San Jose, California Building Permit Cost Calculator

San Jose bills building permits from hourly rates or published table amounts, whichever is greater. Permit issuance runs $211 per hour, plan review $325 per hour with a 15 minute minimum over the counter and a one hour minimum for intake reviews, and inspection $315 per hour. For a new single family home up to 1,000 square feet the schedule sets permit issuance at $844, plan review at $2,600 and inspection at $4,410. Between 1,001 and 3,000 square feet those become $1,266, $4,875 and $5,355. Above 3,000 square feet they are $1,266, $5,850 and $6,693. Modular construction pays 10 percent less for plan review and 20 percent less for inspection. Permits filed through the online service pay half the listed processing fee. Figures are from the FY 2026-27 Building Division fee schedule effective August 10, 2026, which superseded the August 11, 2025 edition at the same URL; the permit issuance hourly rate fell from $227 to $211 and the single family issuance amounts from $908 and $1,362 to $844 and $1,266, while every plan review and inspection amount was unchanged. DOCUMENT SUPERSEDED, FIGURES UNCHANGED, recorded 2026-09-14: this row previously cited revision /26047/639180865996470000 of the San Jose Building Division Fee Schedule, the FY 2025-26 edition. The city Building Permit Fees page now serves the same document id at revision /26047/639219591833200000, whose cover reads Effective August 10, 2026, i.e. the FY 2026-27 edition, and the schedule notes construction tax valuation rates effective July 1, 2026. Every figure stored in this row was re-confirmed as printed in that new edition, so no amount moved; source_url and fee_source_url were repointed to the current revision. Note on method: www.sanjoseca.gov sits behind an Akamai edge that returns HTTP 403 to every non-browser client, including plain curl, wget and python-requests, on both the old and new document URLs, so the new edition was read with WebFetch and used only to confirm figures present, never to conclude that any figure had changed or was absent. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-28 (lane B, pipeline run 98). The FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule (25 pages) was downloaded and read in full with pdftotext -layout. It is headed "FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule" and "Effective July 1, 2026", and every stored figure re-reads verbatim: the $211 per hour permit issuance, $325 per hour plan review and $315 per hour inspection rates with their "or the amounts set forth below, whichever is greater" wording and the 15-minute over-the-counter and one-hour intake plan-review minimums; the Single Family Residential New Construction table ($844 / $2,600 / $4,410 at 0-1,000 sq. ft. and $1,266 / $4,875 / $5,355 at 1,001-3,000 sq. ft.); the exterior and site alteration bases of $211 issuance, $325 plan review, $367 inspection building-permit-only and $682 where a trade permit is also required; the commercial and industrial $211 / $650 / $682; and the residential re-roof $105 issuance with $236 for up to two inspections plus $157 per half hour. LABEL TRAP CHECKED AND CLEARED: the schedule carries TWO tables whose first band reads "0 - 750 sq. ft." - Accessory Dwelling Unit New/Alteration at $422 / $1,137 / $1,732, and Single Family Residential Addition/Alteration at $211 / $1,137 / $1,732. The stored line is the Addition/Alteration one at $211 issuance and is correct; an amount-first read lands on the ADU row and produces a false $422 finding. SCHEDULED SUPERSESSION: this schedule is dated by fiscal year and San Jose's fiscal year turns on July 1, so the next turnover is 2027-07-01.

