Choose your city
Colorado
Denver
Denver's remodel permit rules, its published fee table, and landmark review for egress windows.
Colorado
Colorado Springs
PPRBD's same-day basement plan review, its flat $300 building permit fee, and the code checklist.
Minnesota
Minneapolis–St. Paul
Minneapolis's 6'4" habitable-ceiling rule, bedroom egress, and how city permit fees are figured.
Indiana
Indianapolis
What Indy's DBNS wants in a remodel permit application, plus septic and historic-district notes.
How it works
- Fill out the short formYour first name, ZIP code, phone, project stage and rough basement size. It takes under a minute.
- We connect you with one local contractorYour request goes to one independent basement finishing contractor who serves your area. They reach out to you directly.
- Get an on-site estimateThe contractor looks at your basement and gives you a written price. You decide whether to hire them.
Three things to know before you start
Plan on a permit
Denver, Colorado Springs and Minneapolis all require permits for typical finish work, and in the Colorado Springs region an unpermitted finish may have to be opened up for inspection.123
Bedrooms need egress
A basement bedroom needs an escape window or door: at least 5.7 sq ft of opening, 20 inches wide, 24 inches high, with a sill no higher than 44 inches.4
Typical cost
HomeGuide's national range is $30 to $50 per square foot, or $15,000 to $75,000 in total, depending on size and rooms.5
Common questions
Is this free for homeowners?
Yes. Using the form costs you nothing. We're a referral service: the independent contractors we connect you with pay us for referrals, and any work is quoted and done by them, not by us.
Who will contact me?
One independent basement finishing contractor who serves your area. We send each request to one company only.
Do I need a permit to finish my basement?
For a typical finish with new walls, wiring, plumbing or ductwork, plan on it. Each city guide explains what that city's building department requires and what it charges.
What does it cost to finish a basement?
HomeGuide's national range is $30 to $50 per square foot. Local permit fees are published by each city, and our cost guides list them with sources.
Planning a basement finish?
Get matched with one local basement finishing contractor today.
Get my free quoteTakes under a minuteSources
- City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development, "Residential Interior Remodel"
- Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, "Basement Finish Plan Review" handout (rev. Aug. 14, 2024, PDF)
- City of Minneapolis, "Basement Finish" building requirements
- City of Minneapolis, "Basement finish or remodel in one and two-family dwellings" (PDF)
- HomeGuide, "Cost to Finish a Basement" (national figures, Feb. 6, 2026)