The usual San Diego permit takes 101 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout, across all 13 kinds of work on file (42,447 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). The usual electrical, plumbing & HVAC (no-plan) permit, the biggest trade here, takes 84 days. Plumbing is quickest at 41 days; ADU (companion unit) the slowest at 442 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 city to approve it. San Diego'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 city 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: For contractors with at least 5 permits a year or more old, the share that were completed or closed.
Speed: How long their permits take to close, using the city's dates, compared with other San Diego 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 city closed out.
| Trade | Permits | Usual days to finish | Finished | Firms with 10+ permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical, Plumbing & HVAC (no-plan) | 20,942 | 84 | 60.0% | 166 |
| Solar | 10,027 | 72 | 73.6% | 79 |
| Electrical | 2,265 | 71 | 76.6% | 36 |
| Plumbing | 1,844 | 41 | 65.6% | 20 |
| HVAC | 1,839 | 103 | 60.6% | 28 |
| Remodel & Alteration | 1,681 | 162 | 77.7% | 30 |
| ADU (Companion Unit) | 1,278 | 442 | 73.8% | 15 |
| Addition | 671 | 343 | 82.0% | 8 |
| Pool & Spa | 525 | 244 | 91.5% | 11 |
| Damage Repair | 400 | 206 | 79.1% | 4 |
| New Home | 389 | 358 | 91.0% | 5 |
| Foundation & Seismic Retrofit | 344 | 105 | 85.7% | 9 |
| Patio Cover, Garage & Accessory Structure | 242 | 183 | 91.0% | 1 |
Each trade on its own, from issue to the city's sign-off. The spread between the quickest and slowest quarter of firms is the part you can choose.
The usual electrical, plumbing & HVAC (no-plan) permit in San Diego takes 84 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (20,942 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 60.0% of electrical, plumbing & HVAC (no-plan) permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.8 months, the slowest quarter in 1.9 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego's file.
124 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego electrical, plumbing & HVAC (no-plan) contractors →
The usual solar permit in San Diego takes 72 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (10,027 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 73.6% of solar permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.8 months, the slowest quarter in 2.9 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego's file.
73 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego solar contractors →
The usual electrical permit in San Diego takes 71 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (2,265 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 76.6% of electrical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.8 months, the slowest quarter in 2.4 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego's file.
34 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego electrical contractors →
The usual plumbing permit in San Diego takes 41 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,844 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 65.6% of plumbing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.7 months, the slowest quarter in 2.1 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego's file.
15 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego plumbing contractors →
The usual HVAC permit in San Diego takes 103 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,839 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 60.6% of HVAC permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.1 months, the slowest quarter in 3.1 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego's file.
21 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego HVAC contractors →
The usual remodel & alteration permit in San Diego takes 162 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,681 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 77.7% of remodel & alteration permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.6 months, the slowest quarter in 5.1 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego's file.
26 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego remodel & alteration contractors →
The usual ADU (companion unit) permit in San Diego takes 442 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,278 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 73.8% of ADU (companion unit) permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 10.5 months, the slowest quarter in 15.7 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego's file.
12 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego ADU (companion unit) contractors →
The usual addition permit in San Diego takes 343 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (671 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 82.0% of addition permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 8.3 months, the slowest quarter in 10.5 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego's file.
8 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego addition contractors →
The usual pool & spa permit in San Diego takes 244 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (525 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 91.5% of pool & spa permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 5.8 months, the slowest quarter in 8.1 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego's file.
11 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego pool & spa contractors →
The usual damage repair permit in San Diego takes 206 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (400 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 79.1% of damage repair permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 5.5 months, the slowest quarter in 6.1 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego's file.
4 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego damage repair contractors →
The usual new home permit in San Diego takes 358 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (389 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 91.0% of new home permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 8.8 months, the slowest quarter in 11.7 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego's file.
4 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego new home contractors →
The usual foundation & seismic retrofit permit in San Diego takes 105 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (344 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 85.7% of foundation & seismic retrofit permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.7 months, the slowest quarter in 4.2 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego's file.
9 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Diego foundation & seismic retrofit contractors →
The usual patio cover, garage & accessory structure permit in San Diego takes 183 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (242 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 91.0% of patio cover, garage & accessory structure permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Diego's file.
Source: City of San Diego Development Services approvals. 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 →
Other cities: Nashville Orlando New York City Chicago Austin Raleigh Cincinnati Cleveland Pittsburgh Miami Minneapolis St. Louis Denver Colorado Springs Honolulu Albuquerque Boulder Greensboro Saint Paul Arlington, VA Scottsdale Henderson Cambridge Somerville Cary Mesa Naperville Bellevue Cape Coral Provo Palo Alto Bellingham Bend Ames Denton Sugar Land Burlington, VT Seattle San Francisco Medford Anaheim Elk Grove Wilmington, NC Bismarck Tyler, TX Columbus, OH Wheaton, IL San Diego County (unincorporated) Marin County (unincorporated) Sacramento County (unincorporated) Citrus Heights, CA Waco, TX