Detached garage cost by city
| City | Permits | Builders | Usual filed value | Middle half of builders' usual job | Usual days to final | Reached final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | 1,821 | 286 | $26,312 | $14,000–$27,000 | 106 | 67.1% |
| Denver, CO | 989 | 233 | $29,882 | $21,815–$33,115 | not recorded | not recorded |
| Minneapolis, MN | 706 | 185 | $24,775 | $24,775–$28,461 | 143 | 93.4% |
| Nashville, TN | 769 | 454 | $37,309 | $24,150–$81,670 | not recorded | not recorded |
| Saint Paul, MN | 538 | 144 | $16,128 | $13,552–$20,000 | 207 | 73.2% |
| St. Louis, MO | 355 | 149 | $13,000 | $12,900–$35,000 | 335 | 70.7% |
| Cleveland, OH | 303 | 94 | $22,275 | $19,000–$40,591 | 139 | 82.9% |
| Scottsdale, AZ | 235 | 170 | $54,474 | $31,727–$116,961 | not recorded | 25.3% |
| Greensboro, NC | 119 | 62 | $38,700 | $25,000–$125,000 | 156 | 94.3% |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 136 | 61 | $36,160 | too few builders | 133 | not recorded |
| Cincinnati, OH | 111 | 80 | $20,000 | too few builders | 332 | 76.8% |
Labels differ: Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Colorado Springs file garages with other accessory buildings, St. Louis with carports, and Greensboro and Cincinnati with sheds, which pulls their usual value down. Compare a quote with its own city.
Garages filed with other accessory buildings
Five more cities file garages together with sheds, casitas, patio covers or ADUs, so the figure is a ceiling or a floor rather than a garage price.
| City | What the city files together | Permits | Usual filed value | Usual days to final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando, FL | Shed, garage and accessory | 278 | $11,239 | 48 |
| San Diego, CA | Patio cover, garage and accessory structure | 242 | $18,925 | 183 |
| San Diego County, CA | Garage, patio cover and accessory structure | 224 | $18,796 | 217 |
| Boulder, CO | Garage, ADU and accessory building | 142 | $90,500 | 411 |
| Henderson, NV | Garage, casita and accessory | 119 | no value filed | 281 |
Boulder's figure is high because it includes ADUs; Orlando's is low because it includes sheds.
What moves the price
Three things show up in the spread between builders. Size and use: in Minneapolis, where most permits are standard garages, the middle half of builders' usual jobs sit within a few thousand dollars of each other ($24,775 to $28,461), while in Greensboro they run from $25,000 to $125,000. What is on the permit: some cities file the slab, electrical and driveway on separate permits, so the garage permit's value may not include them; ask whether your quote does. Who builds it: garage specialists build many a year and file similar values; a general contractor building one garage files whatever that job costs. In Chicago the five busiest garage builders held 60.6% of permits, so most Chicago quotes come from firms with a long record you can read.
Size, height and setback: the rules that cap the garage
Zoning sets the largest garage you can build before any builder prices it. Minneapolis puts its rules for one- and two-family homes on one page:
| Rule | Minneapolis |
|---|---|
| Permit | Required for "all garage construction projects"; tearing down an old detached garage is the only exception |
| Largest size | 676 square feet for all detached accessory structures together, so a shed counts against the garage |
| Height | 12 feet, measured to the midpoint of the roof pitch, not the peak |
| Setback | "Generally a 6' setback" with an overhead door facing the alley; walls under 5 feet from a property line must be one-hour protected |
| Foundation | "Most detached garages are not required to be built on frost footing"; a thickened perimeter slab is typical, 3,500 psi concrete minimum |
| Plans | Two sets: site plan, elevations and a building section; no architect needed. If you cannot find the property corners, a licensed surveyor must mark them |
| Electrical | A separate permit from the State of Minnesota, 651-284-5026 |
Source: City of Minneapolis, Detached Garages and Building Permits (read 21 October 2026). Two things follow for cost. A hard size cap keeps every garage in a narrow band, and our reading is that this is part of why Minneapolis builders' usual jobs bunch between $24,775 and $28,461. And the electrical work is on a state permit, so it is not in the city's filed value; a survey, if you need one, is not either. Your city's numbers will differ; its zoning office has the equivalent page.
