Data through September 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026
The usual permit in Montgomery County takes 69 days from issue to the county's final inspection; the middle half take 26 to 144 days. That is from 22,323 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final. Solar permits are quickest at 48 days; new home permits take longest at 222 days. This is the time 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 the plans. Ask the county for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → final. From the day the county issued the permit to the day it recorded the final inspection. We count only permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, at least 12 months before the file ends, so slow jobs have had time to finish; a permit still open is not in the days.
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025. Usual days is the middle permit among those with a final date: half finished sooner, half later. Middle half is the range the middle 50% fell in. Kinds of work with fewer than 100 permits in that period are left out.
| Kind of work | Permits | Finished | Usual days to final | Middle half (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 10,880 | 79.5% | 64 | 18–124 |
| HVAC | 7,950 | 73.2% | 55 | 18–120 |
| Solar | 3,784 | 80.7% | 48 | 29–83 |
| Remodels & repairs | 1,215 | 84.7% | 119 | 68–196 |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 1,266 | 86.0% | 50 | 28–111 |
| Additions | 906 | 81.0% | 186 | 103–307 |
| New homes | 937 | 86.2% | 222 | 175–283 |
| Pools & spas | 146 | 75.3% | 216 | 147–319 |
| Other | 1,564 | 58.2% | 141 | 82–229 |
Each kind of work on its own, issue to the county's final.
The usual electrical permit in Montgomery County takes 64 days from issue to final; the middle half take 18 to 124 days (8,653 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 80% of the 10,880 permits issued then have finished. Montgomery County electrical permits →
The usual HVAC permit in Montgomery County takes 55 days from issue to final; the middle half take 18 to 120 days (5,818 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 73% of the 7,950 permits issued then have finished. Montgomery County HVAC permits →
The usual solar permit in Montgomery County takes 48 days from issue to final; the middle half take 29 to 83 days (3,052 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 81% of the 3,784 permits issued then have finished. Montgomery County solar permits →
The usual remodel and repair permit in Montgomery County takes 119 days from issue to final; the middle half take 68 to 196 days (1,029 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 85% of the 1,215 permits issued then have finished. Montgomery County remodel and repair permits →
The usual garage, shed and shade structure permit in Montgomery County takes 50 days from issue to final; the middle half take 28 to 111 days (1,089 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 86% of the 1,266 permits issued then have finished. Montgomery County garage, shed and shade structure permits →
The usual home addition permit in Montgomery County takes 186 days from issue to final; the middle half take 103 to 307 days (734 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 81% of the 906 permits issued then have finished. Montgomery County home addition permits →
The usual new home permit in Montgomery County takes 222 days from issue to final; the middle half take 175 to 283 days (808 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 86% of the 937 permits issued then have finished. Montgomery County new home permits →
The usual pool and spa permit in Montgomery County takes 216 days from issue to final; the middle half take 147 to 319 days (110 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 75% of the 146 permits issued then have finished. Montgomery County pool and spa permits →
The usual ADU and casita permit in Montgomery County takes 167 days from issue to final; the middle half take 85 to 307 days (62 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). Montgomery County ADU and casita permits →
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
How long permits take for other places in Washington, DC. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.
Arlington, VAWashington, DCFairfax County, VARockville, MDPrince George's County, MDHoward County, MD
Source: dataMontgomery: Residential Permit, Commercial Permits, Mechanical Permits and Electrical Building Permits (Department of Permitting Services), read 19 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.
Building, electrical and mechanical permits issued by the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, which covers the county outside the cities that run their own building offices: Silver Spring, Bethesda, Potomac, Germantown, Clarksburg, Chevy Chase, Olney, Wheaton, Takoma Park and the rest. The cities of Rockville and Gaithersburg issue most of their own building permits, so permits inside those cities are largely missing; a Rockville or Gaithersburg mailing address in this file is usually just outside those cities. Plumbing and gas-service permits are issued by WSSC Water, not the county, and are not in the file.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:
Contractor Records, "How long do permits take in Montgomery County, MD?", https://contractorrecords.com/montgomery-county-md/how-long-does-a-permit-take, data through September 2026, from Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services building-permit records.Link to a table: By kind of work · Each kind of permit.
Download the tables (CSV): Days to final by kind of work.