A deck falls under the San Jose exterior and site alteration pricing. The base permit issuance fee is $211 and the base plan review fee is $325. If only a building permit is needed the base inspection fee is $367; if a plumbing, mechanical or electrical permit is also required the combined base inspection fee is $682. Where a permit covers more than one alteration, the inspection fee adds 25 percent of the base amount for each extra alteration and is then scaled by a multiplier that drops as the unit count rises, from 100 percent for a single unit to 51 percent at 41 units or more. Figures are from the FY 2026-27 Building Division fee schedule effective August 10, 2026, which superseded the August 11, 2025 edition at the same URL; base permit issuance fell from $227 to $211 and the plan review and inspection amounts were unchanged. DOCUMENT SUPERSEDED, FIGURES UNCHANGED, recorded 2026-09-14: this row previously cited revision /26047/639180865996470000 of the San Jose Building Division Fee Schedule, the FY 2025-26 edition. The city Building Permit Fees page now serves the same document id at revision /26047/639219591833200000, whose cover reads Effective August 10, 2026, i.e. the FY 2026-27 edition, and the schedule notes construction tax valuation rates effective July 1, 2026. Every figure stored in this row was re-confirmed as printed in that new edition, so no amount moved; source_url and fee_source_url were repointed to the current revision. Note on method: www.sanjoseca.gov sits behind an Akamai edge that returns HTTP 403 to every non-browser client, including plain curl, wget and python-requests, on both the old and new document URLs, so the new edition was read with WebFetch and used only to confirm figures present, never to conclude that any figure had changed or was absent. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-28 (lane B, pipeline run 98). The FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule (25 pages) was downloaded and read in full with pdftotext -layout. It is headed "FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule" and "Effective July 1, 2026", and every stored figure re-reads verbatim: the $211 per hour permit issuance, $325 per hour plan review and $315 per hour inspection rates with their "or the amounts set forth below, whichever is greater" wording and the 15-minute over-the-counter and one-hour intake plan-review minimums; the Single Family Residential New Construction table ($844 / $2,600 / $4,410 at 0-1,000 sq. ft. and $1,266 / $4,875 / $5,355 at 1,001-3,000 sq. ft.); the exterior and site alteration bases of $211 issuance, $325 plan review, $367 inspection building-permit-only and $682 where a trade permit is also required; the commercial and industrial $211 / $650 / $682; and the residential re-roof $105 issuance with $236 for up to two inspections plus $157 per half hour. LABEL TRAP CHECKED AND CLEARED: the schedule carries TWO tables whose first band reads "0 - 750 sq. ft." - Accessory Dwelling Unit New/Alteration at $422 / $1,137 / $1,732, and Single Family Residential Addition/Alteration at $211 / $1,137 / $1,732. The stored line is the Addition/Alteration one at $211 issuance and is correct; an amount-first read lands on the ADU row and produces a false $422 finding. SCHEDULED SUPERSESSION: this schedule is dated by fiscal year and San Jose's fiscal year turns on July 1, so the next turnover is 2027-07-01.

Electrical permits in San Jose that do not add building floor area cost the greater of $315 per hour of required inspection time or an itemized amount built from a table of minute allowances per fixture type. These charges sit on top of the permit issuance fee, which is $211 per hour. Most items default to 30 minutes of inspection time, or 20 minutes per unit where there is more than one, with longer allowances for items such as photovoltaic systems, generators, transformers and electrical services. Figures are from the FY 2026-27 Building Division fee schedule effective August 10, 2026, which superseded the August 11, 2025 edition at the same URL; the permit issuance hourly rate fell from $227 to $211 and every inspection rate and time allowance was unchanged. DOCUMENT SUPERSEDED, FIGURES UNCHANGED, recorded 2026-09-14: this row previously cited revision /26047/639180865996470000 of the San Jose Building Division Fee Schedule, the FY 2025-26 edition. The city Building Permit Fees page now serves the same document id at revision /26047/639219591833200000, whose cover reads Effective August 10, 2026, i.e. the FY 2026-27 edition, and the schedule notes construction tax valuation rates effective July 1, 2026. Every figure stored in this row was re-confirmed as printed in that new edition, so no amount moved; source_url and fee_source_url were repointed to the current revision. Note on method: www.sanjoseca.gov sits behind an Akamai edge that returns HTTP 403 to every non-browser client, including plain curl, wget and python-requests, on both the old and new document URLs, so the new edition was read with WebFetch and used only to confirm figures present, never to conclude that any figure had changed or was absent. