Red Tape IndexRed Tape Index US City Permitting · October 2026 release
US city permitting data · 500 cities

How long a permit takes, city by city.

500

Cities ranked

28.2days

All permits median

25.2days

Residential

45.1days

Commercial

United States
States show the median of their ranked cities. Select a state to see its cities.

Average days from application to approval · All permits = residential and commercial combined, weighted by permit count · Red Tape Index, US Building & Construction Index, Oct 2026 release

Over time

Approval days, month by month

Monthly series for the county each city sits in, Aug 2019 to Mar 2025 · Dashed: median of all counties in the index · Red Tape Index

The city record

Every field we deliver

Comparison

The measures behind each score

Scores 0 to 100, higher is less red tape · Days colored against the US median: green faster, red slower · Select a row to open the city

Methodology

From permit records to a comparable score

STEP 1

Collect

Municipal permit records from city permitting systems and portals. Census population.

One row per permit
STEP 2

Classify

Residential or commercial. New construction, remodel, plumbing, electrical, bathroom.

Typed permits
STEP 3

Measure

Days from application to approval, per permit. Count-weighted averages per city and month.

Approval days
STEP 4

Score

Four signals scaled 0 to 100 against cities of similar size.

Composite 0 to 100
STEP 5

Rank and flag

539 cities scored, 500 published. Estimated or thin data labeled.

US rank
Composite score weights
Speed 53%
Quality 32%
10%
Approval speedApproval qualityPopulation growthReporting coverage
Comparable across cities
  • ✓Same permit type. Residential with residential.
  • ✓Same period. One window per release.
  • ✓Same size tier. Ranks control for population.
Read with care
  • !Thin records. Few permits per resident.
  • !Partly estimated. Flagged on the record.
  • !Averages. A few long permits pull them up.