Remodel cost by city
| City | Remodel permits | Usual filed value | Middle half of firms' usual job | Usual days, issue to final | Reached final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh, PA | 1,902 | $12,547 | $8,400–$30,000 | 484 | 62.3% |
| Miami, FL | 3,752 | $15,000 | $9,500–$35,525 | 182 | 92.8% |
| Minneapolis, MN | 5,552 | $15,000 | $11,400–$50,000 | 161 | 75.5% |
| Saint Paul, MN | 3,037 | $15,000 | $13,020–$45,000 | 206 | 60.0% |
| Arlington, VA | 777 | $15,000 | $7,950–$25,000 | 112 | 88.5% |
| Cleveland, OH | 1,443 | $17,465 | $12,050–$45,000 | 391 | 56.4% |
| Cincinnati, OH | 2,075 | $17,856 | $11,218–$44,010 | 340 | 64.9% |
| San Diego, CA | 1,681 | $18,998 | $10,241–$38,500 | 162 | 79.1% |
| Honolulu, HI | 1,048 | $20,000 | $15,000–$50,000 | 265 | 80.4% |
| Columbus, OH | 2,621 | $22,000 | $17,000–$65,000 | 155 | 69.4% |
| Sacramento County, CA | 2,933 | $22,464 | $15,000–$45,200 | 85 | 90.2% |
| Cambridge, MA | 3,512 | $24,805 | $13,679–$109,800 | 304 | 51.3% |
| Boulder, CO | 1,178 | $25,862 | $14,431–$73,225 | 141 | 80.6% |
| Greensboro, NC | 1,509 | $35,000 | $25,000–$64,373 | 126 | 85.4% |
| Somerville, MA | 1,538 | $36,497 | $21,171–$70,834 | 286 | 63.2% |
| San Francisco, CA | 5,126 | $38,000 | $28,000–$61,500 | 180 | 81.9% |
| Cary, NC | 1,857 | $40,000 | $20,000–$65,439 | 84 | 88.9% |
| Naperville, IL | 1,057 | $46,300 | $25,000–$77,000 | 175 | 77.7% |
Each city's own page breaks this down further: Minneapolis, Columbus, San Francisco, Cary, Sacramento County, Miami.
Read the range, not just the middle
The "middle half of firms" column is the number to bring to a quote. It takes every firm with three or more remodel permits, finds each firm's usual job, and shows the band the middle 50% of firms sit in. That band is wide for remodels. In Cambridge it runs from $13,679 to $109,800; in Minneapolis from $11,400 to $50,000. A firm whose usual job is at the bottom of the band mostly does bathrooms and small alterations; one at the top mostly does whole-floor work. Ask each firm what its last three permitted jobs were filed at and compare that to the size of yours.
Three things push a remodel above the city's usual figure:
- Moving plumbing or walls. Bellevue, Washington requires a plumbing permit "to install a new fixture or move an existing fixture" but not to replace one "with a similar fixture in the same location" (City of Bellevue, updated January 2025). Arlington County, Virginia says swapping cabinets, appliances or fixtures in place needs no permit at all, while relocating pipes or drywall does (Arlington County, read 21 October 2026). The job that stays in place is the one at the bottom of the band.
- Adding circuits or changing the panel. Bellevue requires an electrical permit "for adding or moving electrical circuits and for changes to the service panel". Those go on a separate electrical permit, so they are often not in the remodel figure above at all.
- Permit fees. Miami charges residential remodelling permits a set percentage of the estimated construction cost, labour and materials included, plus a solid-waste surcharge per $100 of construction cost (City of Miami fee schedule, adopted 23 April 2026). The bigger the job, the bigger the fee.
How long the work stays open
The days column is from permit issue to final inspection. Cary (84 days) and Sacramento County (85) close remodel permits quickly; Pittsburgh (484) and Cleveland (391) do not. The "reached final" column explains part of the gap: in Cleveland 56.4% of remodel permits a year or more old were closed with a final, against 88.9% in Cary. An open permit is a problem for you at sale time, so ask any remodeler how many of its own permits are still open; our open permit guide explains how to check.