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-28 (lane B, pipeline run 98). The FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule (25 pages) was downloaded and read in full with pdftotext -layout. It is headed "FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule" and "Effective July 1, 2026", and every stored figure re-reads verbatim: the $211 per hour permit issuance, $325 per hour plan review and $315 per hour inspection rates with their "or the amounts set forth below, whichever is greater" wording and the 15-minute over-the-counter and one-hour intake plan-review minimums; the Single Family Residential New Construction table ($844 / $2,600 / $4,410 at 0-1,000 sq. ft. and $1,266 / $4,875 / $5,355 at 1,001-3,000 sq. ft.); the exterior and site alteration bases of $211 issuance, $325 plan review, $367 inspection building-permit-only and $682 where a trade permit is also required; the commercial and industrial $211 / $650 / $682; and the residential re-roof $105 issuance with $236 for up to two inspections plus $157 per half hour. LABEL TRAP CHECKED AND CLEARED: the schedule carries TWO tables whose first band reads "0 - 750 sq. ft." - Accessory Dwelling Unit New/Alteration at $422 / $1,137 / $1,732, and Single Family Residential Addition/Alteration at $211 / $1,137 / $1,732. The stored line is the Addition/Alteration one at $211 issuance and is correct; an amount-first read lands on the ADU row and produces a false $422 finding. SCHEDULED SUPERSESSION: this schedule is dated by fiscal year and San Jose's fiscal year turns on July 1, so the next turnover is 2027-07-01.

The San Jose residential schedule publishes no flat fence permit fee; a fence is handled as an exterior or site alteration, with a base permit issuance fee of $211, a base plan review fee of $325 and a base inspection fee of $367 where only a building permit is needed. On the commercial and industrial side the schedule does list a masonry fence, priced in 100 foot increments at $211 permit issuance, $650 plan review and $682 inspection. Figures are from the FY 2026-27 Building Division fee schedule effective August 10, 2026, which superseded the August 11, 2025 edition at the same URL; permit issuance fell from $227 to $211 and the plan review and inspection amounts were unchanged. DOCUMENT SUPERSEDED, FIGURES UNCHANGED, recorded 2026-09-14: this row previously cited revision /26047/639180865996470000 of the San Jose Building Division Fee Schedule, the FY 2025-26 edition. The city Building Permit Fees page now serves the same document id at revision /26047/639219591833200000, whose cover reads Effective August 10, 2026, i.e. the FY 2026-27 edition, and the schedule notes construction tax valuation rates effective July 1, 2026. Every figure stored in this row was re-confirmed as printed in that new edition, so no amount moved; source_url and fee_source_url were repointed to the current revision. Note on method: www.sanjoseca.gov sits behind an Akamai edge that returns HTTP 403 to every non-browser client, including plain curl, wget and python-requests, on both the old and new document URLs, so the new edition was read with WebFetch and used only to confirm figures present, never to conclude that any figure had changed or was absent. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-28 (lane B, pipeline run 98). The FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule (25 pages) was downloaded and read in full with pdftotext -layout. It is headed "FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule" and "Effective July 1, 2026", and every stored figure re-reads verbatim: the $211 per hour permit issuance, $325 per hour plan review and $315 per hour inspection rates with their "or the amounts set forth below, whichever is greater" wording and the 15-minute over-the-counter and one-hour intake plan-review minimums; the Single Family Residential New Construction table ($844 / $2,600 / $4,410 at 0-1,000 sq. ft. and $1,266 / $4,875 / $5,355 at 1,001-3,000 sq. ft.); the exterior and site alteration bases of $211 issuance, $325 plan review, $367 inspection building-permit-only and $682 where a trade permit is also required; the commercial and industrial $211 / $650 / $682; and the residential re-roof $105 issuance with $236 for up to two inspections plus $157 per half hour. LABEL TRAP CHECKED AND CLEARED: the schedule carries TWO tables whose first band reads "0 - 750 sq. ft." - Accessory Dwelling Unit New/Alteration at $422 / $1,137 / $1,732, and Single Family Residential Addition/Alteration at $211 / $1,137 / $1,732. The stored line is the Addition/Alteration one at $211 issuance and is correct; an amount-first read lands on the ADU row and produces a false $422 finding. SCHEDULED SUPERSESSION: this schedule is dated by fiscal year and San Jose's fiscal year turns on July 1, so the next turnover is 2027-07-01.

