What a New Entry or Patio Door Costs in Madison

What Moves the Price

532 of the 856 door permits over Oct 2023–Sep 2026 say how many doors. The count is the biggest thing that moves the price:

• ENERGY STAR Version 7.0 swinging doors are rated by glass: opaque U-factor 0.17 or lower; up to half-lite 0.23; more than half-lite 0.26 (Northern and North-Central).(ENERGY STAR)
• Pre-1978 homes: removing painted parts counts by their whole area, so a door job can cross the 6 sq ft interior / 20 sq ft exterior lead threshold.(Wisconsin DHS)
• Flashing is required at the top of exterior door openings and along the bottom of above-grade door openings (SPS 321.24(3)(d)).(SPS 321)
• Federal 25C credit (which covered exterior doors, $250 per door, $500 total) ended for property placed in service after Dec. 31, 2025.(IRS)
• Focus on Energy's 2026 window rebate page covers windows only; it doesn't mention doors.(Focus on Energy)

Prices Over Three Years

Medians for each 12-month period on the same kind of permit. The median didn't rise from the first year to the last.

When Madison Does This Work

In the two years before the April 2026 hail storm, Madison issued the most exterior door replacement permits in May, July and October. Outside winter, March and June were the quietest. Permits measure how busy contractors are, not what they charge.

The Permit and What a Quote Should Include

• Madison's permit chart also lists exterior door replacement, building a deck and fireplaces as needing a permit, all handled by Building Inspection (608-266-4551 ext 2).(City of Madison)
• Like-for-like jobs (siding, roofing, gutters, windows or doors in the same opening, deck boards and railings) can be applied for online as a repair/replace permit with no plan review.(City of Madison)
• Changing the size of a window or door opening, or adding or removing one, needs plan review and can't go through the online permit.(City of Madison)
• Small repairs under $500 in estimated value don't need a Madison permit.(City of Madison)
• Madison's building permit fee for alterations and repairs is $11 per $1,000 of value, $25 minimum.(City of Madison) On these permits the city charged a median of $44 (middle half $33–$88).(City of Madison)
• Under state law, only a holder of the state Dwelling Contractor credential (a certificate of financial responsibility) can obtain a building permit.(Wis. Stat. 101.654)
• The exception: an owner who lives (or will live) in the home can pull the permit.(Wis. Stat. 101.654)
• Madison suggests a contract that requires the contractor to get and pay for permits.(City of Madison)
• Madison historic districts: you need a Certificate of Approval before you apply for the building permit for covered exterior work.(City of Madison)
• Madison historic districts: historic doors may be replaced only when beyond repair; storm doors must be full-light or full-view.(City of Madison)

A written quote you can compare names the work, the materials and the price. Under Wisconsin's home improvement rule:

• Under ATCP 110 a written contract is required whenever you pay anything before the work is done.(ATCP 110)
• It must describe the work and the main products: name, make, size, capacity, model and model year, and type, grade and quantity of materials.(ATCP 110)
• It must give the total price (including finance charges), and for time-and-materials jobs the hourly labor rate.(ATCP 110)
• It must give start and completion dates or time frames.(ATCP 110)
• Before you sign, the contractor must tell you every permit the job needs, and can't start until they're issued.(ATCP 110)
• Before you sign, you must get a separate 'Notice of Consumer's Right to Receive Lien Waivers', and if you ask, lien waivers at each payment (ATCP 110.025).(ATCP 110)

The full list is on home improvement contracts in Wisconsin.

Who Pulled These Permits

42 businesses pulled Madison exterior door replacement permits on houses in the last 12 months; 15% of the permits went to businesses with an address outside Wisconsin. These pulled the most. A count shows volume, not quality or price, and nobody pays to be listed. Pick a name to see its permit record.

1. MCDERMOTT TOP SHOP LLC68 permits
2. THEBCO INC40 permits
3. WAUNAKEE REMODELING INC38 permits
4. NEXT DOOR & WINDOW23 permits
5. FFD NATIONAL LLC20 permits
6. GENESIS EXTERIOR CORPORATION16 permits
7. FENPRO LLC DBA WINDOW WORLD OF MADISON11 permits
8. PELLA WINDOWS AND DOORS (VERHALEN INC)9 permits
9. FREY CONSTRUCTION & HOME IMPROVEMENT6 permits
10. RIDGE TOP EXTERIORS INC6 permits

How We Got These Numbers

• Madison's permit reports list an "Est Cost" for each building permit: what the applicant wrote on the application.(City of Madison) It isn't an audited price or the final bill. Some contractors write the contract price, some round, and the city doesn't check it.
• Only permits for one- and two-family houses whose description names this one job, with a business named as contractor and a cost of at least $500. Owner-pulled permits are left out, because a do-it-yourself figure is often materials only.
• Ranges use the last 12 months on record (Oct 2025–Sep 2026). Sizes, roof types and the three-year trend use every month since Oct 2023.
• All 11,482 costed house permits and the method are on the Madison project costs page, with a CSV.

Questions

How Much Does an Exterior Door Cost in Madison?

On City of Madison permits for houses from Oct 2025–Sep 2026, the median was $3,950 and the middle half ran $2,700 to $7,650, across 291 permits. Those are the costs applicants wrote on their permits, not audited prices.

How Much Is the Madison Permit for This Job?

The median fee the city charged on these permits was $44; the middle half paid $33 to $88. The contractor usually pulls the permit and includes the fee in the price.

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