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Patio cover cost in 2026: what patio cover permits were filed at in 9 cities

A patio cover costs about $15,477, going by US permit records: the median of the usual filed value of a patio cover permit in 9 US cities and counties, across 2,560 permits that carry a value. By city, it usually runs from about $8,690 to $25,842 in the permit record: that is the usual filed value in Citrus Heights, California and in Naperville, Illinois, with Elk Grove ($9,712), Sacramento County ($19,294 across 631 permits) and Scottsdale ($20,797) in between. These are the builders' own figures filed with the city, not ad estimates. Each city files a slightly different mix under this heading, so the permit type is in the table.

By Contractor Records · data through October 17, 2026

Patio cover cost by city

City Permit type Permits Usual filed value Middle half of firms' usual job Usual days, issue to final
Citrus Heights, CA Patio Cover, Deck & Accessory Structure 155 $8,690 $8,000–$12,458 90
Anaheim, CA Patio Cover 130 $9,500 too few firms 49
Elk Grove, CA Patio Cover & Accessory Structure 450 $9,712 $8,000–$12,600 50
Albuquerque, NM Patio Cover & Sunroom 187 $15,241 $13,951–$21,036 —
Wheaton, IL Patio 188 $15,477 $10,540–$29,372 104
Sacramento County, CA Patio Cover & Accessory Structure 631 $19,294 $14,339–$22,594 86
Denton, TX Patio, Deck & Porch 190 $19,412 $15,862–$23,692 44
Scottsdale, AZ Patio Cover & Ramada 424 $20,797 $15,831–$23,135 —
Naperville, IL Patio 252 $25,842 $20,000–$38,000 355

Albuquerque and Scottsdale show no days because their files carry no final date we can time; Anaheim has too few firms with three or more permits for a middle-half range. Each city's own page lists every builder with its usual job: Citrus Heights, Anaheim, Elk Grove, Albuquerque, Wheaton, Sacramento County, Denton, Scottsdale, Naperville.

Read the permit type before the number

The cheapest three rows are California categories built around covers and small accessory structures. Denton's category also holds decks and porches, Albuquerque's holds sunrooms, and Scottsdale's holds ramadas. Naperville's and Wheaton's are filed simply as "Patio", and Naperville requires a permit for "Installing a patio that results in a total area exceeding 500 sf" (Naperville, read 23 October 2026), so those two rows include large paved patios as well as covers. For a cover alone, the Sacramento-area rows and Scottsdale are the closest match.

What drives the price

The middle-half column is the band to hold a quote against. In Sacramento County 43 builders' usual jobs sit mostly between $14,339 and $22,594; in Elk Grove 38 sit between $8,000 and $12,600. The things the cities' rules name are the same things that move the price:

  • Size. Unincorporated San Diego County exempts patio covers that do not exceed "300 square feet of projected roof area" (PDS 110, rev. 01/01/2026); Citrus Heights exempts structures up to 120 square feet, measured by "roof area for open structures" (CHB0600). Past those sizes you pay for plans and a permit as well as more roof.
  • Roof and walls. Cary needs no permit for a "trellis/pergola with open roof" but does for a "screened or open porch" (Town of Cary, read 23 October 2026). A solid or louvered roof, and walls, are where the job turns from shade into a structure.
  • Footings, framing and wiring. Denton asks for a site plan with setbacks, elevation, framing and foundation plans, plus electrical plans "if applicable", and inspects the pier or foundation, the electrical rough and the building final. Scottsdale says "Any electrical that is added to an existing patio cover also requires a permit." Fans and lights add an electrician and an inspection.

Filed value vs the final bill

The filed value is the builder's own figure on the application, before the work; nobody audits it, and some builders file the structure only and leave out electrical, concrete or finish work done under a separate permit. Use the table to spot a quote far outside your city's band, not to predict your bill to the dollar.

Permit rules in short

A roofed patio cover needs a permit in most of the places we read. Scottsdale requires one "for any attached addition to the residence including the construction of an attached patio cover", and also "for the repair and replacement or an existing patio cover"; Denton says "Permits are required"; Sacramento County lists "Patio Cover, Porch, Enclosure" as permit work. Size exemptions apply in San Diego County and Citrus Heights. The rules for 11 departments are in do I need a permit for a patio cover.

