The usual roofing permit in Marin County (unincorporated), the biggest trade with a completion date, takes 58 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (1,943 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). Plumbing & Gas is quickest at 53 days; addition the slowest at 701 days. This is the turnaround to finish the work and close the permit, not the wait for approval.
“How long does a permit take?” can mean two waits. This page measures the second one.
Getting the permit (not measured): application → issue, the wait for the county to approve it. Marin County's file we read does not carry a usable application date, so we don't guess at it. Ask the permit office for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → completion. The day the county issued the permit to the day it recorded a final inspection or closeout. That is the contractor's part: doing the work and getting it signed off.
What “finished” means in Marin County (unincorporated): For contractors with at least 5 permits a year or more old, the share with an approved final inspection.
Speed: How long their permits take from issue to the approved final inspection, compared with other Marin contractors in the trade. Shown for firms with 10+ permits.
Usual is the middle permit: half finish sooner, half later. Finished is the share of permits a year or more old that the county closed out. A dash means the Marin County (unincorporated) record has no completion date for that trade (solar & battery), so there is nothing to count days from; it does not mean those permits are slow.
| Trade | Permits | Usual days to finish | Finished | Firms with 10+ permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing | 1,943 | 58 | 85.2% | 33 |
| HVAC | 1,640 | 96 | 74.8% | 25 |
| Electrical | 1,464 | 124 | 67.7% | 28 |
| Solar & Battery | 1,339 | — | — | 27 |
| Kitchen, Bath & Remodel | 640 | 272 | 86.6% | 2 |
| Windows & Doors | 488 | 94 | 88.3% | 5 |
| Water Heater | 470 | 56 | 71.5% | 8 |
| Plumbing & Gas | 460 | 53 | 62.4% | 8 |
| Foundation & Retaining Wall | 248 | 431 | 65.8% | 6 |
| EV Charger | 213 | 64 | 68.2% | 6 |
| Siding & Stucco | 204 | 119 | 91.3% | 4 |
| Pool & Spa | 155 | 466 | 68.7% | 2 |
| Decks & Stairs | 151 | 335 | 74.9% | 2 |
| Addition | 134 | 701 | — | 0 |
| ADU | 111 | 555 | — | 0 |
Each trade on its own, from issue to the county's sign-off. The spread between the quickest and slowest quarter of firms is the part you can choose.
The usual roofing permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 58 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (1,943 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 85.2% of roofing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.6 months, the slowest quarter in 2 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file. Permit fee: the published base fee is Re-roofing only: $510.00 (Marin County Permit Base Fees, read October 2026); impact fees and taxes are added.
28 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Marin County (unincorporated) roofing contractors →
The usual HVAC permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 96 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (1,640 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 74.8% of HVAC permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.6 months, the slowest quarter in 3.2 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file. Permit fee: the published base fee is Mechanical only: $190.65 (Marin County Permit Base Fees, read October 2026); impact fees and taxes are added.
21 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Marin County (unincorporated) HVAC contractors →
The usual electrical permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 124 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (1,464 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 67.7% of electrical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.7 months, the slowest quarter in 5 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file. Permit fee: the published base fee is Electrical only: $202.83 (Marin County Permit Base Fees, read October 2026); impact fees and taxes are added.
23 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Marin County (unincorporated) electrical contractors →
The usual kitchen, bath & remodel permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 272 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (640 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 86.6% of kitchen, bath & remodel permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file. Permit fee: the published base fee is Minor Kitchen and Bathroom Remodel: $851.90; Structural Residential Remodels/Additions: $5.97–$20.49 per sq ft (Marin County Permit Base Fees, read October 2026); impact fees and taxes are added.
The usual windows & doors permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 94 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (488 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 88.3% of windows & doors permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.3 months, the slowest quarter in 2.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file. Permit fee: the published base fee is Window/Door Replacement (non-structural): $493.91 (Marin County Permit Base Fees, read October 2026); impact fees and taxes are added.
5 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Marin County (unincorporated) windows & doors contractors →
The usual water heater permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 56 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (470 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 71.5% of water heater permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.8 months, the slowest quarter in 2.1 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file.
7 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Marin County (unincorporated) water heater contractors →
The usual plumbing & gas permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 53 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (460 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 62.4% of plumbing & gas permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file. Permit fee: the published base fee is Plumbing/Gas only: $86.00 (Marin County Permit Base Fees, read October 2026); impact fees and taxes are added.
The usual foundation & retaining wall permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 431 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (248 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 65.8% of foundation & retaining wall permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 6 months, the slowest quarter in 9.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file. Permit fee: the published base fee is Piles/Piers/Foundations: $2,930.55; Retaining Walls: $987.83 (Marin County Permit Base Fees, read October 2026); impact fees and taxes are added.
5 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Marin County (unincorporated) foundation & retaining wall contractors →
The usual EV charger permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 64 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (213 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 68.2% of EV charger permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.4 months, the slowest quarter in 8.4 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file.
4 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Marin County (unincorporated) EV charger contractors →
The usual siding & stucco permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 119 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (204 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 91.3% of siding & stucco permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file. Permit fee: the published base fee is Re-siding and Stucco only: $655.00 (Marin County Permit Base Fees, read October 2026); impact fees and taxes are added.
The usual pool & spa permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 466 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (155 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 68.7% of pool & spa permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 6.6 months, the slowest quarter in 8.6 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file. Permit fee: the published base fee is Structural Pool/spa/Hot Tub: $2,634.00 (Marin County Permit Base Fees, read October 2026); impact fees and taxes are added.
2 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Marin County (unincorporated) pool & spa contractors →
The usual decks & stairs permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 335 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (151 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 74.9% of decks & stairs permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 3.1 months, the slowest quarter in 11.9 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file. Permit fee: the published base fee is Uncovered Deck/Patio: $1,060.00 (Marin County Permit Base Fees, read October 2026); impact fees and taxes are added.
2 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Marin County (unincorporated) decks & stairs contractors →
The usual addition permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 701 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (134 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file. Permit fee: the published base fee is Structural Residential Remodels/Additions: $5.97–$20.49 per sq ft (Marin County Permit Base Fees, read October 2026); impact fees and taxes are added.
The usual ADU permit in Marin County (unincorporated) takes 555 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (111 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). The wait for approval before issue is not in Marin County's file.
No completion date or closeout on record for solar & battery, so no answer for that trade.
Source: Marin County Community Development Agency building permits on homes in unincorporated Marin (the County's open-data permit and inspection files). The window is October 2023 through September 2026; a permit filed after that isn't here yet.
A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit when they applied. It is not a quote and not the final bill.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits, and one permit can cover several visits.
Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. How the records work in Marin County (unincorporated) →
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