BuildingPermitCost The short answer
Most schedules add something to the base permit fee: plan review, state surcharges or technology fees. Many list fees that only apply to some projects, and the largest costs for a new home, such as impact fees and utility connections, are often charged outside the building permit by a different department or district. Each city page on this site separates what is in the total from what may also apply.
Add-ons already in the total
These are charged with the building permit itself, so our calculator totals include them. They are easy to miss when you only read the main fee table.
- State building-code surcharges: 78 of 262 places (30%). For example Auburn, AL, Bessemer, AL, Birmingham, AL.
- Technology, records and permit-system fees: 59 of 262 places (23%). For example Anchorage, AK, Mesa, AZ, Scottsdale, AZ.
- Planning, zoning and general plan fees: 43 of 262 places (16%). For example Anchorage, AK, Berkeley, CA, Buena Park, CA.
- Certificate of occupancy: 17 of 262 places (6%). For example Scottsdale, AZ, Little Rock, AR, Murrieta, CA.
Plan review is the biggest add-on of all and has its own guide: plan review fee vs permit fee.
Fees that apply only sometimes
Schedules often list fees that depend on the project or the site. We show these on each city page as "may also apply" and leave them out of the total, because a wrong guess either way would mislead.
- Energy-code and green-building review: listed as conditional in 10 places, for example Buena Park, CA, Chico, CA, Chino Hills, CA.
- Drainage, erosion and floodplain fees: listed as conditional in 12 places, for example Baldwin County, AL, Concord, CA, Garden Grove, CA.
- Fire plan review and fire fees: listed as conditional in 5 places, for example Berkeley, CA, Palo Alto, CA, Medford, OR.
- Planning, zoning and general plan fees: listed as conditional in 9 places, for example Yavapai County, AZ, Huntington Beach, CA, Tracy, CA.
- Certificate of occupancy: listed as conditional in 15 places, for example Lee County, AL, Buena Park, CA, Palo Alto, CA.
Fees charged outside the building permit
For new homes and additions these can be larger than the permit itself. They are usually set by another department, a utility or a school district, so the building fee schedule may only mention them.
- Impact and development fees: mentioned in 52 of 262 fee schedules (charged with the permit in 7). For example San Diego, CA, San Mateo, CA, Stockton, CA.
- Water, sewer and utility connection fees: mentioned in 25 of 262 fee schedules (charged with the permit in 1). For example Broomfield, CO, Alpharetta, GA, Greenwood, IN.
- School district fees: mentioned in 7 of 262 fee schedules. For example Bellflower, CA, El Monte, CA, Huntington Beach, CA.
- Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits: mentioned in 27 of 262 fee schedules (charged with the permit in 5). For example Buena Park, CA, Thornton, CO, Winston-Salem, NC.
Trade permits for electrical, plumbing and mechanical work are separate in most places and are often pulled by the licensed contractor doing that work.
Fees that come up later
These depend on how the project goes, not on its size:
- Re-inspection fees: listed in 180 of 262 schedules (69%). Printed as, for example, "Reinspection".
- After-hours and expedited inspections: listed in 107 of 262 schedules (41%). Printed as, for example, "After-hours inspection".
- Permit extensions and reinstatement: listed in 84 of 262 schedules (32%). Printed as, for example, "Permit extension".
- Work started without a permit: listed in 84 of 262 schedules (32%). Printed as, for example, "Investigation fee".
Failed inspections are the most common of these: a re-inspection fee is charged each time an inspector has to come back.
Before you budget
- Find your place in the calculator and note the "may also apply" list.
- For a new home or addition, ask the permit office which impact, utility and school fees apply, and who collects them.
- Check whether your contractor's price includes the trade permits.
- Read the gaps list on the city page: it says what the official schedule did not let us price.
Figures computed November 5, 2026 from the official fee schedules on this site. Fees are estimates based on the official schedules; confirm with the permit office before applying.