The usual HVAC & mechanical permit in Medford, the biggest trade with a completion date, takes 31 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,507 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). Plumbing is quickest at 12 days; remodel & addition the slowest at 180 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 city to approve it. Medford'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 city 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 Medford: For contractors with at least 5 permits a year or more old, the share the city finaled, adjusted for permit age. Permits that expire without a final count against it.
Speed: How long their permits take from issue to final, using the city's dates, compared with other Medford 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 city closed out. A dash means the Medford record has no completion date for that trade (irrigation backflow), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC & Mechanical | 1,507 | 31 | 78.8% | 21 |
| Electrical | 701 | 15 | 94.2% | 17 |
| New Home | 680 | 176 | 95.8% | 12 |
| Solar | 643 | 34 | 96.7% | 10 |
| Irrigation Backflow | 449 | — | 42.1% | 7 |
| Plumbing | 382 | 12 | 91.5% | 6 |
| Remodel & Addition | 135 | 180 | 83.1% | 0 |
Each trade on its own, from issue to the city's sign-off. The spread between the quickest and slowest quarter of firms is the part you can choose.
The usual HVAC & mechanical permit in Medford takes 31 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,507 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 78.8% of HVAC & mechanical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.8 months, the slowest quarter in 0.9 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Medford's file.
15 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Medford HVAC & mechanical contractors →
The usual electrical permit in Medford takes 15 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (701 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 94.2% of electrical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Medford's file.
The usual new home permit in Medford takes 176 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (680 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 95.8% of new home permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 4.3 months, the slowest quarter in 6.6 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Medford's file.
12 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Medford new home contractors →
The usual solar permit in Medford takes 34 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (643 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 96.7% of solar permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.6 months, the slowest quarter in 1.3 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Medford's file.
10 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Medford solar contractors →
The Medford record carries no completion date for irrigation backflow permits, so we can't count days. 42.1% of irrigation backflow permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 449 permits, October 2023 through September 2026. The wait for approval before issue is not in Medford's file.
The usual plumbing permit in Medford takes 12 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (382 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 91.5% of plumbing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.3 months, the slowest quarter in 0.7 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Medford's file.
6 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Medford plumbing contractors →
The usual remodel & addition permit in Medford takes 180 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (135 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 83.1% of remodel & addition permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Medford's file.
Source: City of Medford building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits on single-family, duplex and cottage homes (the city's TRAKiT permit exports). 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 Medford →
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