What the official advice says
| Source | How many | On comparing them |
|---|---|---|
| CSLB (California licence board) | "At least three written bids" | Compare bids "based on identical plans, specifications, and scope of work"; "Do not automatically accept the lowest bid" |
| NAIC (insurance regulators) | "At least three different contractors" | "An estimate from a contractor that's much lower than any of the others doesn't mean it's the best deal" (Sept 2024) |
| Texas Attorney General | "More than one person for any work" | "Most of the legitimate bids will fall into a fairly close range"; beware the "low-ball" bidder |
| FTC (solar alert) | Quotes from licensed providers | Compare them; avoid anyone "demanding large upfront payments or deposits" (Sept 2024) |
All four say the same two things: get more than one, and the lowest is not automatically the best. The part they leave to you is knowing what "in range" means for your job in your city. That is what the permit file can tell you.
The local range, by job
Every permit carries a value the contractor filed with the city. For each firm with three or more permits of a type, we take its usual (median) filed value; the band below is where the middle half of those firms sit. Three quotes that all land inside it are probably pricing the same job.
| City | Job | Firms filing it | Usual filed value | Middle half of firms' usual job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cary, NC | EV charger | 244 | $1,104 | $1,000–$1,400 |
| Sacramento County, CA | Water heater | 365 | $3,695 | $2,385–$4,500 |
| Cape Coral, FL | Fence | 264 | $4,235 | $2,750–$5,000 |
| Seattle, WA | Electrical | 749 | $4,067 | $2,250–$8,000 |
| Cleveland, OH | Roofing | 586 | $10,500 | $8,000–$12,850 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Roofing | 1,483 | $13,000 | $9,660–$16,057 |
| Sacramento County, CA | HVAC | 581 | $15,268 | $10,000–$15,950 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Siding | 462 | $13,500 | $10,000–$19,229 |
| Miami, FL | Windows and doors | 1,096 | $14,246 | $8,000–$19,106 |
| Columbus, OH | Remodel | 635 | $22,000 | $17,000–$65,000 |
| Cape Coral, FL | Solar | 88 | $30,378 | $23,145–$37,523 |
| Cape Coral, FL | Pool | 219 | $64,508 | $44,000–$73,180 |
| San Diego, CA | Addition | 422 | $85,351 | $61,775–$142,054 |
How many quotes, by kind of job
Standard jobs: two or three. An EV charger, a water heater or a fence is close to the same job at every house, and the band shows it: $1,000 to $1,400 for chargers in Cary, $2,750 to $5,000 for fences in Cape Coral. Once two quotes land inside the band, a third mostly confirms it.
Replacement jobs: three. Roofs, HVAC systems and windows vary with the house, but the band is still fairly tight: Minneapolis roofing firms usually file $9,660 to $16,057. Three quotes on the same material and scope let you see which line items differ.
Remodels and additions: three or more, on the same plans. Here the band is wide because the jobs are: $17,000 to $65,000 for Columbus remodel firms, $61,775 to $142,054 for San Diego addition firms. CSLB's point about "identical plans, specifications, and scope of work" matters most here. Without a written scope, three remodel quotes are three different projects.
Finding three firms worth asking
The number of firms is rarely the limit. Minneapolis had 672 roofing firms with at least one permit in the last 12 months; Sacramento County 321 HVAC firms. The limit is firms with a record of your job. In Columbus, 60.2% of remodel firms filed exactly one remodel permit in three years. Ask each bidder for the addresses of two recent permitted jobs like yours and look them up; our permit history guide shows where.
Checking the quotes you get, in five minutes
- Put the three totals next to your city's band in the table above, or on your city's cost page (for example Sacramento County roofing or Columbus remodel).
- For any quote outside the band, ask for a line-item breakdown and compare it to the others.
- Check the licence number on each quote with the state board; our verification guide links every state's lookup.
- Open each firm on our compare page and look at its finished share.
Compare Sacramento County roofers before you ask for quotes →
What this does not tell you
Filed values are what contractors told the city, not their contract prices, and some file labour only. The band describes firms' usual jobs, not your house, so a large or complicated job can fairly sit above it. Firms with fewer than three permits of a type are not in the band. And none of this measures quality: the cheapest firm in range can still be the one that leaves permits open, which is why the last step is the finished share.
How we know this
Filed values come from each city's permit file over its three-year window ending September 2026. "Usual filed value" is the median of permits that carry a value. The band is the 25th to 75th percentile of firms' own median values, among firms with three or more permits of that type. "Last 12 months" counts firms with at least one permit in the twelve months before the city's data ends. The official advice is quoted from the CSLB, NAIC, Texas Attorney General and FTC pages under Sources, read 21 October 2026.
Numbers come from Sacramento County building permits on single-family, duplex and townhouse homes in the unincorporated county (the County's Accela permit layer); City of Minneapolis construction permits (CCS); City of Cape Coral building permits (the city's open permit table starts January 2025); City of Columbus Building & Zoning Services permits on 1-, 2- and 3-family homes (the city's Accela permit layer); City of Seattle (SDCI) building, trade and electrical permits on single-family and duplex homes (the city's open-data exports); Town of Cary building permit applications (issued permits only); City of Miami building permits (since 2014); City of Cleveland building permits, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How many quotes should I get for a home project?
At least 3, in writing, for the same scope. That is the advice of California's Contractors State License Board ("Get at least three written bids on your project") and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners ("Get an estimate from at least three different contractors"). For a small standard job such as a water heater, two may be enough if both sit inside the local range.
- Is three quotes enough for a big remodel or addition?
Three is the floor. Remodel prices spread widely: in Columbus the middle half of remodel firms usually file between $17,000 and $65,000. With a spread that wide, a fourth quote on identical plans tells you more than it costs.
- Should I take the lowest quote?
Not automatically. CSLB says to "beware of any bid that is substantially lower than the others", and the Texas Attorney General warns of the "low-ball" bidder. Ask the low bidder to price the same line items as the others; a missing item, not a cheaper firm, is the usual reason.
- How far apart should quotes be?
The Texas Attorney General says most legitimate bids "fall into a fairly close range". On a standard job the local range is narrow: in Cary the middle half of EV charger firms usually file $1,000 to $1,400, and in Cape Coral fence firms $2,750 to $5,000. A quote twice the top of that band needs an explanation.
- How many contractors in my city actually do this work?
Usually more than you need. Sacramento County had 420 roofing firms with a permit in the last 12 months, and Minneapolis 672. Our compare pages list them with their permit counts, so you can pick three with a record of your kind of job.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- What does a suspended contractor license mean? The rules, and how often it shows up in permits
- How to compare contractor bids: what a good quote and contract include, and how to check each line
- Why is my permit still open? What it means and how to close it
- What's a good completion rate for a contractor? The benchmarks from 12 trades and cities
- Hiring a remodeling contractor: 5 red flags and 10 questions, checked against remodel permits in 49 cities
For one city
- How do I find the right licensed contractor? — CSLB (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Ten tips for hiring a contractor (card 13P-075/0425) — CSLB (accessed 2026-10-21)
- How Can I Avoid Getting Scammed by a Contractor? — NAIC (2024-09-30; accessed 2026-10-21)
- How to Avoid Home Improvement Scams — Texas Attorney General (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Solar energy: rising popularity, and so are scams — FTC Consumer Alert (September 2024; accessed 2026-10-21)