The Saint Paul rule
From the Department of Safety and Inspections (DSI) handout When is a permit required?, which cites Minnesota Rule 1300.0120 and Saint Paul Legislative Code 33.03 and 73.04(4), read 23 October 2026:
| Remodel job | Permit? |
|---|---|
| Painting, wallpaper, tile, carpet, cabinets, countertops, similar finish work | Exempt |
| Normal maintenance | Exempt |
| Minor alteration over $500 in labor plus materials | Building permit |
| Altering, repairing, enlarging or changing the occupancy of a house | Building permit |
| Electrical, plumbing, piping, sheet metal, heating or air conditioning | Separate trade permits |
| Plaster, stucco, re-dash, veneer plaster, EIFS | Separate Stucco/Plaster permit |
| Exterior work on a Heritage Preservation District property or site | Building permit plus Heritage Preservation Commission approval |
The $500 line is low: the middle half of Saint Paul remodel firms usually file jobs of $10,000 to $45,250, twenty times it or more. Any plumbing or wiring inside the job is its own permit either way. DSI's advice is to "contact our office in specific cases": Plan Review on 651-266-9007, the main line on 651-266-8989, Heritage Preservation staff on 651-266-9078.
Who can pull it
DSI: "Permits may be issued to the homesteader of the property for single and two-family residential construction or to a contractor licensed by the City of Saint Paul. State of Minnesota contractor's licenses do not exempt contractors from city license requirements."
A remodeling contractor. Minnesota DLI requires a residential building contractor or residential remodeler license for anyone contracting with a homeowner in more than one special skill (DLI); Saint Paul says it "honors the State of Minnesota Residential Building Contractor License". A one-skill firm, or one with a state Certificate of Exemption, needs a City Building Contractor License instead, with $500,000 liability insurance and a $2,500 City bond (DSI). 72.0% of Saint Paul remodel firms in our file matched a current DLI license; 91 (9.5%) matched one that had lapsed.
You, as homesteader. If you own the house and it is your homestead, you can pull the building permit and do the work.
What it costs
From DSI's building permit fee schedule (effective 25 February 2023, read 23 October 2026):
| Job value | Permit fee | Plus plan check (65%) | Plus state surcharge | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5,001 to $6,000 | $190 | $123.50 | $3 at $6,000 | $316.50 |
| $9,001 to $10,000 | $274 | $178.10 | $5 at $10,000 | $457.10 |
| $15,001 to $16,000 | $400 | $260 | $8 at $16,000 | $668 |
| $24,001 to $25,000 | $589 | $382.85 | $12.50 at $25,000 | $984.35 |
| $44,001 to $45,000 | $891 | $579.15 | $22.50 at $45,000 | $1,492.65 |
The plan check and surcharge columns are our arithmetic from the schedule: plan check is "65% of permit fee" on valuations over $1,000, and the surcharge is 0.0005 times the job value under Minnesota Statute 326B.148. DSI adds that the table "does not include other fees", such as SAC, parkland dedication and zoning. Trade permits are extra. At the usual $16,000 filed value, the building permit is about 4% of the job. Local prices: Saint Paul remodel cost; national ones: home remodel cost.
How to apply and check it
Apply in PAULIE, the City's permitting system since 17 September 2025. To confirm your contractor pulled the permit, and to see past permits on the house, search the address in PAULIE's Find Property Information (Saint Paul building permit search).
What 2,797 Saint Paul remodel permits show
| Measure | Saint Paul remodel and repair |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 2,797 |
| Firms | 955 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months of the window | 438 |
| Usual filed value | $16,000 |
| Middle half of firms' usual job value | $10,000 to $45,250 |
| Finaled (permits a year or more old) | 51.2% |
| Usual days from issue to final | 364 |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm's finaled share (10+ permits) | 29.7% / 68.1% |
| Firms under 70% finaled | 38 of 40 |
| Firms with one permit only | 554 (58.0%) |
| Busiest / quietest month (100 = average) | March (114) / August (79) |
This is the number to act on in Saint Paul. Only 51.2% of remodel permits a year or more old were finaled, and 38 of the 40 firms with 10 or more permits finaled under 70%; even the 90th-percentile firm reached only 68.1%. The City's 2025 system change (below) may account for some of it, but an unfinaled permit is still open on your address when you sell; Saint Paul's Truth-in-Sale of Housing rules cover what a seller must do. Put "final inspection passed" in the payment schedule. The busiest filer in the last 12 months, Element Insulation, works in insulation, so weatherization jobs sit in this count as well as kitchens and baths.
