Across 17 jurisdictions the middle one files a median of $23,500, and 7 of them land within a quarter of that. The gap in the headline is between Baton Rouge and Kansas City — a difference between cities, not a range to expect inside one.

Within a single city the spread is wider still. Austin runs from $6,500 at the tenth percentile to $250,000 at the ninetieth, 38.5× end to end, while Anaheim is the tightest at 5.7×. That is the number worth carrying into a conversation with a contractor: a quote outside your own city's range is worth asking about, and a quote outside another city's tells you nothing.

15 of these 17 jurisdictions cleared 60 permits, which is the bar this site sets before a city may hold either end of a comparison. The rest are shown because their own page is worth reading, not because they are precise enough to headline.

Full numbers

City	10%	Median	90%	Permits
Baton Rouge, LA	$10,000	$45,476	$162,000	75
San Francisco, CA	$11,000	$31,057	$130,000	2,871
Austin, TX	$6,500	$30,000	$250,000	41
Seattle, WA	$9,045	$30,000	$116,000	143
New York, NY	$6,106	$28,500	$112,000	3,558
Montgomery County, MD	$8,000	$27,182	$115,900	636
Marin County, CA	$7,500	$25,000	$65,000	145
Chicago, IL	$3,500	$24,000	$105,730	590
New Orleans, LA	$4,723	$23,500	$150,000	475
Sacramento, CA	$7,500	$22,750	$98,042	397
Detroit, MI	$5,900	$17,942	$192,000	40
Raleigh, NC	$4,332	$14,440	$95,237	550
Anaheim, CA	$5,000	$12,000	$28,650	194
Los Angeles, CA	$5,000	$9,875	$45,000	4,809
Corona, CA	$3,500	$7,600	$29,417	83
Everett, WA	$2,000	$6,550	$46,244	196
Kansas City, MO	$2,560	$6,515	$32,122	94

Declared permit values, last 24 months. Updated 2026-09-24. Methodology.