Rapid City, SD
Rapid City building permit cost
A Rapid City building permit climbs one of two tables by occupancy.
Residential work walks Table 100-A: a $37.00 flat band to $1,600, then bands chaining to a $3,539.50 base above $1,000,000. Commercial work walks Table 100-C to a $5,608.75 base. Every band's excess rounds up to whole $1,000 ('or fraction thereof'). Plan review adds 10% of the permit fee for 1–2 family dwellings — and 50% for all other occupancies, the sharpest review percentage in the region.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building permit valuation band 1Permit fee | $37.00 flat fee | Occupancy is not residential and Project valuation up to $1,600 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 2Permit fee | $69.25 flat fee | Occupancy is not residential and Project valuation over $1,600 and Project valuation up to $2,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 3Permit fee | $69.25 + $14.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $2,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is not residential and Project valuation over $2,000 and Project valuation up to $25,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 4Permit fee | $391.25 + $10.10 per $1,000 of project valuation above $25,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is not residential and Project valuation over $25,000 and Project valuation up to $50,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 5Permit fee | $643.75 + $7.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $50,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is not residential and Project valuation over $50,000 and Project valuation up to $100,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 6Permit fee | $993.75 + $5.60 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is not residential and Project valuation over $100,000 and Project valuation up to $500,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 7Permit fee | $3,233.75 + $4.75 per $1,000 of project valuation above $500,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is not residential and Project valuation over $500,000 and Project valuation up to $1,000,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 8Permit fee | $5,608.75 + $3.15 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is not residential and Project valuation over $1,000,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 1Permit fee | $37.00 flat fee | Occupancy is residential and Project valuation up to $1,600 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 2Permit fee | $37.00 + $2.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,600, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is residential and Project valuation over $1,600 and Project valuation up to $2,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 3Permit fee | $45.00 + $9.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $2,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is residential and Project valuation over $2,000 and Project valuation up to $25,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 4Permit fee | $252.00 + $6.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $25,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is residential and Project valuation over $25,000 and Project valuation up to $50,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 5Permit fee | $414.50 + $4.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $50,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is residential and Project valuation over $50,000 and Project valuation up to $100,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 6Permit fee | $639.50 + $3.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is residential and Project valuation over $100,000 and Project valuation up to $500,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 7Permit fee | $2,039.50 + $3.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $500,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is residential and Project valuation over $500,000 and Project valuation up to $1,000,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 8Permit fee | $3,539.50 + $2.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is residential and Project valuation over $1,000,000 | — |
| Plan review — 50% of the building permit fee (all other occupancies)Plan review | 50% of calculated permit fee | Occupancy is not residential | — |
| Plan review — 10% of the building permit fee (1–2 family dwellings)Plan review | 10% of calculated permit fee | Occupancy is residential | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A new 1–2 family dwelling with a declared construction valuation of $320,000, submitted through the plan-review path.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $320,000 |
| Occupancy class | Residential |
Example total
$1,550.45
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 2Rules considered 18
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Building permit valuation band 6Permit feeTable 100-A row 6: "$100,001.00 to $500,000.00 — $639.50 for the first $100,000.00 plus $3.50 for each additional $1,000.00 or fraction thereof, to and including $500,000.00." $414.50 + 50 × $4.50 = $639.50.Show the working
| $639.50 + $3.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof, in $1,000 steps | $1,409.50 |
Plan review — 10% of the building permit fee (1–2 family dwellings)Plan reviewTable 100-A row 6: "Plan review fees for 1 and 2 family dwellings and accessory structures shall be 10% of the building permit fee." Modelled on the building page so a project's plan review is charged exactly once; the commercial table prints the mirror row at 50%.Show the working
| 10% of calculated permit fee | $140.95 |
| Total | $1,550.45 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Building permit valuation band 1 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided. (2 rules with the same outcome)
- Building permit valuation band 2 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided. (2 rules with the same outcome)
- Building permit valuation band 3 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided. (2 rules with the same outcome)
- Building permit valuation band 4 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided. (2 rules with the same outcome)
- Building permit valuation band 5 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided. (2 rules with the same outcome)
- Building permit valuation band 6 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit valuation band 7 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided. (2 rules with the same outcome)
- Building permit valuation band 8 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided. (2 rules with the same outcome)
- Plan review — 50% of the building permit fee (all other occupancies) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 2 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Two lines — $1,550.45.
Table 100-A, band 6 ('$100,001 to $500,000'): base $639.50. The excess is $220,000 — 220 whole $1,000 steps at $3.50 = $770.00. Band total: $639.50 + $770.00 = $1,409.50.
Plan review: 10% of the building permit fee for 1–2 family dwellings — 0.10 × $1,409.50 = $140.95.
