The Saint Paul rule
The sentence above is from DSI's Window and Door Replacement handout (2020 Minnesota Residential Code; read 23 October 2026). Storm doors are the only exception it names. Glass replacement in an existing sash is not covered by the handout; ask DSI on 651-266-8989 if that is all you are doing.
Two more triggers sit in the general permit handout: in a Heritage Preservation District or on a designated site, exterior work needing a building permit also needs Heritage Preservation Commission approval (651-266-9078), and a new or enlarged opening is an alteration with its own framing review.
What the permit checks
| Item | DSI's rule |
|---|---|
| Egress size | Not required if the rough opening is unchanged and the new window is "the largest size window that will fit within the existing frame or rough opening", same operating style or one with a bigger opening (R310.1.5). Foster care and day care rooms must meet egress. |
| Safety glass | Required in hazardous spots (R308.4), including panes over 9 sq ft less than 18 inches above the floor, glass within 24 inches of a door, and glass within 60 inches of a tub or shower unless 60 inches or more above the floor. |
| Garage door | A door from the house into a garage must be at least 1⅜-inch solid wood, solid or honeycomb steel, or 20-minute fire-rated; none may open from a garage into a bedroom (R302.5). |
| Flashing | Corrosion-resistant flashing, shingle-fashion, at window and door openings (R703.8). |
| Alarms | "When a permit for windows or doors is issued, all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms must meet current requirements." |
The alarm line is the one that surprises people. Issuing the window permit obliges you to bring the house's smoke alarms (each bedroom, the hallway outside, every level) and CO alarms (within 10 feet of each bedroom) up to current code. They can be battery units unless the job opens walls or an attic, crawl space or basement gives access for wiring.
Who can pull it
DSI issues permits to "the homesteader of the property" for one- and two-family homes, or to a City-licensed contractor. A window company doing only windows and doors is a one-skill contractor, which Minnesota DLI does not license; Saint Paul requires it to hold the City Building Contractor License in the Carpentry class instead, with $500,000 liability insurance and a $2,500 City bond (DSI contractor license, read 22 October 2026). A firm doing windows and siding together needs a state residential license. Ask which one the quote is under; the checks are in Saint Paul contractor license lookup.
What it costs
From the City's building permit fee schedule (effective 25 February 2023, still the one DSI links):
| Job value | Permit fee |
|---|---|
| $3,001 to $4,000 | $148 |
| $5,001 to $6,000 | $190 |
| $7,001 to $8,000 | $232 |
| $9,001 to $10,000 | $274 |
| $14,001 to $15,000 | $379 |
| $19,001 to $20,000 | $484 |
Add the state surcharge of 0.0005 times the value. The schedule also lists a plan check fee of 65% of the permit fee on valuations over $1,000; whether a same-size window swap is charged it is for DSI to say, and the PAULIE invoice is final. The middle half of Saint Paul window firms usually file between $4,000 and $10,000.
How to apply and check it
Apply in PAULIE, live since 17 September 2025. DSI's permit pages say exterior work on a one- or two-family home must be completed within one year of issue. To confirm your installer pulled it, search the address in PAULIE's Find Property Information (Saint Paul building permit search).
What 3,977 Saint Paul window permits show
| Measure | Saint Paul windows and doors |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 3,977 |
| Firms | 503 |
| Firms with one permit only | 323 (64.2%) |
| Share held by the busiest firm / five busiest | 20.8% / 41.3% |
| Finaled (permits a year or more old) | 63.4% |
| Usual days from issue to final | 147 |
| Usual filed value | $7,220 |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm finished share (10+ permits) | 25.4% / 76.1% |
| Busiest / quietest month | October (160) / July (65) |
Window work in Saint Paul is concentrated: the five busiest firms hold 41.3% of permits, while 64.2% of firms filed just one. Finishing is the weak point. Only 63.4% of permits a year or more old were finaled, and 34 of the 44 firms with 10 or more permits finaled under 70%. An open permit matters at sale: DSI says the Truth-in-Sale-of-Housing report every one- or two-family sale needs lists any open permits. Filing peaks in October, before winter. Prices by job size are on Saint Paul windows cost; counts by year on Saint Paul permit statistics.
See every Saint Paul window installer by permits finaled →
Before you hire
Ask the installer who books the final and whether alarms are in the price. Compare firms on the Saint Paul windows list. Other cities' rules are in do I need a permit for window replacement, and national prices in window replacement cost.
What this does not tell you
Saint Paul files windows and exterior doors together, so the counts include door-only jobs. Our file misses permits issued from about July to mid-September 2025. The fee table is the City's 2023 schedule; PAULIE calculates the current amount.
How we know this
Rules are quoted from City of Saint Paul DSI's window and door handout, permit handout and fee schedule, read 23 October 2026, and the City contractor license terms from DSI, read 22 October 2026. Permit counts are City of Saint Paul building permits classified as windows and doors on homes, October 2023 to September 2026; finished share uses permits a year or more old, and days to final is the middle permit's issue-to-final time.
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 replace windows in Saint Paul?
Yes. DSI's window and door handout says a building permit is required 'for the installation of new or replacement windows (including storm windows) and exterior doors (except storm doors)'.
- How much is a window permit in Saint Paul?
It is priced on the job's value from the City's building permit fee table (effective 25 February 2023): $190 for a $5,001 to $6,000 job, $232 for $7,001 to $8,000 and $274 for $9,001 to $10,000, plus a state surcharge of 0.05% of the value. The schedule also lists a 65% plan check fee on valuations over $1,000; confirm with DSI whether it applies to a window swap.
- Do replacement windows have to meet egress size in Saint Paul?
Not if the rough opening stays the same and the new window is the largest that fits the existing frame or opening, in the same operating style or one with a bigger opening. Rooms used for state-licensed foster care or day care must meet egress anyway.
- Do I have to add smoke alarms when I replace windows in Saint Paul?
Yes. DSI says that when a permit for windows or doors is issued, all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms must meet current requirements: one in each bedroom, one outside sleeping areas, one on each level, and a CO alarm within 10 feet of each bedroom. They need not be hardwired unless walls are opened or an attic or basement gives access.
- How long does a window permit take to final in Saint Paul?
The usual Saint Paul window and door permit in our file was finaled 147 days after it was issued, and 63.4% of those a year or more old had been finaled.
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 replace windows? The rule in 13 cities, and how many get filed
- Do I need a permit to replace windows in Cape Coral? Size-for-size vs new openings, fee and timing
- Do I need a permit to replace windows in Cleveland? Yes: the City calls it an alteration. The fee, who pulls it, and timing
- Do I need a permit? 13 common home projects, checked against city rules and permit files
- Do I need a permit to replace windows in San Francisco? In-kind vs new openings, U-factor and historic rules
- Replacing windows in a St. Louis historic district: the approved window list, wood vs. aluminum vs. composite, and the permit
For one city
- Window and Door Replacement — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- When is a permit required? — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective 25 February 2023) — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Information & Applications — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- When is a City Contractor License required? — City of Saint Paul DSI (2026-10-22)