What each job was filed at
"Usual" is the middle permit: half were filed for less, half for more. "Middle half of firms" takes every firm with three or more permits in the trade, finds each firm's usual job, and shows the band the middle 50% of firms sit in; it is the number to hold a quote against.
| Job | Usual filed value | Middle half of firms | Permits (share priced) | Usual days to final | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siding, dry rot & exterior repair | $10,000 | $7,200–$17,000 | 1,076 (98.9%) | 103 | cost · compare firms |
| Fire sprinklers & alarms | $14,800 | $14,525–$35,423 | 478 (95.0%) | 333 | cost · compare firms |
| Roof replacement | $15,275 | $11,000–$19,600 | 9,537 (99.8%) | 36 | cost · compare firms |
| Foundation & seismic | $17,848 | $10,000–$36,000 | 781 (97.6%) | 191 | cost · compare firms |
| Decks, stairs & porches | $22,000 | $12,000–$80,000 | 1,701 (98.6%) | 237 | cost · compare firms |
| Windows & skylights | $24,000 | $17,000–$80,000 | 4,050 (99.1%) | 159 | cost · compare firms |
| Solar & battery | $25,900 | $17,500–$38,917 | 441 (97.7%) | 349 | cost · compare firms |
| Kitchen, bath & remodel | $38,000 | $28,000–$61,500 | 5,126 (98.9%) | 180 | cost · compare firms |
| ADU | $169,365 | $28,364–$224,488 | 333 (97.3%) | 567 | cost · compare firms |
| Home addition | $230,000 | $207,800–$578,511 | 674 (99.7%) | 621 | cost · compare firms |
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC are not here. San Francisco issues those trades their own permits, and the file behind these pages is building permits only.
What moves the price in San Francisco
The home. Each cost page splits firms into thirds by the usual value of the homes they work on (San Francisco Assessor-Recorder 2025 assessed values). Those are Proposition 13 values, which usually sit well below market value; the city's single-family figure on that basis is $657,000.
| Job | Firms on the least expensive third | Firms on the most expensive third |
|---|---|---|
| Windows & skylights | $14,789 | $47,500 |
| Foundation & seismic | $9,075 | $30,000 |
| Roof replacement | $14,750 | $21,500 |
| Decks, stairs & porches | $25,000 | $29,500 |
| Fire sprinklers & alarms | $15,413 | $10,655 |
Figures from each cost page, data of 16 October 2026. Window and foundation jobs roughly triple with home value; roofs rise by about half; fire-sprinkler work goes the other way.
The firm. In windows the ten busiest firms usually file $14,789 a permit, while the 1,320 firms with fewer than ten permits usually file $40,000 (San Francisco windows cost page). Additions run the other way: $533,400 for the ten busiest against $264,000 for the rest. The middle half of window firms spans $17,000 to $80,000, so ask a window contractor how many openings its usual figure covers.
The paperwork. Days to final run from 36 for a roof to 621 for an addition.
What a San Francisco permit costs
DBI's Table 1A-A applies to building permits issued on and after 12 July 2026 (read 22 October 2026). The building permit fee is a plan review fee plus a permit issuance fee:
| Total valuation | Plan review fee | Permit issuance fee |
|---|---|---|
| $1 to $2,000 | $181 for the first $500 + $8.60 per additional $100 | $206 for the first $500 + $4 per additional $100 |
| $2,001 to $50,000 | $310 for the first $2,000 + $28.35 per additional $1,000 | $266 for the first $2,000 + $8.56 per additional $1,000 |
| $50,001 to $200,000 | $1,617 for the first $50,000 + $15.60 per additional $1,000 | $677 for the first $50,000 + $4.83 per additional $1,000 |
| $200,001 to $500,000 | $4,011 for the first $200,000 + $13.31 per additional $1,000 | $1,402 for the first $200,000 + $4.21 per additional $1,000 |
A remodel valued at the usual $38,000 comes to $1,904.76. The table's notes say these fees leave out plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits and other departments' fees, and add a $5.00 surcharge on alteration permits for one- and two-family buildings built before 1979.
Filed value is not the price
- The fee rides on it. Both halves of the DBI fee are set by valuation, so an applicant has a reason not to round up.
- Building permits only. A kitchen remodel's electrical and plumbing work is on separate permits, so the remodel figure is not the whole bill.
- ADUs and additions are mixed. The ADU band runs from $28,364 to $224,488; read the permits on the compare page to see which kind of unit a firm builds.
Check a quote in five minutes
- Find your job in the table and open its cost page.
- Put your quote against the "middle half of firms" band. Inside it is normal here; above it, ask what the extra covers.
- Open compare firms, find the contractor, and read its usual filed value, permit count and finished share.
- Ask whether the price includes DBI's fees and the final inspection; the usual addition permit here took 621 days to reach final.
Single-job guides: roof replacement cost, what is an ADU, home addition cost. To check a California licence, see San Francisco contractor license lookup.
How we know this
Every row is a permit type with a cost page: DBI issued at least 100 priced permits of it on one- and two-family homes in the window 2023-10 to 2026-09, making up at least 80% of the type. Usual = median of the permits that carry a value; middle half of firms = 25th to 75th percentile of the usual value of firms with three or more permits in the trade (shown when at least eight firms qualify); days = median from permit issue to final inspection. Home-value thirds and busiest-firm figures are copied from each job's cost page and dated. Fees are quoted from DBI's Table 1A-A linked under Sources.
Numbers come from San Francisco DBI building permits on one- and two-family homes, with the contractor from the city's permit contacts file, data through October 16, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Compare every San Francisco roofer by usual job and finished share →
Questions
- How much does roof replacement cost in San Francisco?
The usual roofing permit in San Francisco was filed at $15,275, across 9,537 permits, and the middle half of 335 roofers usually file between $11,000 and $19,600. The usual roofing permit took 36 days from issue to final.
- What is the cost of a home renovation in San Francisco?
Kitchen, bath and remodel permits were usually filed at $38,000 (5,126 permits), with the middle half of 588 firms between $28,000 and $61,500. The usual remodel permit stayed open 180 days from issue to final.
- How much does an ADU cost in San Francisco in 2026?
ADU permits were usually filed at $169,365 across 333 permits, but the middle half of 11 ADU builders file anywhere from $28,364 to $224,488: a garage conversion and a new backyard unit share the type. The usual ADU permit took 567 days to final.
- How much does a home addition cost in San Francisco?
Addition permits were usually filed at $230,000 (674 permits), the highest row in the table, with the middle half of firms between $207,800 and $578,511. The ten busiest addition firms usually file $533,400, against $264,000 for the 507 smaller ones (San Francisco addition cost page).
- How much is a building permit in San Francisco?
DBI's Table 1A-A for permits issued from 12 July 2026 adds a plan review fee and an issuance fee, both set by valuation. A remodel valued at the usual $38,000 comes to $1,330.60 for plan review plus $574.16 for issuance, $1,904.76 in all, before plumbing, electrical, mechanical or other departments' fees.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- San Francisco contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- Home improvement costs in unincorporated Marin County, CA (2026): what 15 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Home improvement costs in Cleveland, OH (2026): what 12 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Home improvement costs in Denton, TX (2026): what 15 kinds of jobs were filed at