The usual permit reached its final in 44 days in Denton and 86 in Sacramento County, against 355 in Naperville. The busiest filing month differs by climate: May in Naperville, where January filings fall to an index of 5 (100 is an average month), April in Denton and October in Sacramento County.

Check a patio cover quote in five minutes

  1. Find your city's row and the middle-half range above.
  2. Ask the builder for the roof area in square feet, the roof type (open, solid or louvered) and whether wiring is included.
  3. Ask whether the price includes plans and the permit, and put "permit closed with a final inspection" in the contract.
  4. On the Sacramento County patio compare page (or your city's), find the builder and read its permits and finished share.

See every Sacramento County patio cover builder by permits filed →

What these numbers cannot tell you

Cities record a job value, not the roof area, material or roof type, so there is no honest per-square-foot figure here. Henderson files patio covers and decks without a value, so it is left out. Covers small enough to be exempt, and covers built without a permit, are not in the record at all. Our deck vs patio guide covers the ground-level choice.

How we know this

Patio permits are those each city files under a patio cover or patio work type over its three-year window ending September 2026; the type label shows what each includes. The usual filed value is the median of permits that carry one; the middle-half range uses firms with three or more such permits; days is the median from issue to final. Permit rules are quoted from the pages under Sources, read 23 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 Scottsdale building permits (the City's open-data permit file up to January 2026, and the City's SPUR permit system since), with the contractor named on each permit; City of Denton Building Safety permits on homes (the city's yearly permit reports); City of Elk Grove TRAKiT building permits on single-family, duplex, mobile-home and ADU homes; City of Albuquerque building permits; City of Citrus Heights building permits on homes (the city's issued-permits layer); City of Anaheim Accela building permits on single-family homes and ADUs; City of Wheaton permits on homes (the city's permit application and inspection exports); City of Naperville building permits (the current permit system plus the city's older records), data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.

Questions

  • How much does a patio cover cost?

    Going by permits, the usual job was filed at $8,690 in Citrus Heights, $9,712 in Elk Grove, $15,241 in Albuquerque, $19,294 in Sacramento County and $20,797 in Scottsdale. Those are the builders' own filed values; a large, solid-roof or wired cover sits above them.

  • What is the average patio cover cost?

    We report the usual (median) filed value, not the average, because a few large structures pull an average up. Across the 9 cities in the table it runs from $8,690 in Citrus Heights to $25,842 in Naperville, and several of those categories also include decks, sunrooms or other accessory structures.

  • What is the patio cover cost per square foot?

    The permit record does not say: cities record a job value, not the cover's roof area, so we cannot divide one by the other honestly. Ask each builder for the roof area in square feet and the total, then compare the total to your city's middle-half range.

  • Is there a patio cover cost estimator?

    Use your city's row as one. In Sacramento County the middle half of builders' usual jobs runs $14,339 to $22,594; in Scottsdale $15,831 to $23,135. A quote above the top of your band should come with a reason: size, a solid or louvered roof, walls, or wiring.

  • Does a patio cover need a permit?

    Usually, for a roofed one. Scottsdale requires a permit for any attached patio cover and for repairing or replacing one; Denton says permits are required. Unincorporated San Diego County exempts patio covers up to 300 square feet of projected roof area, and Citrus Heights exempts open structures up to 120 square feet of roof.

Build your own list

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

Sacramento County (unincorporated) patio cover & accessory structureScottsdale patio cover & ramadaDenton patio, deck & porchElk Grove patio cover & accessory structureAlbuquerque patio cover & sunroomCitrus Heights, CA patio cover, deck & accessory structureAnaheim patio coverWheaton, IL patio

Related guides

For one city

All guides →

Sources
  1. Submittal Requirements for an Attached Residential Patio Cover — City of Scottsdale, AZ (accessed 2026-10-23)
  2. Patio Covers — City of Denton, TX (accessed 2026-10-23)
  3. Projects Requiring a Building Permit (CHB0600, rev. 08/23) — City of Citrus Heights, CA (accessed 2026-10-23)
  4. Building Permit Requirements (PDS 110, rev. 01/01/2026) — County of San Diego PDS (accessed 2026-10-23)
  5. Frequently Asked Questions — Sacramento County Building Permits and Inspection (accessed 2026-10-23)
  6. Residential Permits FAQ — Town of Cary, NC (accessed 2026-10-23)
  7. Guide to Building Permits (rev. 10/31/2022) — City of Naperville, IL (accessed 2026-10-23)