Data through April 2025 · updated 21 Oct 2026
The usual permit in Richmond takes 60 days from issue to the city's final inspection; the middle half take 27 to 147 days. That is from 2,631 permits issued May 2023–Apr 2024 that reached a final. Roofing permits are quickest at 31 days; new home permits take longest at 160 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 May 2023–Apr 2024, 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 May 2023–Apr 2024. 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 | 591 | 76.0% | 10.8% | 69 | 28–148 |
| Remodels & repairs | 628 | 80.9% | 6.8% | 68 | 37–146 |
| Roofing | 529 | 86.4% | 8.5% | 31 | 16–77 |
| Solar | 504 | 79.8% | 15.9% | 63 | 35–123 |
| Plumbing | 404 | 61.4% | 22.8% | 35 | 15–115 |
| HVAC | 278 | 72.3% | 15.5% | 54 | 29–108 |
| Other | 356 | 71.6% | 5.3% | 142 | 42–302 |
Each kind of work on its own, issue to the city's final.
The usual electrical permit in Richmond takes 69 days from issue to final; the middle half take 28 to 148 days (448 permits with a final date, issued May 2023–Apr 2024). 76% of the 591 permits issued then have finished and 11% expired. Richmond electrical permits →
The usual remodel and repair permit in Richmond takes 68 days from issue to final; the middle half take 37 to 146 days (507 permits with a final date, issued May 2023–Apr 2024). 81% of the 628 permits issued then have finished and 7% expired. Richmond remodel and repair permits →
The usual roofing permit in Richmond takes 31 days from issue to final; the middle half take 16 to 77 days (455 permits with a final date, issued May 2023–Apr 2024). 86% of the 529 permits issued then have finished and 8% expired. Richmond roofing permits →
The usual solar permit in Richmond takes 63 days from issue to final; the middle half take 35 to 123 days (401 permits with a final date, issued May 2023–Apr 2024). 80% of the 504 permits issued then have finished and 16% expired. Richmond solar permits →
The usual plumbing permit in Richmond takes 35 days from issue to final; the middle half take 15 to 115 days (240 permits with a final date, issued May 2023–Apr 2024). 61% of the 404 permits issued then have finished and 23% expired. Richmond plumbing permits →
The usual HVAC permit in Richmond takes 54 days from issue to final; the middle half take 29 to 108 days (198 permits with a final date, issued May 2023–Apr 2024). 72% of the 278 permits issued then have finished and 16% expired. Richmond HVAC permits →
The usual new home permit in Richmond takes 160 days from issue to final; the middle half take 137 to 176 days (70 permits with a final date, issued May 2023–Apr 2024).
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 the Bay Area. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.
San Francisco, CAPalo Alto, CAMarin County, CASonoma County, CA
Source: Transparent Richmond, PermitTrak (Socrata dataset qg2r-652v), read 21 Oct 2026. We count permits issued May 2023 through April 2025; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.
Building and trade permits the City of Richmond issued inside the city limits, including SolarAPP+ solar permits; a few city parcels carry an El Sobrante or San Pablo mailing address. Encroachment, fire, wastewater, rent-control and business permits, plan-check records and revisions of earlier permits are left out. Unincorporated North Richmond and El Sobrante are permitted by Contra Costa County 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 Richmond, CA?", https://contractorrecords.com/richmond-ca/how-long-does-a-permit-take, data through April 2025, from City of Richmond Building 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.