HVAC replacement cost in 2026: what furnace and AC permits were filed at in 16 cities

HVAC replacement cost by city

Each city's own page lists every HVAC firm with its usual job: Sacramento County, Cary, Miami, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Elk Grove, Arlington.

Why the cities split into two groups

The table falls into two bands. Ohio, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Florida cities have usual HVAC figures between $5,706 and $8,570; the Sacramento-area cities and Marin County sit between $13,261 and $16,000. Two things drive it:

• What is being replaced. A northern furnace-only swap is one appliance. A replacement where summers are hot more often includes the outdoor unit as well: a full split system or a heat pump, which is two appliances and a refrigerant line set. Seattle's HVAC type is furnaces and heating ($7,550), not air conditioning.
• What the city files as HVAC. Saint Paul files gas work under the same type (its label is "HVAC & Gas"), which pulls its usual figure ($6,300) down. The middle-half range tells you how wide the mix is: $3,500 to $7,750 in Saint Paul against $10,000 to $15,950 in Sacramento County.

Ask each quote to list the equipment by model number. Then compare like with like: a furnace-only quote against the bottom of your city's band, a full system against the top.

Permits and the 2026 tax credit

Replacing the whole unit almost always needs a permit. Bellevue, Washington: "A permit is required for installing, moving or replacing a furnace and/or heat pump", and an emergency replacement can go ahead first if the permit is pulled on the next city work day (City of Bellevue, read 21 October 2026). Elk Grove, California exempts only the "replacement of any part that does not alter its approval or make it unsafe" (City of Elk Grove, Policy B-20-35). A repair (a capacitor, igniter or blower motor) needs none; a new unit does. Our HVAC repair vs replacement guide covers that decision.

The federal credit is gone for new installs: the IRS says you "can't claim energy efficient home improvement credits for expenditures or property placed in service after December 31, 2025" (IRS, Instructions for Form 5695). A quote that still subtracts a 30% federal credit from a 2026 install is wrong.

How long the permit stays open

Cary (29 days) and Cape Coral (41) close HVAC permits within about six weeks. Wheaton (398) and Cincinnati (278) take most of a year, and only 47.3% of Wheaton HVAC permits a year or more old reached a final. An install is a day or two of work, so a long open permit usually means the final was never booked.

Check an HVAC quote in five minutes

1. Find your city's row above and its middle-half range.
2. Ask the installer for the equipment list and whether the permit is in the price.
3. On the Sacramento County HVAC compare page (or your city's), find the firm and read its permits and finished share.
4. Ask about any of its permits still open after the city's usual days figure.

See every Sacramento County HVAC firm by finished share →

What these numbers cannot tell you

The filed value is the installer's own figure, often filed before the equipment is picked, and some file labour only. Permits do not record tonnage, efficiency rating or house size, so there is no per-ton or per-square-foot figure here. Several large cities, including Austin, Columbus, Raleigh and Minneapolis, record no value on HVAC permits and are left out. Repairs below a permit threshold, and any swap done without a permit, are not in the record. Our HVAC contractor hiring guide covers the licence to check in each state.