Most do. Austin exempts a deck of no more than 200 square feet and 30 inches above grade that is not attached to the house and does not serve an exit. Minneapolis exempts only a deck under 30 inches built far enough from the house that it gives access to no door.

Build your own list

Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.

Colorado Springs deck, patio cover & pergolaColumbus, OH deck & patioRaleigh deckMinneapolis deck, porch & stoopSan Francisco decks, stairs & porchesNaperville deck, pergola & gazeboArlington, VA deck & porchCary deck, porch & sunroom

Related guides

For one city

All guides →

Sources
  1. Decks and Building Permits, 1 & 2 Family Dwellings — City of Minneapolis (accessed 2026-10-23)
  2. Work Exempt from Building Permits — City of Austin Development Services (accessed 2026-10-23)