Data through September 2026 · updated 18 Oct 2026
The usual permit in New Orleans takes 72 days from issue to the city's final inspection; the middle half take 22 to 176 days. That is from 8,946 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final. Plumbing permits are quickest at 41 days; home addition permits take longest at 286 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 city to approve the plans. Ask the city for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → final. From the day the city 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 | Expired | Usual days to final | Middle half (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 4,916 | 74.2% | 1.6% | 47 | 20–130 |
| Plumbing | 3,649 | 77.8% | 0.5% | 41 | 8–158 |
| HVAC | 1,415 | 75.9% | 0.5% | 112 | 60–192 |
| Remodels & repairs | 1,219 | 54.4% | 0.6% | 155 | 75–286 |
| Roofing | 501 | 51.9% | 0.4% | 111 | 34–203 |
| Solar | 880 | 73.3% | 0.2% | 63 | 41–115 |
| New homes | 332 | 78.0% | 0.0% | 272 | 199–348 |
| Demolition | 408 | 20.3% | 0.7% | 203 | 86–320 |
| Pools & spas | 184 | 17.9% | 0.5% | – | – |
| Additions | 147 | 48.3% | 0.0% | 286 | 230–363 |
Each kind of work on its own, issue to the city's final.
The usual electrical permit in New Orleans takes 47 days from issue to final; the middle half take 20 to 130 days (3,232 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 74% of the 4,916 permits issued then have finished and 2% expired. New Orleans electrical permits →
The usual plumbing permit in New Orleans takes 41 days from issue to final; the middle half take 8 to 158 days (2,713 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 78% of the 3,649 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. New Orleans plumbing permits →
The usual HVAC permit in New Orleans takes 112 days from issue to final; the middle half take 60 to 192 days (1,070 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 76% of the 1,415 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. New Orleans HVAC permits →
The usual remodel and repair permit in New Orleans takes 155 days from issue to final; the middle half take 75 to 286 days (643 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 54% of the 1,219 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. New Orleans remodel and repair permits →
The usual roofing permit in New Orleans takes 111 days from issue to final; the middle half take 34 to 203 days (251 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 52% of the 501 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. New Orleans roofing permits →
The usual solar permit in New Orleans takes 63 days from issue to final; the middle half take 41 to 115 days (587 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 73% of the 880 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. New Orleans solar permits →
The usual new home permit in New Orleans takes 272 days from issue to final; the middle half take 199 to 348 days (257 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 78% of the 332 permits issued then have finished and 0% expired. New Orleans new home permits →
The usual demolition permit in New Orleans takes 203 days from issue to final; the middle half take 86 to 320 days (78 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 20% of the 408 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. New Orleans demolition permits →
The usual home addition permit in New Orleans takes 286 days from issue to final; the middle half take 230 to 363 days (68 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 48% of the 147 permits issued then have finished and 0% expired. New Orleans home addition permits →
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
Source: City of New Orleans, Permits - BLDS (data.nola.gov, dataset 72f9-bi28), read 18 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.
Residential permits the City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits issues inside the city, which is also Orleans Parish: building, renovation, re-roofing, electrical, plumbing, gas, HVAC, solar, pool, generator and demolition permits for single-family homes, two-family homes and doubles. Permits for buildings with three or more units and commercial property are not counted, nor are historic-district reviews, right-of-way permits (street cuts, driveways, sidewalks) and address changes in the same file. Jefferson, St. Bernard and St. Tammany parishes run their own permit offices and are not in this 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 New Orleans, LA?", https://contractorrecords.com/new-orleans/how-long-does-a-permit-take, data through September 2026, from the City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits 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.