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Rochester, MN building permits

Data through September 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026

30,193 building permits were issued in Rochester from October 2024 to September 2026, about 15,096 a year. Electrical permits lead with 9,912, then HVAC (6,587) and plumbing (5,844). 77% were for homes. The city's file names contractors, but we have not matched them to Minnesota license records, so we don't rate, rank or profile firms: these pages show what was built, where and when.

30,193permits issued
15,096a year
77%for homes
Sep 2026records through

What gets built here

What this page can and can't show

  • ✓Permits the city issued, by kind of work, month and ZIP code.
  • ✓What the job was declared at on the permit.
  • ✓Which contractors filed the most permits (volume, not quality).
  • Who does good work. The city's file names contractors, but we have not matched them to Minnesota license records, so we don't rate, rank or profile firms.
  • Which permits were finished. The city's reports list permits when they are issued and say nothing about what happened after.
  • Street addresses or owners. We publish counts and permit rows without them.

Building, trade, sign and demolition permits the City of Rochester Community Development department issues inside the city. Grading permits are not counted, and neither are permits Olmsted County issues for rural townships or the neighbouring cities such as Byron, Stewartville and Kasson.

Hiring someone here?

The permit file can't tell you who does good work. Ask for the contractor's license number and look it up at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, then ask the city whether they pulled the permit for your job.

How to check a contractor's license in Minnesota →

Permits by kind of work

Permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, every kind of work with 100 or more. Last 12 months is Oct 2025–Sep 2026. Homes is the share issued as residential permits.

Kind of workPermitsShareLast 12 mo
Electrical9,91233%5,086
HVAC6,58722%3,306
Plumbing5,84419%2,939
Remodels & repairs3,02610%1,604
Roofing1,3244%770
Garages, sheds & shade structures5492%280
New homes5182%282
Solar4822%172
Other1,8016%1,004

Fewer than 100 permits, so no row: additions (71), demolition (62), pools & spas (12), fences & walls (5).

Download this table (CSV)

Most active contractors by permits filed

The contractors named on the most permits in the City of Rochester building permit report file, October 2024 through September 2026, with 5 or more each. Share is the part of all 30,193 permits; 94% of them name a contractor we can show. This is volume, not quality: more permits doesn't mean better work. Individuals' names, owner-builders and blanks are left out.

ContractorPermitsShare
Tonna Mechanical, Inc2,2017%
Total Electric of Rochester2,0377%
B and C Plumbing and Heating Inc1,2304%
Haley Comfort Systems1,0473%
Rochester Plumbing & Heating Co Inc1,0273%
Superior Mechanical, Inc.8803%
K & S Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing Inc8253%
Adair Electric8113%
K & S Heating Airconditioning & Plumbing Inc7442%
Scott Binner Electric6812%

Download this table (CSV)

How these numbers are made

Source: City of Rochester, Building Permit Reports: monthly Detail Report spreadsheets (Laserfiche WebLink public repository), read 19 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out. The city's reports list permits when they are issued and say nothing about what happened after, so no finished share is shown.

Building, trade, sign and demolition permits the City of Rochester Community Development department issues inside the city. Grading permits are not counted, and neither are permits Olmsted County issues for rural townships or the neighbouring cities such as Byron, Stewartville and Kasson.

  • The city's reports list a contractor on most permits. We show only how many permits each of the most active firms filed; that is volume, not quality, and we have not matched the names to state license records.
  • The reports list permits when they are issued and say nothing about what happened after, so there is no finished share and no time to final; every permit is listed as open.
  • The value is the valuation written on the permit at issue.
  • A footing-and-foundation permit issued ahead of a new house is counted under other, so the house is counted once under new homes. Commercial and apartment building work is counted under other; their electrical, plumbing and heating permits count under those trades.

Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Contractor Records, "Rochester, MN building permits", https://contractorrecords.com/rochester-mn/, data through September 2026, from the City of Rochester Community Development department building-permit records.

Link to a table: By kind of work · Most active contractors by permits filed · Browse the permits · Permits each month.

Download the tables (CSV): Permits by kind of work · Most active contractors by permits filed · Permits in the last 12 months.

Common questions

  • How many building permits does Rochester issue a year?About 15,096 a year in Rochester: 30,193 permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, 15,529 of them in the last 12 months. That counts the permits the city issued, homes and commercial, not denied or withdrawn applications.
  • Can I find a contractor's permits in Rochester?The city's file names contractors, but we have not matched them to Minnesota license records, so we don't rate, rank or profile firms. The table above lists the contractors named on the most permits, as a count only. Check a license at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry and ask the contractor for the permit number of a past job.
  • What do people build most in Rochester?Electrical: 9,912 of the 30,193 permits (33%), then HVAC (6,587), plumbing (5,844), October 2024 through September 2026.
  • How do I look up a building permit in Rochester?Filter the permit list on this page by month, kind of work and ZIP code to see what was issued. For one property's permits, search the city's own records by address or permit number; we don't publish addresses. How to look up a permit in Rochester →
  • How many permits were issued in Rochester last month?1,372 in September 2026, the last full month on file; 15,529 over the last 12 months.

Browse the permits

Browse 30,193 permits

Every permit in the file issued October 2024 through September 2026, newest first. Pick a month, a kind of work or a ZIP code. Each row is one permit: no street address, no names.

The list loads as you reach it (30,193 permits).

IssuedKind of workCity permit typeZIP

Permits each month, the last 12 months

Permits issued each month and the kind of work with the most. A month opens its permits in the list above.

MonthPermitsTop kind of work
Sep 20261,372Electrical (412)
Aug 20261,446Electrical (503)
Jul 20261,602Electrical (499)
Jun 20261,599Electrical (562)
May 20261,366Electrical (408)
Apr 20261,329Electrical (375)
Mar 20261,053Electrical (322)
Feb 2026991Electrical (383)
Jan 20261,043Electrical (350)
Dec 20251,135Electrical (385)
Nov 20251,175Electrical (398)
Oct 20251,418Electrical (489)

Download this table (CSV)