DC Permit Cost was created for one reason: finding the actual cost of a permit in Washington DC shouldn’t be harder than getting the permit itself.
Washington DC publishes fee schedules, but they’re buried in PDFs, split across departments, and rarely show the total you actually pay at checkout. Homeowners end up at the DCRA counter surprised by review fees, technology fees, and zoning surcharges.
This site does the digging for you. We pull the current DCRA fee schedules, DOB guidelines, and real filing data to break down:
- Total permit cost by project type for 2026
- How long approval really takes
- When a permit is required (and common exemptions)
- Common reasons for rejection and how to avoid them
We are an independent information site. We are not affiliated with DC Government, DCRA, or the Department of Buildings.
All costs are estimates. Always verify your final fees with DCRA at dcra.dc.gov before filing.
Our mission is simple: save you one wasted trip to 1100 4th St SW and one surprise fee.