Across 16 jurisdictions the middle one files a median of $19,473, and 9 of them land within a quarter of that. The gap in the headline is between New York and Los Angeles — a difference between cities, not a range to expect inside one.

Within a single city the spread is wider still. New Orleans runs from $6,700 at the tenth percentile to $80,001 at the ninetieth, 11.9× end to end, while Anaheim is the tightest at 3.8×. 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.

16 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
New York, NY	$10,690	$50,000	$120,240	471
Raleigh, NC	$12,343	$43,557	$102,201	85
Montgomery County, MD	$7,964	$30,000	$61,242	234
Chicago, IL	$8,000	$22,940	$80,000	1,962
Marin County, CA	$10,000	$21,132	$49,650	836
New Orleans, LA	$6,700	$20,500	$80,001	449
Everett, WA	$7,418	$20,000	$68,620	253
Baton Rouge, LA	$10,000	$19,473	$37,626	1,318
Seattle, WA	$10,054	$19,170	$46,360	535
San Francisco, CA	$8,361	$16,000	$35,000	6,806
Sacramento, CA	$6,000	$15,000	$40,000	209
Corona, CA	$7,000	$14,678	$32,484	567
Anaheim, CA	$6,650	$14,464	$25,000	1,671
Kansas City, MO	$4,978	$11,362	$30,363	69
Detroit, MI	$4,000	$10,650	$32,975	70
Los Angeles, CA	$3,000	$6,000	$20,400	22,210

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