Building Permits in California

How much does a building permit cost in California?

Most building permits in the United States cost between $150 and $2,000, with a national median around $1,300. Permit fees are usually set as a percentage of the declared project value — commonly 0.5% to 2% — or on a per-$1,000-of-valuation schedule, so a larger California project pays a proportionally larger permit fee.

Across the 162,218 California permits we currently track, the average declared project value is about $85,900. At a typical 0.5%–2% permit-fee schedule, that implies roughly $430–$1,700 in permit fees for an average California project — though your city's fee schedule and project scope set the exact figure.

California Building Permit Activity

Across 126 California cities we tracked 33,424 new building permits in the last 30 days, representing $1.2B in declared construction value. That's down 17.0% from the prior 30 days.

Fastest-growing California markets this month

• San Geronimo — 6 permits, up 200.0% vs the prior month
• Ojai — 18 permits, up 157.1% vs the prior month
• Bolinas — 12 permits, up 100.0% vs the prior month
• Inverness — 9 permits, up 80.0% vs the prior month
• Newport Beach — 575 permits, up 53.7% vs the prior month

Biggest project in California this month

$42.6M regular building permit permit in Santa Clara at 3065 Bowers Av, filed by Skanska Usa Building Inc.

California Construction Market

We're tracking 162,218 active building permits across 126 California cities, led by Los Angeles with 50146 tracked permits.

PermitGrab pulls this data daily, directly from California municipal permit offices — so you see new residential renovations, commercial buildouts, and major developments as they're filed, before your competition finds them.

Browse the cities above to explore specific markets, or sign up for Pro to get daily email alerts and full contact information for permit holders.

Frequently Asked Questions About California Building Permits