Sioux Falls, SD
Sioux Falls building permit cost
A Sioux Falls building permit starts with how the valuation is set.
New houses never declare one: the schedule's square-foot factors derive it — $128.00 per finished square foot, $79.00 finished basements, $41.00 unfinished space, $42.00 attached garages. Commercial work declares its total construction value. Either way the permit then climbs a valuation ladder — Table 1-A for dwellings, Table 1-B for commercial — from a $40.00 flat band to a $433.00 (residential) or $2,039.50 (commercial) base, with every excess rounded up to whole $1,000. Plan review adds 25% of the building permit fee.
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 | $40.00 flat fee | Occupancy is not residential and Project valuation up to $2,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 2Permit fee | $45.00 + $9.00 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 3Permit fee | $252.00 + $6.50 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 4Permit fee | $414.50 + $4.50 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 5Permit fee | $639.50 + $3.50 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 6Permit fee | $2,039.50 + $3.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $500,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is not residential and Project valuation over $500,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 1Permit fee | $40.00 flat fee | Occupancy is residential and Project valuation up to $4,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 2Permit fee | $32.50 + $6.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $2,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is residential and Project valuation over $4,000 and Project valuation up to $25,000 | — |
| Building permit valuation band 3Permit fee | $170.50 + $4.50 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 4Permit fee | $283.00 + $3.00 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 5Permit fee | $433.00 + $2.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof | Occupancy is residential and Project valuation over $100,000 | — |
| Plan review — 25% of the building permit feePlan review | 25% of calculated permit fee | Project valuation over $2,000 | — |
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 commercial build-out with a declared total construction valuation of $450,000, submitted through the plan-review path.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $450,000 |
| Occupancy class | Commercial |
| Type of work | New construction |
Example total
$2,330.63
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 12
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Building permit valuation band 5Permit feeTable 1-B row 5: "$100,001 to $500,000 — $639.50 for the first $100,000 plus $3.50 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof, to $500,000." $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 | $1,864.50 |
Plan review — 25% of the building permit feePlan review§ 150.017, Table 1-C row 11: "said plan review fee shall be 25 percent of the building permit fee as specified on Table 1-B … in addition to the building permit fee." The rule answers whenever the valuation clears the $40 flat band's $2,000 seam — the flat band is a permit-only tier — and the model charges the review exactly once here rather than again on the trade pages (each trade code's "25% of the [trade] portion" phrasing points at the same Table 1-B amount). Additional review for changed plans is another 25% — named, not charged.Show the working
| 25% of calculated permit fee | $466.13 |
| Total | $2,330.63 |
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 6 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit valuation band 5 — 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 — $2,330.63.
Table 1-B, band 5 ('$100,001 to $500,000'): base $639.50. The excess is $350,000 — 350 whole $1,000 steps at $3.50 = $1,225.00. Band total: $639.50 + $1,225.00 = $1,864.50.
Plan review: 25% of the building permit fee under Table 1-C row 11 — 0.25 × $1,864.50 = $466.125, rounded to $466.13.
Total: $1,864.50 + $466.13 = $2,330.63. The 'or fraction thereof' matters: $450,000.01 would round to 351 steps, one dollar more of fee for one cent of valuation.
What is different in Sioux Falls
The derived-valuation step is what makes Sioux Falls different. A 2,000 sq ft house with a 1,000 sq ft finished basement and a 600 sq ft attached garage derives to 2,000 × $128 + 1,000 × $79 + 600 × $42 = $364,200 — and that number, not a contractor's guess, walks the ladder.
The ladders themselves chain exactly above their flat bands: residential $32.50 + 23 × $6.00 is $170.50, $170.50 + 25 × $4.50 is $283.00, $283.00 + 50 × $3.00 is $433.00; commercial $45.00 + 23 × $9.00 is $252.00 and so on to $2,039.50. Every 'or fraction thereof' rounds up to a whole $1,000 — a $450,000 build-out in commercial band 5 pays $639.50 plus 350 whole steps at $3.50.
Plan review is Table 1-C row 11: 25 percent of the building permit fee 'in addition to the building permit fee.' The City's MEP form states the collection order — plan review up front on commercial submittals, the permit fee at issuance.