Who may build one
| Where | What to ask for | Look it up |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | A City of Chicago general contractor license (five classes by project size) | General Contractors (Active) |
| Columbus, OH | Home Improvement General: BZS lists "accessory structures and garages" under it | Columbus contractor search |
| Denver | A Denver contractor license with a supervisor certificate | Denver Contractor Licensing, (720) 865-2770 |
| Minnesota | A DLI residential building contractor license once the firm does more than one special skill (foundation, framing and roofing are three) | DLI lookup |
| Nashville | State contractor license at $25,000 and up; a home improvement license from over $3,000 to under $25,000 | verify.tn.gov |
| Scottsdale | Arizona ROC license | ROC Contractor Search |
Then open the builder's page here: in Chicago, 10 of the 15 garage builders with 10 or more permits finished under 70% of them, so the finished share is worth reading before you sign. More on that in how to check a contractor's permit history.
See every Chicago garage builder by finished share →
What these numbers cannot tell you
Filed values are the builder's statement to the city, not the invoice, and they leave out anything permitted separately. A city that files sheds and ADUs with garages blurs the price either way. Denver and Nashville record no usable final date for garages, so we show their cost but not their timing. Our copy updates about monthly; the city portal is the live record.
How we know this
Garage permits are those each city files under a garage or accessory-building work type, over its three-year window (Saint Paul July 2022 to June 2025; Nashville September 2023 to September 2026; Scottsdale January 2023 to December 2025; the others October 2023 to September 2026). The usual filed value is the median of permits that carry a value; the middle-half range uses builders with 3 or more garage permits and is shown only where at least 8 builders qualify; "reached final" is the share of permits a year or more old that the city closed with a final. License rules are quoted from the city and state pages under Sources, read 20 and 21 October 2026.
Numbers come from City of Chicago building permits (Chicago Data Portal); City and County of Denver residential construction and demolition permits; City of Minneapolis construction permits (CCS); Metro Nashville (Davidson County) building and trade permits; City of Saint Paul approved building permits; City of Cleveland building permits; City of St. Louis building permits; City of Scottsdale building permits, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How much does a detached garage cost?
By the permit record, the usual filed value of a garage permit ran from $13,000 in St. Louis to $54,474 in Scottsdale; it was $26,312 in Chicago, $24,775 in Minneapolis and $29,882 in Denver. Filed values are what the builder told the city, not the contract price.
- Do I need a permit for a detached garage?
Almost always. Minneapolis says "all garage construction projects require a permit", and the only exception is tearing down an old one; Columbus, Ohio requires a building permit for any shed over 200 square feet. Every city in this guide issued garage permits by the hundred; ask your permit office for its own size limit.
- How long does a garage permit take to close?
The usual garage permit reached its final in 106 days in Chicago, 143 in Minneapolis and 207 in Saint Paul. That is from issue to final inspection, so it includes the build.
- Who can build a detached garage?
A contractor licensed for it where your city or state licenses builders. Columbus requires a Home Improvement General license for accessory structures and garages; Chicago licenses general contractors in five classes; Minnesota requires a DLI license once a firm does more than one special skill, which a garage with a slab, framing and roofing does.
- Why is the spread between builders so wide in some cities?
Because 'garage' covers a one-car shed-style building and a two-story garage with a room above. In Scottsdale the middle half of builders file between $31,727 and $116,961; in Minneapolis, where most are standard two-car garages, between $24,775 and $28,461.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
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- Roof replacement cost in 2026: what roofing permits were filed at in 16 cities
- Home remodel cost in 2026: what remodel permits were filed at in 18 cities
- Is tuckpointing worth it? Chicago costs by permit record, and the permit rules
For one city
- Contractor Licenses — City of Columbus Building and Zoning Services (accessed 2026-10-21)
- BZS Frequently Asked Questions — City of Columbus (accessed 2026-10-21)
- General Contractor License — City of Chicago Department of Buildings (accessed 2026-10-20)
- General Contractors (Active) — City of Chicago (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Who needs a license? — Minnesota DLI (accessed 2026-10-21)
- License and registration lookup — Minnesota DLI (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Contractor Licensing — City and County of Denver (accessed 2026-10-20)
- County Information Adopting the Home Improvement Law — Tennessee Commerce & Insurance (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Contractor Search — Arizona Registrar of Contractors (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Detached Garages and Building Permits, 1 and 2 Family Dwellings — City of Minneapolis (accessed 2026-10-21)