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. A dash (—) means we don't show that figure: Scottsdale's permits don't carry enough final-inspection dates to give a usual number of days, so the days column is empty for every job.
| Job | Usual filed value | Middle half of firms | Permits (share priced) | Usual days to final | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fence & wall | $7,831 | $3,324–$10,670 | 571 (93.7%) | — | cost · compare firms |
| Patio cover & ramada | $20,797 | $15,831–$23,135 | 424 (96.9%) | — | cost · compare firms |
| Swimming pool & spa | $32,967 | $26,448–$42,418 | 1,688 (94.7%) | — | cost · compare firms |
| Remodel | $41,725 | $34,595–$62,713 | 540 (90.9%) | — | cost · compare firms |
| Garage & accessory building | $60,604 | $36,873–$137,232 | 212 (96.2%) | — | cost · compare firms |
| Home addition | $85,573 | $64,376–$139,873 | 835 (95.1%) | — | cost · compare firms |
| Guest house | $160,813 | $129,332–$197,410 | 272 (92.6%) | — | cost · compare firms |
| New home | $865,193 | $839,085–$1,217,603 | 1,067 (96.2%) | — | cost · compare firms |
Plumbing, electrical, HVAC, water heaters, solar and demolition have compare pages but no cost page: Scottsdale records no job value on those permits (0.0% of 1,800 HVAC permits and 0.0% of 1,342 solar permits carry one). Their HVAC, plumbing and solar compare pages still rank firms by permits and finished share.
What moves the price in Scottsdale
The home. Each cost page splits firms into thirds by the usual value of the homes they work on (Maricopa County Assessor full cash values). Scottsdale's single-family value figure is $1,197,000.
| Job | Firms on the least expensive third | Firms on the most expensive third |
|---|---|---|
| New home | $593,844 | $1,197,573 |
| Fence & wall | $5,850 | $10,462 |
| Guest house | $127,493 | $181,098 |
| Swimming pool & spa | $27,697 | $37,138 |
| Remodel | $39,794 | $49,253 |
| Patio cover & ramada | $19,146 | $21,705 |
Figures from each cost page, data of 22 October 2026. New homes double and fences nearly double with home value; patio covers barely move, so for that job the house is not what sets the price.
The firm. In new homes the ten busiest builders usually file $553,335 a permit, while the 278 builders with fewer than ten permits usually file $1,050,367 (Scottsdale new-home cost page): the volume builders are filing tract houses, the small ones custom homes. Additions run the other way, $129,592 for the ten busiest against $90,824 for 593 smaller firms (Scottsdale addition cost page).
The season. Pool permits peak in August (index 121, where 100 is an average month) and are fewest in June (77). We have no prices by month, so this is about builders' calendars, not discounts.
What a Scottsdale permit costs
From the City's permit fee schedules for single-family residential and miscellaneous permits (Resolution No. 13109, effective 1 July 2024; read 23 October 2026):
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Addition or detached structure | $225 base fee, plus $0.89 per sq. ft. of livable area with A/C and $0.51 per sq. ft. of covered area without A/C; detached structures and additions of 500 sq. ft. or more add a $185 certificate of occupancy and $360 GIS fee |
| Remodel | $225 base fee, plus 30% of $0.89 per sq. ft. of livable area (70% with a roof modification) and $0.51 per sq. ft. of covered area |
| Fence wall | $225 base fee plus $0.25 per linear foot |
| Pool or spa attached to the home | $0.58 per sq. ft., plus a $175 planning inspection fee and $215 base fee |
| Residential solar | $160 |
| Demolition | $360 ($115 for a pool) |
| Water heater (except solar) | $60 |
A 400 sq. ft. air-conditioned addition comes to $581 before other fees. The schedule says it is not all-inclusive and other fees may apply.
Filed value is not the price
- The fee doesn't ride on it. Scottsdale charges by square foot or linear foot, so an applicant has no fee reason to write a low value; the figure is still what the applicant wrote, not an audited cost.
- Trade permits carry no value. Plumbing, electrical, HVAC and solar permits here are unpriced, so this page has nothing to say about their prices.
- One permit type covers small and large jobs. Remodels span $34,595 to $62,713 across the middle half of firms; get a scope sheet before comparing.
- The lot. New-home and guest-house values are construction only.
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 the City's permit and the final inspection; we can't tell you how long finals take in Scottsdale, so put it in the contract.
Single-job guides: home addition cost, home remodel cost, new home construction cost. To check an Arizona license, see Scottsdale contractor license lookup.
How we know this
Every row is a permit type with a cost page: the City of Scottsdale issued at least 100 priced permits of it 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, not available for Scottsdale. Home-value thirds and busiest-firm figures are copied from each job's cost page and dated. Fees are quoted from the City's fee schedules linked under Sources.
Numbers come from 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, data through October 22, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Compare every Scottsdale pool builder by usual job and finished share →
Questions
- How much does pool installation cost in Scottsdale?
The usual swimming-pool and spa permit in Scottsdale was filed at $32,967, across 1,688 permits, and the middle half of 114 pool builders usually file between $26,448 and $42,418. Builders on the most expensive third of homes usually file $37,138, against $27,697 on the least expensive third (Scottsdale pool cost page, data of 22 October 2026).
- What is the cost to build a house in Scottsdale?
New-home permits were usually filed at $865,193 across 1,067 permits, with the middle half of 64 builders between $839,085 and $1,217,603. That is construction only; the lot is not in it.
- How much does HVAC replacement cost in Scottsdale?
The permit file can't say: 0.0% of Scottsdale's 1,800 HVAC permits carry a job value. It does show who does the work: the busiest firm holds 78.5% of them. For filed HVAC prices in cities that record them, see our HVAC replacement cost guide.
- How much do plumbers charge in Scottsdale?
Scottsdale records no job value on plumbing permits (0.0% of 2,919 are priced), so we can't give a usual figure. The plumbing compare page lists 687 firms by permit count and finished share, which is what to check before you hire.
- How much is a building permit in Scottsdale?
Scottsdale charges by area, not by job value. An addition is a $225 base fee plus $0.89 per square foot of air-conditioned space and $0.51 per square foot of covered area; a pool attached to the home is $0.58 per square foot plus a $175 planning inspection fee and a $215 base fee; a residential solar permit is $160 (City fee schedule effective 1 July 2024).
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
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