San Jose publishes a specific residential reroofing fee. Permit issuance is $105, plan review is charged only if required, and inspections cost $236 for up to two visits plus $157 per half hour for each additional inspection. Commercial and industrial reroofing carries $211 permit issuance and $393 for up to two inspections, again plus $157 per half hour for each additional inspection. Figures are from the FY 2026-27 Building Division fee schedule effective August 10, 2026, which superseded the August 11, 2025 edition at the same URL; residential reroof permit issuance fell from $113 to $105 and commercial permit issuance from $227 to $211, while the inspection amounts were unchanged. DOCUMENT SUPERSEDED, FIGURES UNCHANGED, recorded 2026-09-14: this row previously cited revision /26047/639180865996470000 of the San Jose Building Division Fee Schedule, the FY 2025-26 edition. The city Building Permit Fees page now serves the same document id at revision /26047/639219591833200000, whose cover reads Effective August 10, 2026, i.e. the FY 2026-27 edition, and the schedule notes construction tax valuation rates effective July 1, 2026. Every figure stored in this row was re-confirmed as printed in that new edition, so no amount moved; source_url and fee_source_url were repointed to the current revision. Note on method: www.sanjoseca.gov sits behind an Akamai edge that returns HTTP 403 to every non-browser client, including plain curl, wget and python-requests, on both the old and new document URLs, so the new edition was read with WebFetch and used only to confirm figures present, never to conclude that any figure had changed or was absent. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-28 (lane B, pipeline run 98). The FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule (25 pages) was downloaded and read in full with pdftotext -layout. It is headed "FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule" and "Effective July 1, 2026", and every stored figure re-reads verbatim: the $211 per hour permit issuance, $325 per hour plan review and $315 per hour inspection rates with their "or the amounts set forth below, whichever is greater" wording and the 15-minute over-the-counter and one-hour intake plan-review minimums; the Single Family Residential New Construction table ($844 / $2,600 / $4,410 at 0-1,000 sq. ft. and $1,266 / $4,875 / $5,355 at 1,001-3,000 sq. ft.); the exterior and site alteration bases of $211 issuance, $325 plan review, $367 inspection building-permit-only and $682 where a trade permit is also required; the commercial and industrial $211 / $650 / $682; and the residential re-roof $105 issuance with $236 for up to two inspections plus $157 per half hour. LABEL TRAP CHECKED AND CLEARED: the schedule carries TWO tables whose first band reads "0 - 750 sq. ft." - Accessory Dwelling Unit New/Alteration at $422 / $1,137 / $1,732, and Single Family Residential Addition/Alteration at $211 / $1,137 / $1,732. The stored line is the Addition/Alteration one at $211 issuance and is correct; an amount-first read lands on the ADU row and produces a false $422 finding. SCHEDULED SUPERSESSION: this schedule is dated by fiscal year and San Jose's fiscal year turns on July 1, so the next turnover is 2027-07-01.