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:
- Trade permits — electrical and plumbing price the common MEP ladder on their own pages; inside a building project each trade's plan review is the same 25% of the Table 1-B fee, charged once here.
- The flat $40 scope rows — re-shingling, residing, pool fences, razing, window sashes — named scope rows outside the ladder.
- Mechanical permits and development-application fees ($250 conditional use, $250 variance, $2,500 TIF).
- Event fees — the $100/$200 hourly inspection rates, late-corrections and failure-to-inspect administrative fees.
What you need before applying
- New residential valuations are derived from square-foot factors, not declaredRequired
The schedule sets the factors: $128.00/sq ft finished habitable space, $79.00 finished basements, $41.00 unfinished space, $42.00 attached garages, $38.00 detached garages. The derived total is what the ladder reads. Remodels and renovations never use the factors — 'the valuation … for remodels and renovations remains as the actual bid price.'
- Commercial valuation includes all permanent building workRequired
Table 1-B's valuation sentence: 'the total value of all construction work … as well as all finish work, painting, roofing, electrical, plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, elevators, fire-extinguishing system, and other permanent equipment exclusive of site improvements and parking lots costs.' Site improvements and parking lots are out.
Common questions
How is a new home's permit valuation set in Sioux Falls?
It is derived, not declared: $128.00 per finished square foot of habitable space, $79.00 for finished basements, $41.00 for unfinished space, $42.00 for attached garages and $38.00 for detached garages. The derived total walks the Table 1-A ladder.
How much is a building permit for a $300,000 house in Sioux Falls?
A $300,000 derived valuation lands in Table 1-A band 5: $433.00 for the first $100,000 plus 200 whole $1,000 steps at $2.50 = $500.00 — $933.00, plus 25% plan review ($233.25) if plans are reviewed, for $1,166.25.
Do remodels use the square-foot factors?
No. The schedule's own sentence: the valuation 'for remodels and renovations remains as the actual bid price.' Only new residential construction derives its value from area.
What is the plan review fee in Sioux Falls?
25 percent of the building permit fee (Table 1-C row 11), charged in addition to the permit fee and collected first on commercial submittals. Changed plans trigger another 25% review fee.
How much is a stand-alone electrical or plumbing permit?
Both trades price the same common ladder on the trade's own valuation: $40 flat to $5,000, then bands from '$160 for the first $25,000 plus $5.25 per additional $1,000' up to a $3,903.75 base above $1,000,000.
Who issues permits in Sioux Falls?
Building Services, at City Center, 231 N. Dakota Ave., under Code of Ordinances Chapter 150. The fee schedule has been reviewed and re-adopted annually since 1985 for residential valuation and 1992 for commercial.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
City of Sioux Falls Building Permit Valuation/Fee Schedule (2026 edition)
Read 2026-09-26 via reader proxy (siouxfalls.gov 403s plain scripted fetches). Six pages: the square-foot valuation factors for new residential construction ($128 finished habitable, $79 finished basement, $41 unfinished, $42 attached garage, $38 detached garage; apartments $127 Type V / $149 Type III), the residential and commercial building ladders (identical to code Tables 1-A/1-B), and the flat scope rows. The file at /v/2/2025-fee-schedule.pdf carries the internal title '2026 Fee Schedule Clean' and is superseded by /v/3/2026-fee-schedule-01012026.pdf with the same amounts — the Building Permits page links both.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
Sioux Falls Code of Ordinances, Chapter 150 — Building (§§ 150.017, 150.213, 150.215, 150.302)
Read 2026-09-26 across the amlegal codelibrary nodes. § 150.017 carries Tables 1-A/1-B (the building ladders, agreeing with the schedule PDF to the cent) and Table 1-C row 11 (plan review '25 percent of the building permit fee as specified on Table 1-B … in addition to the building permit fee'). § 150.213 carries the electrical fee table as amended effective 2022 (the valuation ladder) and preserves the pre-2022 item-priced regime in subsection (a); § 150.215 prices electrical plan review hourly; § 150.302 (2024 UPC adoption) carries Table 104.5 whose bases run $31.75–$32 above the electrical and mechanical ladders above $50,000 of trade valuation — an inconsistency inside the ordinance itself, resolved in favor of the common ladder the City's own MEP form publishes.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.