Data through September 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026
30,193 building permits issued in Rochester, October 2024 through September 2026: about 15,096 a year. The biggest kind of work is electrical, with 9,912. 15,529 permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), 6% more than the 14,664 in the 12 months before. 77% were permits for homes. The busiest month for permits is July.
Permits issued October 2024 through September 2026. Last 12 months is Oct 2025–Sep 2026; the 12 months before is Oct 2024–Sep 2025. Homes is the share issued as residential permits. Busiest month is the calendar month with the most permits on average.
| Kind of work | Permits | Share | Last 12 mo | 12 mo before | Change | Homes | Busiest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 9,912 | 33% | 5,086 | 4,826 | +5% | 74% | July |
| HVAC | 6,587 | 22% | 3,306 | 3,281 | +1% | 80% | July |
| Plumbing | 5,844 | 19% | 2,939 | 2,905 | +1% | 75% | October |
| Remodels & repairs | 3,026 | 10% | 1,604 | 1,422 | +13% | 100% | July |
| Roofing | 1,324 | 4% | 770 | 554 | +39% | 95% | August |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 549 | 2% | 280 | 269 | +4% | 100% | July |
| New homes | 518 | 2% | 282 | 236 | +19% | 100% | March |
| Solar | 482 | 2% | 172 | 310 | −45% | 88% | August |
| Other | 1,801 | 6% | 1,004 | 797 | +26% | 17% | May |
Fewer than 100 permits, so no row: additions (71), demolition (62), pools & spas (12), fences & walls (5).
Permits issued in each calendar year of the window. Per year scales a part year to 12 months.
| Year | Months | Permits | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 (from October) | 3 | 3,330 | 13,320 |
| 2025 | 12 | 15,062 | 15,062 |
| 2026 (through September) | 9 | 11,801 | 15,735 |
Permits issued each month, October 2024 through September 2026. The tallest bar is the busiest month on file.
| Month | Permits |
|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | 1,293 |
| Nov 2024 | 997 |
| Dec 2024 | 1,040 |
| Jan 2025 | 1,010 |
| Feb 2025 | 855 |
| Mar 2025 | 1,183 |
| Apr 2025 | 1,167 |
| May 2025 | 1,445 |
| Jun 2025 | 1,369 |
| Jul 2025 | 1,588 |
| Aug 2025 | 1,400 |
| Sep 2025 | 1,317 |
| Oct 2025 | 1,418 |
| Nov 2025 | 1,175 |
| Dec 2025 | 1,135 |
| Jan 2026 | 1,043 |
| Feb 2026 | 991 |
| Mar 2026 | 1,053 |
| Apr 2026 | 1,329 |
| May 2026 | 1,366 |
| Jun 2026 | 1,599 |
| Jul 2026 | 1,602 |
| Aug 2026 | 1,446 |
| Sep 2026 | 1,372 |
Permits by calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line), October 2024 through September 2026. Kinds of work do not all peak together. Each month is counted twice (once a year), so one unusual month still moves these numbers.
9,912 permits · busiest July, quietest February
6,587 permits · busiest July, quietest February
5,844 permits · busiest October, quietest February
3,026 permits · busiest July, quietest February
1,324 permits · busiest August, quietest December
549 permits · busiest July, quietest February
518 permits · busiest March, quietest October
482 permits · busiest August, quietest February
| Kind of work | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 84 | 79 | 90 | 91 | 104 | 123 | 126 | 110 | 97 | 113 | 94 | 91 |
| HVAC | 87 | 75 | 80 | 86 | 109 | 123 | 132 | 101 | 104 | 112 | 87 | 104 |
| Plumbing | 92 | 80 | 106 | 111 | 105 | 93 | 109 | 104 | 107 | 118 | 85 | 89 |
| Remodels & repairs | 102 | 59 | 87 | 107 | 118 | 125 | 148 | 100 | 119 | 77 | 80 | 77 |
| Roofing | 8 | 53 | 46 | 115 | 169 | 171 | 157 | 183 | 169 | 90 | 31 | 7 |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 22 | 13 | 50 | 111 | 144 | 153 | 184 | 146 | 125 | 127 | 85 | 39 |
| New homes | 72 | 67 | 153 | 116 | 111 | 123 | 111 | 127 | 74 | 65 | 72 | 109 |
| Solar | 55 | 32 | 65 | 147 | 65 | 50 | 82 | 356 | 120 | 107 | 67 | 55 |
How the city classed each permit. Other covers commercial buildings, signs, towers and similar work.
| Permit class | Permits | Share | Last 12 mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes (residential) | 23,236 | 77% | 11,876 |
| Other | 6,957 | 23% | 3,653 |
The 4 ZIP codes with the most permits, counted at the property's ZIP code. A ZIP code can cross into a city that runs its own permit office; only the city's permits are counted.
| ZIP code | Permits | Share | Top kind of work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55901 | 12,616 | 42% | Electrical (4,094) |
| 55902 | 7,938 | 26% | Electrical (2,789) |
| 55904 | 4,750 | 16% | Electrical (1,538) |
| 55906 | 4,650 | 15% | Electrical (1,469) |
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
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.
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, "Rochester, MN building permit statistics", https://contractorrecords.com/rochester-mn/permit-statistics, data through September 2026, from the City of Rochester Community Development department building-permit records.Link to a table: By kind of work · By year · By month · When each kind of work is filed · Homes and everything else · By ZIP code.
Download the tables (CSV): Permits by kind of work · Permits by year · Permits by month · Permits by calendar month (index) · Homes and other permits · Permits by ZIP code.