The San Jose commercial and industrial schedule prices retaining and sound walls at $211 permit issuance, $650 plan review and $682 inspection. A residential retaining wall is handled as an exterior or site alteration, with a base permit issuance fee of $211, a base plan review fee of $325 and a base inspection fee of $367 where only a building permit is needed, or $682 where a plumbing, mechanical or electrical permit is also required. Floodplain review carries its own separate charges, billed only when the site lies within a mapped flood hazard area. Figures are from the FY 2026-27 Building Division fee schedule effective August 10, 2026, which superseded the August 11, 2025 edition at the same URL; permit issuance fell from $227 to $211 and the plan review and inspection amounts were unchanged. DOCUMENT SUPERSEDED, FIGURES UNCHANGED, recorded 2026-09-14: this row previously cited revision /26047/639180865996470000 of the San Jose Building Division Fee Schedule, the FY 2025-26 edition. The city Building Permit Fees page now serves the same document id at revision /26047/639219591833200000, whose cover reads Effective August 10, 2026, i.e. the FY 2026-27 edition, and the schedule notes construction tax valuation rates effective July 1, 2026. Every figure stored in this row was re-confirmed as printed in that new edition, so no amount moved; source_url and fee_source_url were repointed to the current revision. Note on method: www.sanjoseca.gov sits behind an Akamai edge that returns HTTP 403 to every non-browser client, including plain curl, wget and python-requests, on both the old and new document URLs, so the new edition was read with WebFetch and used only to confirm figures present, never to conclude that any figure had changed or was absent. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-28 (lane B, pipeline run 98). The FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule (25 pages) was downloaded and read in full with pdftotext -layout. It is headed "FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule" and "Effective July 1, 2026", and every stored figure re-reads verbatim: the $211 per hour permit issuance, $325 per hour plan review and $315 per hour inspection rates with their "or the amounts set forth below, whichever is greater" wording and the 15-minute over-the-counter and one-hour intake plan-review minimums; the Single Family Residential New Construction table ($844 / $2,600 / $4,410 at 0-1,000 sq. ft. and $1,266 / $4,875 / $5,355 at 1,001-3,000 sq. ft.); the exterior and site alteration bases of $211 issuance, $325 plan review, $367 inspection building-permit-only and $682 where a trade permit is also required; the commercial and industrial $211 / $650 / $682; and the residential re-roof $105 issuance with $236 for up to two inspections plus $157 per half hour. LABEL TRAP CHECKED AND CLEARED: the schedule carries TWO tables whose first band reads "0 - 750 sq. ft." - Accessory Dwelling Unit New/Alteration at $422 / $1,137 / $1,732, and Single Family Residential Addition/Alteration at $211 / $1,137 / $1,732. The stored line is the Addition/Alteration one at $211 issuance and is correct; an amount-first read lands on the ADU row and produces a false $422 finding. SCHEDULED SUPERSESSION: this schedule is dated by fiscal year and San Jose's fiscal year turns on July 1, so the next turnover is 2027-07-01.

A shed or other accessory structure is priced in San Jose as an exterior or site alteration. The base permit issuance fee is $211 and the base plan review fee is $325, with a base inspection fee of $367 where only a building permit is needed or $682 where a plumbing, mechanical or electrical permit is also required. The building official may adjust the assessment where the actual scope is materially larger or smaller than the base assumes. Figures are from the FY 2026-27 Building Division fee schedule effective August 10, 2026, which superseded the August 11, 2025 edition at the same URL; base permit issuance fell from $227 to $211 and the plan review and inspection amounts were unchanged. DOCUMENT SUPERSEDED, FIGURES UNCHANGED, recorded 2026-09-14: this row previously cited revision /26047/639180865996470000 of the San Jose Building Division Fee Schedule, the FY 2025-26 edition. The city Building Permit Fees page now serves the same document id at revision /26047/639219591833200000, whose cover reads Effective August 10, 2026, i.e. the FY 2026-27 edition, and the schedule notes construction tax valuation rates effective July 1, 2026. Every figure stored in this row was re-confirmed as printed in that new edition, so no amount moved; source_url and fee_source_url were repointed to the current revision. Note on method: www.sanjoseca.gov sits behind an Akamai edge that returns HTTP 403 to every non-browser client, including plain curl, wget and python-requests, on both the old and new document URLs, so the new edition was read with WebFetch and used only to confirm figures present, never to conclude that any figure had changed or was absent. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-28 (lane B, pipeline run 98). The FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule (25 pages) was downloaded and read in full with pdftotext -layout. It is headed "FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule" and "Effective July 1, 2026", and every stored figure re-reads verbatim: the $211 per hour permit issuance, $325 per hour plan review and $315 per hour inspection rates with their "or the amounts set forth below, whichever is greater" wording and the 15-minute over-the-counter and one-hour intake plan-review minimums; the Single Family Residential New Construction table ($844 / $2,600 / $4,410 at 0-1,000 sq. ft. and $1,266 / $4,875 / $5,355 at 1,001-3,000 sq. ft.); the exterior and site alteration bases of $211 issuance, $325 plan review, $367 inspection building-permit-only and $682 where a trade permit is also required; the commercial and industrial $211 / $650 / $682; and the residential re-roof $105 issuance with $236 for up to two inspections plus $157 per half hour. LABEL TRAP CHECKED AND CLEARED: the schedule carries TWO tables whose first band reads "0 - 750 sq. ft." - Accessory Dwelling Unit New/Alteration at $422 / $1,137 / $1,732, and Single Family Residential Addition/Alteration at $211 / $1,137 / $1,732. The stored line is the Addition/Alteration one at $211 issuance and is correct; an amount-first read lands on the ADU row and produces a false $422 finding. SCHEDULED SUPERSESSION: this schedule is dated by fiscal year and San Jose's fiscal year turns on July 1, so the next turnover is 2027-07-01.