See every Saint Paul remodeler by finaled permits →
Check it in five minutes
- Look up the BC or CR license number from the quote on DLI's license lookup; for a one-skill firm, ask DSI whether its City license is current (steps).
- Find your address in PAULIE once the job is booked.
- Compare remodelers on the Saint Paul remodel list; counts by year on Saint Paul permit statistics.
Trade permits: Saint Paul electrical permit, plumbing permit and HVAC permit. Windows: Saint Paul window replacement permit. Other cities: do I need a permit for a home remodel, kitchen, bathroom.
What this does not tell you
Our Saint Paul file joins the City's old feed, which ended 30 June 2025, with PAULIE records from 17 September 2025; permits issued in between are missing. Homesteader permits are not in our firm lists. A filed value is the applicant's estimate.
How we know this
The permit rule, exemptions and who may hold a permit are quoted from DSI's "When is a permit required?" handout, and fees from DSI's building permit fee schedule (effective 25 February 2023), both read 23 October 2026; license rules from Minnesota DLI and DSI's contractor license page, read 22 October 2026. Counts are City of Saint Paul remodel and repair permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026, with the July to September 2025 gap; finaled share uses permits a year or more old, and license status is our name match to DLI records.
Numbers come from City of Saint Paul building and trade permits (the City's old approved-permits file up to June 2025, and the City's PAULIE permit system since September 2025), with the contractor named on each permit, data through October 22, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to remodel in Saint Paul?
Usually. Saint Paul requires a building permit to alter or repair a house, and minor alterations that are not normal maintenance need one once labor and materials together exceed $500. Painting, wallpaper, tile, carpet, cabinets and countertops are exempt; electrical, plumbing and HVAC work need separate trade permits.
- How much is a remodel permit in Saint Paul?
DSI's fee table charges by job value: $274 for $9,001 to $10,000, $400 for $15,001 to $16,000 and $589 for $24,001 to $25,000, plus a plan check fee of 65% of that on jobs over $1,000 and a state surcharge of 0.0005 times the value. At the usual remodel value of $16,000 that totals $668.
- Can a homeowner pull a remodel permit in Saint Paul?
Yes, if you are the homesteader. DSI says permits for one- and two-family homes may be issued to the homesteader of the property or to a contractor licensed by the City of Saint Paul, and a state license does not exempt a contractor from the City's license rules.
- Does a Saint Paul remodeler need a license?
Yes. Anyone contracting for more than one special skill needs a Minnesota residential building contractor or remodeler license from DLI. A one-skill contractor, or one with a state exemption, needs a City of Saint Paul Building Contractor License instead.
- How long does a remodel permit take in Saint Paul?
The usual Saint Paul remodel permit in our file was finaled 364 days after issue, and only 51.2% of those a year or more old had been finaled at all.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Do I need a permit to remodel my house? The rule in 14 departments, and what gets filed
- How to legalize unpermitted work: the steps, what it costs, and how long a retroactive permit takes
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Ames building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
For one city
- When is a permit required? — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Permit Fee Schedule (Legislative Code 33.04, effective 25 February 2023) — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- When is a City Contractor License required? — City of Saint Paul DSI (2026-10-22)
- Residential contractor licensing — Minnesota DLI (2026-10-22)
- License and registration lookup — Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (2026-10-22)
- PAULIE: New Permitting and Licensing System — City of Saint Paul (2026-10-23)
- Find Property Information — PAULIE (2026-10-23)