Total: $1,409.50 + $140.95 = $1,550.45. The same valuation in commercial occupancy would pay band 6 at $5.60 steps — $993.75 + 220 × $5.60 = $2,225.75 — plus 50% plan review, $1,112.88, for $3,338.63: the two tables diverge fast above the flat band.
What is different in Rapid City
The valuation is declared on the application — § 15.04.170's construction-valuation definition sweeps in finish work, roofing, all three trades, elevators and permanent equipment, and excludes only site improvements and parking lots. What the applicant declares is what walks the table.
The ladders' discipline is their chaining. Commercial: $69.25 + 23 × $14.00 is $391.25, $391.25 + 25 × $10.10 is $643.75, and so on to $5,608.75 — every seam exact. Residential chains the same way above $2,000; its one broken seam is printed that way: band 2 tops out at $39.00 at $2,000 exactly, and band 3's base at $2,001 is $45.00.
Plan review is a pair of rows printed on both tables: 10% of the building permit fee for 1–2 family dwellings and accessory structures, 50% for all occupancies except those. Changed plans trigger additional review at the hourly event rates — $42.00 residential, $47.00 commercial.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This is the building permit fee. It excludes:
- Event and hourly fees — after-hours inspections, reinspection, and additional plan review at $42.00/$47.00 per hour.
- The doubling rule — starting work before the permit issues doubles the permit fee (§ 15.04.300).
- Development-application and air-quality fees — planning fees and the $75–$100 air-quality construction permits, on other schedules.
- Trade-scale stand-alone work — priced through the same tables; see the electrical and plumbing pages.
What you need before applying
- The valuation is declared, and it includes the tradesRequired
§ 15.04.170: the application must 'state the construction valuation of any new building, structure, addition, remodeling or alteration' — finish work, roofing, electrical, plumbing, heating, elevators and permanent equipment in; site improvements out. The declared figure walks the occupancy's table.
- Work begun before the permit pays doubleRequired
§ 15.04.300: any person who commences work requiring a permit before obtaining one must 'pay double the permit fee fixed by this section for the work', with an emergency exception the building official administers.
Common questions
How much is a building permit for a house in Rapid City?
By declared valuation on Table 100-A: $37.00 flat to $1,600, then bands — $45.00 plus $9.00 per additional $1,000 to $25,000, $252.00 plus $6.50 to $50,000, $639.50 plus $3.50 to $500,000 — up to a $3,539.50 base above $1,000,000. Plan review adds 10% for 1–2 family dwellings.
How much is a commercial building permit in Rapid City?
By declared valuation on Table 100-C: $37.00 flat to $1,600, $69.25 to $2,000, then $69.25 plus $14.00 per additional $1,000 to $25,000 and up to a $5,608.75 base above $1,000,000 — with plan review at 50% of the permit fee.
Why is commercial plan review 50% of the permit fee?
That is the printed row on Table 100-C: 'Plan review fees for all occupancies except 1 and 2 family dwellings shall be 50% of the building permit fee.' Dwellings and accessory structures pay 10% on the mirror row of Table 100-A.
Where are the fee amounts in Rapid City's code?
They are not in the code. § 15.04.320 delegates every amount to 'resolution of the Common Council'; the operative documents are the two Table PDFs Building Services publishes on its fee page.
What happens if I start work before getting the permit?
§ 15.04.300: double the permit fee for the work, with an emergency exception the building official administers. Permit renewal fees are likewise set by council resolution.
Do electrical or plumbing permits have their own fee tables?
No. The adopted trade chapters (15.16 electrical, 15.24 plumbing, plus mechanical and gas) amend technical provisions but print no fees — everything prices through the council-resolution tables, i.e. the building ladders, by declared valuation.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-26 from the Internet Archive captures of the city's own URLs (Wayback 2024-11-26 and 2025-04-30) after rcgov.org's Cloudflare challenge blocked scripted retrieval; the live Building Permits Fee Information page confirms both PDFs are the tables the city publishes today. Table 100-A: eight residential bands from a $37.00 flat to $3,539.50 base above $1,000,000, plus the 10% dwelling plan-review row and $42.00/hr event rows. Table 100-C: eight commercial bands from the same $37.00 flat to $5,608.75 base above $1,000,000, plus the 50% plan-review row and $47.00/hr event rows. Printed typos ('$500,00.00', '$100,000.000') resolved by the ladders' own chaining.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-26. § 15.04.320 prints no amounts: fees 'shall be determined by resolution of the Common Council', and work commenced before permit issuance pays double (emergency exception). Chapter 15.16 states the electrical permit floor ('a permit is required for fees equal to or greater than $10') and the homeowner-permit regime; Chapter 15.24 adopts the 2015 UPC; Chapter 15.28 is repealed. No trade chapter prints a fee table — the council resolution documents behind the two Table PDFs price everything, MEP work included inside the building permit's § 15.04.170 valuation definition.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.