Who files remodel permits
Remodel work is spread across many small firms. In Saint Paul, 950 firms filed 3,037 remodel permits, and 56.0% of those firms filed exactly one. In Minneapolis, 24 of the 84 firms with 10 or more remodel permits finished fewer than 70% of them. California's licence board adds two rules worth knowing before you sign: "Get at least three written bids", and a down payment of no more than 10% of the contract price or $1,000, whichever is less (CSLB, read 21 October 2026). Our remodeling contractor guide has the licence to ask for in each state.
See every Minneapolis remodeler by finished share →
What these numbers cannot tell you
Cities do not file remodels the same way. Some fold repairs into the remodel type ("Remodel & Repair"), some add windows or additions, and Chicago's interior remodel type is a narrow subset, so we left it out. The usual value is the median of permits that carry a value; it says nothing about square footage, finishes or region-specific labour rates. Work done without a permit is not in the record at all, and electrical, plumbing and HVAC work on the same job often sits on separate trade permits that this table does not add in.
How we know this
Remodel permits are those each city files under a remodel, alteration or renovation work type, over its three-year window ending September 2026 (Burlington and a few others 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 remodel permits; "reached final" is the share of permits a year or more old that the city closed with a final; days is the median from issue to final. Permit and fee rules are quoted from the city pages under Sources, read 21 October 2026.
Numbers come from 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 Columbus Building & Zoning Services permits on 1-, 2- and 3-family homes (the city's Accela permit layer); Town of Cary building permit applications (issued permits only); Sacramento County building permits on single-family, duplex and townhouse homes in the unincorporated county (the County's Accela permit layer); City of Miami building permits (since 2014); City of Saint Paul approved building permits; City of Greensboro building and trade permits, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How much does a home remodel cost?
Going by permits, the usual remodel was filed at $12,547 in Pittsburgh, $15,000 in Minneapolis, $22,000 in Columbus, $38,000 in San Francisco and $46,300 in Naperville. That is the middle remodel permit, which mixes a bathroom with a whole floor; a kitchen-and-bath job sits above it.
- Why is the filed value lower than my quote?
Contractors file their own estimate of the permitted work, and some file labour only or leave out finishes and appliances. Treat the filed value as a floor for comparison, not a price list. In Minneapolis the middle half of remodel firms usually file between $11,400 and $50,000.
- Does a kitchen or bathroom remodel need a permit?
Not if you only swap cabinets, appliances or fixtures in place in some places: Arlington County, Virginia says like-for-like replacements need no permit, but moving pipes or drywall does. Bellevue, Washington requires a plumbing permit to add or move a fixture. Any new circuit, moved plumbing or wall change needs one almost everywhere.
- How long does a remodel take from permit to final?
The usual remodel permit took 84 days from issue to final inspection in Cary, 85 in Sacramento County, 161 in Minneapolis and 484 in Pittsburgh. Long figures often reflect permits left open after the work, not months of work.
- Is the permit fee part of the remodel cost?
Yes, and in many cities it scales with the job. Miami charges residential remodelling permits a set percentage of the estimated construction cost, labour and materials included, with a fixed rate for work under $2,500 (City of Miami fee schedule, April 2026). Ask whether the quote includes permit fees.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- How much does it cost to hire a general contractor? Filed job values in 12 cities, and what the fee covers
- What's a good completion rate for a contractor? The benchmarks from 12 trades and cities
- Remodel vs rebuild: what remodel, demolition and new-home permits cost in 10 cities
- How many contractor quotes should you get? Three, and how to tell if they're in range
For one city
- Residential permits — Arlington County, VA (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Work requiring permits — City of Bellevue, WA (updated 2025-01-21; accessed 2026-10-21)
- City of Miami Building Permit Fee Schedule (Resolution R-26-0200) (adopted 2026-04-23; accessed 2026-10-21)
- How do I find the right licensed contractor? — CSLB (accessed 2026-10-21)