Across 16 jurisdictions the middle one files a median of $15,640, and 6 of them land within a quarter of that. The gap in the headline is between Marin County and Corona — a difference between cities, not a range to expect inside one.

Within a single city the spread is wider still. Los Angeles runs from $2,501 at the tenth percentile to $80,000 at the ninetieth, 32.0× end to end, while Detroit is the tightest at 6.9×. 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.

14 of these 16 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
Marin County, CA	$10,000	$40,000	$99,926	172
New York, NY	$9,000	$30,000	$113,000	1,078
Chicago, IL	$7,500	$28,000	$100,000	991
Raleigh, NC	$8,000	$28,000	$73,828	658
Austin, TX	$5,900	$25,000	$80,000	30
Seattle, WA	$6,116	$20,000	$89,780	266
San Francisco, CA	$4,000	$18,000	$60,078	1,059
Montgomery County, MD	$4,765	$15,640	$62,371	2,165
New Orleans, LA	$2,500	$15,064	$79,600	185
Kansas City, MO	$3,620	$14,934	$75,720	247
Detroit, MI	$4,250	$14,641	$29,365	26
Sacramento, CA	$5,540	$14,534	$47,265	136
Everett, WA	$3,850	$10,712	$42,451	68
Los Angeles, CA	$2,501	$10,000	$80,000	2,292
Anaheim, CA	$3,424	$8,000	$25,000	194
Corona, CA	$3,101	$5,375	$30,000	95

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