Window replacement cost by city
| City | Permit type | Permits | Usual filed value | Middle half of firms' usual job | Usual days, issue to final | Reached final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denton, TX | Window & Door Replacement | 848 | $4,500 | $4,500–$9,750 | 58 | 91.6% |
| Cleveland, OH | Windows & Doors | 2,938 | $5,900 | $4,775–$14,782 | 140 | 75.2% |
| Anaheim, CA | Windows & Doors | 334 | $6,759 | $5,251–$12,000 | 89 | 91.6% |
| Saint Paul, MN | Windows & Doors | 4,513 | $7,500 | $3,987–$11,274 | 109 | 68.5% |
| Minneapolis, MN | Windows & Doors | 5,528 | $8,000 | $4,500–$11,500 | 98 | 81.8% |
| Chicago, IL | Windows & Doors | 497 | $8,000 | $5,000–$18,000 | 227 | 51.7% |
| Citrus Heights, CA | Windows & Doors | 323 | $8,952 | $5,032–$11,400 | 56 | 80.8% |
| Burlington, VT | Windows & Doors | 489 | $9,500 | $6,714–$26,050 | 273 | 67.2% |
| St. Louis, MO | Windows & Doors | 330 | $9,944 | $6,012–$16,449 | 382 | 70.5% |
| Marin County, CA (unincorporated) | Windows & Doors | 488 | $12,214 | $10,000–$16,200 | 94 | 88.5% |
| Elk Grove, CA | Windows & Doors | 818 | $12,221 | $8,497–$14,965 | 57 | 84.2% |
| Wheaton, IL | Windows & Doors | 630 | $12,905 | $6,973–$14,826 | 83 | 61.2% |
| Sacramento County, CA | Windows & Doors | 1,589 | $13,110 | $7,896–$20,000 | 71 | 91.7% |
| Cape Coral, FL | Windows & Doors | 4,787 | $13,452 | $9,600–$17,921 | 44 | 96.8% |
| Miami, FL | Windows, Doors & Shutters | 4,921 | $14,246 | $8,000–$19,106 | 55 | 98.5% |
| San Francisco, CA | Windows & Skylights | 4,050 | $24,000 | $17,000–$80,000 | 159 | 85.9% |
Each city's own page lists every installer with its usual job: Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Miami, Cape Coral, Sacramento County, San Francisco, Cleveland, Chicago.
Why the cities fall into three groups
The table sorts into three bands:
- Under about $10,000: Denton to St. Louis ($4,500 to $9,944). This band holds the Twin Cities, where the rules catch small jobs. Minneapolis requires a permit to replace a window in an existing wall opening, full-frame or pocket (Minneapolis bulletin, updated April 2025), and Saint Paul requires one for any new or replacement window, storm windows included (Saint Paul DSI). When a two-window swap needs a permit, the usual permit is a small job.
- About $12,000 to $14,500: Marin County to Miami ($12,214 to $14,246). The Sacramento-area suburbs, Wheaton and the two Florida cities. Miami's type also includes doors and shutters.
- San Francisco, $24,000. Its type is windows and skylights, and its middle half of firms runs from $17,000 to $80,000.
The middle-half column is the number to hold a quote against. It takes every installer with three or more permits, finds each firm's usual job, and shows the band the middle 50% of firms sit in: $4,500 to $11,500 across 135 firms in Minneapolis, $9,600 to $17,921 across 146 in Cape Coral. Count the windows in your quote and the firm's last three jobs, and compare like with like.
When a window job needs a permit
| City | Same-size replacement | Rule, quoted |
|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis, MN | Permit | Required "to replace a window in an existing wall opening"; storm windows, glass in an existing sash and weatherstripping are exempt |
| Saint Paul, MN | Permit | Required for "new or replacement windows (including storm windows)" |
| Bellevue, WA | No permit | "No permit is required for replacements of the same size in the same location"; widening or moving one needs plan review |
Bedroom windows have one rule to know. Saint Paul says a replacement that keeps the rough opening does not have to meet current egress size, as long as the new window is the largest that fits the existing frame or opening (Saint Paul DSI). Ask your installer which kind of insert they quoted for each bedroom, because a smaller insert can shrink the escape opening.
Tax credit in 2026
There is no federal credit for windows installed in 2026. The IRS: "can't claim energy efficient home improvement credits for expenditures or property placed in service after December 31, 2025" (IRS, Instructions for Form 5695). A 2026 quote that subtracts a federal credit is out of date.
Check a window quote in five minutes
- Find your city's row and middle-half range above.
- Divide the quote by your window count and ask each firm for the same.
- On the Minneapolis windows compare page (or your city's), find the installer and read its permits and finished share.
- Ask whether the permit is in the price, and which bedroom windows keep their full opening.
See every Minneapolis window installer by finished share →
What these numbers cannot tell you
The filed value is the installer's own figure, filed before the work. Permits rarely record how many windows or what frame material, so there is no per-window figure here. In cities like Bellevue where same-size replacements need no permit, the cheapest jobs never reach the record at all, which pushes the usual figure up. Somerville files windows with siding and Wilmington records no values, so both are left out.
How we know this
Window permits are those each city files under a window, window-and-door or opening-replacement work type over its three-year window ending September 2026 (a few cities end earlier; each city page names its window). The usual filed value is the median of permits that carry one; the middle-half range uses firms with three or more window permits; "reached final" is the share of permits a year or more old that the city closed with a final; days is the median from issue to final. Permit and tax rules are quoted from the city and IRS pages under Sources, read 21 October 2026.
Numbers come from City of Minneapolis construction permits (CCS); City of Saint Paul approved building permits; City of Miami building permits (since 2014); City of Cape Coral building permits (the city's open permit table starts January 2025); Sacramento County building permits on single-family, duplex and townhouse homes in the unincorporated county (the County's Accela permit layer); San Francisco DBI building permits on one- and two-family homes, with the contractor from the city's permit contacts file; City of Cleveland building permits; City of Chicago building permits (Chicago Data Portal), data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How much does window replacement cost?
Going by permits, the usual window job was filed at $5,900 in Cleveland, $8,000 in Minneapolis, $13,110 in Sacramento County, $14,246 in Miami and $24,000 in San Francisco. A permit usually covers several windows, often with a door, so these are per-job figures, not per-window prices.
- How much does it cost to replace one window?
The permit record does not say: cities record one value per job and rarely the window count. Ask each installer for a per-window price and the total, and compare the total to the middle-half range for your city: $4,500 to $11,500 for a whole job in Minneapolis.
- Do I need a permit to replace windows?
It depends on the city. Minneapolis requires one to replace a window in an existing wall opening, including pocket and full-frame windows; Saint Paul requires one for new or replacement windows, storm windows included. Bellevue, Washington requires none for same-size replacements in the same location.
- Is there a tax credit for new windows in 2026?
No federal one. The IRS says the energy efficient home improvement credit can't be claimed for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Check your utility for rebates.
- How long does window replacement take?
Installation is usually a day or two. The permit took 44 days from issue to final in Cape Coral, 55 in Miami, 71 in Sacramento County and 98 in Minneapolis.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
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For one city
- Windows and Doors — City of Minneapolis Development Review bulletin (updated 2025-04-15) (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Window and Door Replacement — City of Saint Paul Department of Safety and Inspections (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Work requiring permits — City of Bellevue, WA (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Instructions for Form 5695 (2025) — IRS (accessed 2026-10-21)