82.1% of Scottsdale plumbing permits a year or more old have been closed out (3,124 permits, January 2023 through December 2025), but the city's record gives no completion date per trade, so we can't say how many days a permit takes. Nothing here measures the wait for approval. Records run through December 2025; the city's file has nothing newer.
“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. Scottsdale'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 Scottsdale: For permits issued in 2023-2024, the share that were finalled, compared with permits of the same trade issued in the same quarter.
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 | Finished | Firms with 10+ permits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | 3,124 | 82.1% | 44 |
| Electrical | 2,607 | 72.8% | 28 |
| Swimming Pool & Spa | 1,820 | 83.2% | 36 |
| Solar | 1,644 | 75.7% | 39 |
| HVAC & Mechanical | 1,642 | 58.8% | 6 |
| New Home | 1,052 | 89.5% | 16 |
| Water Heater | 1,026 | 51.2% | 5 |
| Addition | 807 | 65.9% | 1 |
| Fence & Wall | 620 | 44.7% | 6 |
| Remodel | 520 | 66.9% | 1 |
| Patio Cover & Ramada | 454 | 49.6% | 6 |
| Guest House | 249 | 67.1% | 0 |
| Garage & Accessory Building | 235 | 25.3% | 0 |
| Demolition | 156 | 54.4% | 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 Scottsdale record carries no completion date for plumbing permits, so we can't count days. 82.1% of plumbing permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 3,124 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
The Scottsdale record carries no completion date for electrical permits, so we can't count days. 72.8% of electrical permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 2,607 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
The Scottsdale record carries no completion date for swimming pool & spa permits, so we can't count days. 83.2% of swimming pool & spa permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 1,820 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
The Scottsdale record carries no completion date for solar permits, so we can't count days. 75.7% of solar permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 1,644 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
The Scottsdale record carries no completion date for HVAC & mechanical permits, so we can't count days. 58.8% of HVAC & mechanical permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 1,642 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
The Scottsdale record carries no completion date for new home permits, so we can't count days. 89.5% of new home permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 1,052 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
The Scottsdale record carries no completion date for water heater permits, so we can't count days. 51.2% of water heater permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 1,026 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
The Scottsdale record carries no completion date for addition permits, so we can't count days. 65.9% of addition permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 807 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
The Scottsdale record carries no completion date for fence & wall permits, so we can't count days. 44.7% of fence & wall permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 620 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
The Scottsdale record carries no completion date for remodel permits, so we can't count days. 66.9% of remodel permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 520 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
The Scottsdale record carries no completion date for patio cover & ramada permits, so we can't count days. 49.6% of patio cover & ramada permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 454 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
The Scottsdale record carries no completion date for guest house permits, so we can't count days. 67.1% of guest house permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 249 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
The Scottsdale record carries no completion date for garage & accessory building permits, so we can't count days. 25.3% of garage & accessory building permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 235 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
The Scottsdale record carries no completion date for demolition permits, so we can't count days. 54.4% of demolition permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 156 permits, January 2023 through December 2025. The wait for approval before issue is not in Scottsdale's file.
Source: City of Scottsdale building permits. The window is January 2023 through December 2025; 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 Scottsdale →
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