San Jose publishes no flat water heater permit fee. Replacing a water heater is plumbing work, charged at the greater of $315 per hour of actual inspection time or an itemized amount from the plumbing fixture time table, with a 30 minute default minimum. The permit issuance charge is waived entirely for water heater replacements filed through the online permit service, where other permit types pay half the listed processing fee. Figures are from the FY 2026-27 Building Division fee schedule effective August 10, 2026, which superseded the August 11, 2025 edition at the same URL; no amount on this row changed, though the general permit issuance hourly rate fell from $227 to $211. DOCUMENT SUPERSEDED, FIGURES UNCHANGED, recorded 2026-09-14: this row previously cited revision /26047/639180865996470000 of the San Jose Building Division Fee Schedule, the FY 2025-26 edition. The city Building Permit Fees page now serves the same document id at revision /26047/639219591833200000, whose cover reads Effective August 10, 2026, i.e. the FY 2026-27 edition, and the schedule notes construction tax valuation rates effective July 1, 2026. Every figure stored in this row was re-confirmed as printed in that new edition, so no amount moved; source_url and fee_source_url were repointed to the current revision. Note on method: www.sanjoseca.gov sits behind an Akamai edge that returns HTTP 403 to every non-browser client, including plain curl, wget and python-requests, on both the old and new document URLs, so the new edition was read with WebFetch and used only to confirm figures present, never to conclude that any figure had changed or was absent. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-28 (lane B, pipeline run 98). The FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule (25 pages) was downloaded and read in full with pdftotext -layout. It is headed "FY 2026-27 Building Division Fee Schedule" and "Effective July 1, 2026", and every stored figure re-reads verbatim: the $211 per hour permit issuance, $325 per hour plan review and $315 per hour inspection rates with their "or the amounts set forth below, whichever is greater" wording and the 15-minute over-the-counter and one-hour intake plan-review minimums; the Single Family Residential New Construction table ($844 / $2,600 / $4,410 at 0-1,000 sq. ft. and $1,266 / $4,875 / $5,355 at 1,001-3,000 sq. ft.); the exterior and site alteration bases of $211 issuance, $325 plan review, $367 inspection building-permit-only and $682 where a trade permit is also required; the commercial and industrial $211 / $650 / $682; and the residential re-roof $105 issuance with $236 for up to two inspections plus $157 per half hour. LABEL TRAP CHECKED AND CLEARED: the schedule carries TWO tables whose first band reads "0 - 750 sq. ft." - Accessory Dwelling Unit New/Alteration at $422 / $1,137 / $1,732, and Single Family Residential Addition/Alteration at $211 / $1,137 / $1,732. The stored line is the Addition/Alteration one at $211 issuance and is correct; an amount-first read lands on the ADU row and produces a false $422 finding. SCHEDULED SUPERSESSION: this schedule is dated by fiscal year and San Jose's fiscal year turns on July 1, so the next turnover is 2027-07-01.