The usual solar permit in San Diego County (unincorporated), the biggest trade with a completion date, takes 81 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (8,832 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). Re-Roof is quickest at 41 days; addition the slowest at 434 days. This is the turnaround 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 it. San Diego County's file we read does not carry a usable application date, so we don't guess at it. Ask the permit office for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → completion. The day the county issued the permit to the day it recorded a final inspection or closeout. That is the contractor's part: doing the work and getting it signed off.
What “finished” means in San Diego County (unincorporated): For contractors with at least 5 permits a year or more old, the share the County marked completed.
Speed: How long their permits take from issue to the County's completed date, compared with other contractors in the trade. Shown for firms with 10+ permits.
Usual is the middle permit: half finish sooner, half later. Finished is the share of permits a year or more old that the county closed out. A dash means the San Diego County (unincorporated) record has no completion date for that trade (water heater), so there is nothing to count days from; it does not mean those permits are slow.
| Trade | Permits | Usual days to finish | Finished | Firms with 10+ permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar | 8,832 | 81 | 82.2% | 90 |
| HVAC | 4,924 | 163 | 59.4% | 44 |
| Electrical & Service Upgrade | 2,855 | 63 | 81.7% | 31 |
| Battery Storage | 1,860 | 62 | 89.5% | 23 |
| Re-Roof | 1,584 | 41 | 80.8% | 32 |
| Plumbing | 1,421 | 62 | 64.1% | 18 |
| Water Heater | 1,253 | — | 43.7% | 19 |
| Windows & Doors | 767 | 64 | 81.4% | 8 |
| Pool & Spa | 727 | 185 | 90.9% | 15 |
| New Home | 663 | 225 | 87.7% | 8 |
| Remodel & Repair | 620 | 74 | 91.3% | 4 |
| EV Charger | 490 | 95 | 57.8% | 11 |
| Combined Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical | 447 | 117 | 80.4% | 11 |
| ADU | 334 | 351 | 84.9% | 4 |
| Garage, Patio Cover & Accessory Structure | 224 | 217 | 89.2% | 1 |
| Addition | 158 | 434 | — | 0 |
| Retaining Wall | 123 | 303 | — | 0 |
| Manufactured Home Installation | 119 | 182 | 82.6% | 2 |
| Demolition | 108 | 50 | 93.6% | 1 |
Each trade on its own, from issue to the county's sign-off. The spread between the quickest and slowest quarter of firms is the part you can choose.
The usual solar permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 81 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (8,832 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 82.2% of solar permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.9 months, the slowest quarter in 3.1 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
83 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego County (unincorporated) solar contractors →
The usual HVAC permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 163 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (4,924 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 59.4% of HVAC permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.2 months, the slowest quarter in 3.7 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
27 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego County (unincorporated) HVAC contractors →
The usual electrical & service upgrade permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 63 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (2,855 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 81.7% of electrical & service upgrade permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
The usual battery storage permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 62 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (1,860 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 89.5% of battery storage permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.7 months, the slowest quarter in 2.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
23 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego County (unincorporated) battery storage contractors →
The usual re-roof permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 41 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (1,584 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 80.8% of re-roof permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1 month, the slowest quarter in 2 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
29 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego County (unincorporated) re-roof contractors →
The usual plumbing permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 62 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (1,421 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 64.1% of plumbing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
The San Diego County (unincorporated) record carries no completion date for water heater permits, so we can't count days. 43.7% of water heater permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 1,253 permits, October 2023 through September 2026. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
The usual windows & doors permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 64 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (767 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 81.4% of windows & doors permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.3 months, the slowest quarter in 2.7 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
5 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego County (unincorporated) windows & doors contractors →
The usual pool & spa permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 185 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (727 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 90.9% of pool & spa permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 5.7 months, the slowest quarter in 6 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
15 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego County (unincorporated) pool & spa contractors →
The usual new home permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 225 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (663 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 87.7% of new home permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 6.4 months, the slowest quarter in 6.7 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
5 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego County (unincorporated) new home contractors →
The usual remodel & repair permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 74 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (620 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 91.3% of remodel & repair permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.3 months, the slowest quarter in 1.4 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
4 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego County (unincorporated) remodel & repair contractors →
The usual EV charger permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 95 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (490 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 57.8% of EV charger permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
The usual combined electrical, plumbing & mechanical permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 117 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (447 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 80.4% of combined electrical, plumbing & mechanical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
The usual ADU permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 351 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (334 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 84.9% of ADU permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 4.9 months, the slowest quarter in 8.5 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
4 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego County (unincorporated) ADU contractors →
The usual garage, patio cover & accessory structure permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 217 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (224 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 89.2% of garage, patio cover & accessory structure permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
The usual addition permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 434 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (158 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
The usual retaining wall permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 303 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (123 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
The usual manufactured home installation permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 182 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (119 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 82.6% of manufactured home installation permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 4.2 months, the slowest quarter in 7.9 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
2 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego County (unincorporated) manufactured home installation contractors →
The usual demolition permit in San Diego County (unincorporated) takes 50 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (108 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 93.6% of demolition permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego County's file.
Source: San Diego County Planning & Development Services building permits on homes in the unincorporated county (the County's open-data permit, contractor and status-history files). The window is October 2023 through September 2026; a permit filed after that isn't here yet.
A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit when they applied. It is not a quote and not the final bill.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits, and one permit can cover several visits.
Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. How the records work in San Diego County (unincorporated) →
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