Permit Prices › Method
Method
Every figure on this site comes from one public file: City of Dallas Building Permits (Dallas OpenData, dataset e7gq-4sah). We read it on November 15, 2026.
Which permits are in
We kept residential permits that carry a declared job value. In the Dallas file those are permits issued from early 2024 through spring 2025. Permits issued after that are published without a value, so they cannot be counted.
| Permit type | Permits with a declared value |
|---|---|
| Residential Plumbing Permit | 7,680 |
| Residential Mechanical Permit | 2,926 |
| Residential Electrical Permit | 3,784 |
| Residential Foundation Repair | 224 |
How a permit is matched to a job
Each permit has a short description written by the applicant. We match words in that description. Permits that mention a remodel, an addition or new construction are left out, because the declared value then covers more than one job.
- HVAC Replacement: Mechanical permits whose description says a heating or cooling system, condenser, furnace or heat pump was replaced, changed out or installed. Duct-only work is left out.
- Water Heater Replacement: Plumbing permits whose description names a water heater and does not mention a tankless unit, a sewer line, a repipe, slab work or a gas line.
- Tankless Water Heater: Plumbing permits whose description names a tankless water heater.
- Electrical Panel Upgrade: Electrical permits whose description names a panel, a service upgrade, or a meter base or meter can. Solar, pool, generator and car-charger permits are left out.
- EV Charger Installation: Electrical permits whose description names an EV charger, car charger or vehicle charging.
- Standby Generator Installation: Electrical permits whose description names a generator.
- Foundation Repair: Every permit of the type "Residential Foundation Repair" that carried a declared value. A few are for apartment buildings.
- Sewer Line Repair: Plumbing permits whose description names a sewer line and does not name a water heater.
- Slab Leak Repair: Plumbing permits whose description names a slab leak, work under the slab, or a tunnel. Many of these also count as sewer line jobs.
- Home Repipe: Plumbing permits whose description uses the word "repipe". That includes water, sewer and gas repipes.
- Gas Line Repair: Plumbing permits whose description names a gas line, a gas test or a gas leak and does not name a water heater or a sewer line.
How the figures are worked out
- Declared values under $150 or over $150,000 are dropped as placeholders or multi-building jobs.
- The median is the middle value. The middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile. The outer marks are the 10th and 90th percentiles.
- A permit can count toward more than one job. A tunnel repair on a sewer line, for example, counts as both sewer work and under-slab work.
What the figures cannot tell you
- The declared value is entered by the applicant and is not audited by the city. It can differ from the final invoice.
- Work done without a permit is not in the file. Neither is work outside the city limits.
- Descriptions are short. Two permits with the same words can cover different amounts of work.
- The file changes as the city updates it. We state the date we read it on every page.
Corrections
If you find a figure that looks wrong, write to hello@permitprices.com. We will check it against the source file and fix it.