The Most Common Home Renovation in Every Major US City
1,661,110 permit records reveal what homeowners are actually building
Key finding: Alterations and repairs dominate everywhere — accounting for nearly 1 in 4 permits nationwide. But what cities call these projects varies wildly: LA says "Bldg-Alter/Repair," Chicago says "Express Permit Program," and SF calls them "OTC Alterations."
Top Permit Types Nationwide
Across all 1,661,110 permits analyzed:
Chicago, IL
Top 5 permit types by volume:
| Rank | Permit Type | Permits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Permit – Express Permit Program | 79,849 |
| 2 | Permit - Renovation/alteration | 32,521 |
| 3 | Permit - Easy Permit Process | 30,384 |
| 4 | Permit - Signs | 12,011 |
| 5 | Permit - New Construction | 6,978 |
Los Angeles, CA
Top 5 permit types by volume:
| Rank | Permit Type | Permits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bldg-alter/repair | 211,482 |
| 2 | Bldg-addition | 27,150 |
| 3 | Bldg-new | 20,586 |
| 4 | Grading | 15,699 |
| 5 | Swimming-pool/spa | 12,924 |
San Francisco, CA
Top 5 permit types by volume:
| Rank | Permit Type | Permits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Otc Alterations Permit | 110,984 |
| 2 | Additions Alterations Or Repairs | 6,970 |
| 3 | Sign - Erect | 2,065 |
| 4 | New Construction Wood Frame | 304 |
| 5 | Wall Or Painted Sign | 280 |
Seattle, WA
Top 5 permit types by volume:
| Rank | Permit Type | Permits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Single Family/duplex | 20,543 |
| 2 | Commercial | 5,610 |
| 3 | Multifamily | 3,245 |
| 4 | Institutional | 1,065 |
| 5 | Industrial | 382 |
Austin, TX
Top 5 permit types by volume:
| Rank | Permit Type | Permits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Permit | 82,423 |
| 2 | Plumbing Permit | 73,906 |
| 3 | Building Permit | 56,476 |
| 4 | Mechanical Permit | 50,809 |
| 5 | Driveway / Sidewalks | 7,776 |
Denver, CO
Top 5 permit types by volume:
| Rank | Permit Type | Permits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alteration/tenant Finish | 10,823 |
| 2 | New Building | 6,583 |
| 3 | Addition | 1,532 |
| 4 | Repair/replace | 1,191 |
| 5 | Phased Construction | 1,157 |
What the Data Tells Us
- Renovations outnumber new construction 10-to-1. In every city, alterations and repairs dominate the permit landscape. New construction is a fraction of total building activity.
- Electrical and plumbing permits are #2 and #3 in Austin — likely driven by Texas's growing population and the volume of home upgrades in a hot housing market.
- Chicago's "Express Permit Program" is the #1 permit type — nearly 80,000 permits, showing how streamlined permit processes drive more homeowners to pull permits.
- Pool permits are in LA's top 5 with nearly 13,000 pool/spa permits — no surprise given the climate. No other city in our dataset comes close.
- Denver's market is renovation-heavy. "Alteration/Tenant Finish" leads with 10,800+ permits, reflecting both residential renovations and Denver's commercial boom.
Methodology
This report analyzes 1,661,110 building permit records from 6 major US cities, collected from official city open data portals via API between April 9–12, 2026. Permit types are categorized as labeled by each city — naming conventions vary between jurisdictions.
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