Across 25 permits filed since 2025-03-05, the median is $2,500; half of projects fall between $1,500 and $5,000. Figures are permit valuations reported to building departments. National cost guides answer this question with averages from other markets; these numbers are what homeowners in Monroe County, NY actually reported when they pulled permits.
Recent filings
- RENOVATIONS TO EXISTING BUILDING, INSTALL A 50 AMP EV CHARGER BASEMENT GFCI QUAD RECEPTACLE AND 2 NEW 20 AMP FIRST FLOOR RECEPTACLE BY 175 SQUARE FT.Rochester · 2026-09-02$2,325
- Interior Renovations: Rebuild interior stairs from 1st floor exterior door down to the basement. No leveling or work to be done on concrete landing. The basement floor to doorway header currently 76.5''. Please note existing upper stair oveRochester · 2026-09-02$3,000
- Basement legalization and deconversion: To legalize the basement bathroom and to deconvert the unpermitted kitchen to a laundry room and bedroom to a living room for incorporation into the existing 1st and 2nd floor single-family dwelling??Rochester · 2026-08-20$2,000
How to read these numbers
Permit valuations are the project cost the applicant reports to the building department. They skew slightly low — nobody rounds up for the permit fee — and scope varies, so the middle-half range is the honest picture: half of all basement finishing permits in Monroe County, NY came in between $1,500 and $5,000. We exclude permits under $1,000, jobs filed as whole-house construction, and counties whose building departments don't reliably report valuations.
Same project, other places
Basement finishing in New YorkBasement finishing in ConnecticutBasement finishing on Long Island