The usual Miami permit takes 103 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout, across all 13 kinds of work on file (40,918 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). The usual plumbing & gas permit, the biggest trade here, takes 127 days. Roofing is quickest at 38 days; new home the slowest at 648 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. Miami'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 Miami: For contractors with at least 20 permits, 5 of them a year or more old, the share that reached final inspection.
Speed: How long their permits take to reach final inspection, compared with other Miami 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.
| Trade | Permits | Usual days to finish | Finished | Firms with 10+ permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing & Gas | 7,927 | 127 | 91.5% | 176 |
| Roofing | 6,585 | 38 | 97.6% | 184 |
| Electrical | 6,214 | 184 | 86.6% | 160 |
| HVAC | 5,161 | 73 | 95.5% | 125 |
| Windows, Doors & Shutters | 4,921 | 55 | 98.6% | 102 |
| Remodel & Repair | 3,752 | 182 | 93.0% | 44 |
| Fence & Gate | 1,340 | 86 | 85.9% | 17 |
| Demolition | 1,018 | 133 | 93.5% | 15 |
| Swimming Pool | 978 | 312 | 71.3% | 23 |
| Driveway & Pavers | 938 | 156 | — | 7 |
| Addition & Remodel | 936 | 313 | 73.4% | 5 |
| New Home | 760 | 648 | 52.5% | 13 |
| Solar | 388 | 52 | 96.9% | 10 |
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 plumbing & gas permit in Miami takes 127 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (7,927 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 91.5% of plumbing & gas permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.9 months, the slowest quarter in 5.7 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Miami's file.
176 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Miami plumbing & gas contractors →
The usual roofing permit in Miami takes 38 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (6,585 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 97.6% of roofing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.9 months, the slowest quarter in 1.5 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Miami's file.
184 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Miami roofing contractors →
The usual electrical permit in Miami takes 184 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (6,214 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 86.6% of electrical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 4.4 months, the slowest quarter in 7.9 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Miami's file.
158 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Miami electrical contractors →
The usual HVAC permit in Miami takes 73 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (5,161 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 95.5% of HVAC 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 4 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Miami's file.
125 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Miami HVAC contractors →
The usual windows, doors & shutters permit in Miami takes 55 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (4,921 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 98.6% of windows, doors & shutters permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.1 months, the slowest quarter in 2.2 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Miami's file.
102 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Miami windows, doors & shutters contractors →
The usual remodel & repair permit in Miami takes 182 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (3,752 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 93.0% of remodel & repair permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.8 months, the slowest quarter in 6 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Miami's file.
43 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Miami remodel & repair contractors →
The usual fence & gate permit in Miami takes 86 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,340 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 85.9% of fence & gate permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.1 months, the slowest quarter in 3.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Miami's file.
17 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Miami fence & gate contractors →
The usual demolition permit in Miami takes 133 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,018 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 93.5% of demolition permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.8 months, the slowest quarter in 5.3 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Miami's file.
15 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Miami demolition contractors →
The usual swimming pool permit in Miami takes 312 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (978 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 71.3% of swimming pool permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 7.3 months, the slowest quarter in 10.2 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Miami's file.
23 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Miami swimming pool contractors →
The usual driveway & pavers permit in Miami takes 156 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (938 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 4.1 months, the slowest quarter in 7.3 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Miami's file.
7 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Miami driveway & pavers contractors →
The usual addition & remodel permit in Miami takes 313 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (936 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 73.4% of addition & remodel permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Miami's file.
The usual new home permit in Miami takes 648 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (760 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 52.5% of new home permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 14.2 months, the slowest quarter in 20.3 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Miami's file.
12 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Miami new home contractors →
The usual solar permit in Miami takes 52 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (388 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 96.9% of solar permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.3 months, the slowest quarter in 1.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Miami's file.
10 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Miami solar contractors →
Source: City of Miami building permits (since 2014). 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 Miami →
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