Data-Driven , Updated Quarterly

Regulatory Friction Index

Which cities make developers fight for every permit, and what does that delay cost in real dollars? Compare 7 markets across speed, predictability, approval rates, congestion, and trend direction.

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Best for VP Development, acquisitions, and capital partners underwriting permit risk before site control.

Lowest Friction
Los Angeles
Grade B , Score 68
Highest Friction
Miami
Grade D , Score 38
Markets Covered
7 Cities
1.8M+ permits analyzed
Translate friction into carry
A high-friction market can add hundreds of thousands in avoidable carry.
Example: on a $10M project at 8% debt, each month of permit delay adds about $66,667 in carrying cost. Miami projects face roughly 8 extra months of delay risk, or about $533,336 in additional carry.
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City Rankings

Composite score from 0 to 100 across five dimensions. Higher means less friction. Lower means more delay, more variance, and more carry risk.

1
B
Los Angeles
Moderate FrictionScore 68/100
Overall68
Speed60
Above Average
Predictability60
Mostly Predictable
Approval Rate60
Good
Trend55
Stable
Congestion55
Normal
Estimated carry impact
Roughly 4 extra months of delay risk on a $10M project, about $266,668 in extra carry.
2
C
San Francisco
High FrictionScore 55/100
Overall55
Speed60
Above Average
Predictability60
Mostly Predictable
Approval Rate60
Good
Trend55
Stable
Congestion55
Normal
Estimated carry impact
Roughly 6 extra months of delay risk on a $10M project, about $400,002 in extra carry.
3
C
New York City
High FrictionScore 52/100
Overall52
Speed60
Above Average
Predictability60
Mostly Predictable
Approval Rate60
Good
Trend55
Stable
Congestion55
Normal
Estimated carry impact
Roughly 6 extra months of delay risk on a $10M project, about $400,002 in extra carry.
4
B+
Chicago
Moderate FrictionScore 72/100
Overall72
Speed60
Above Average
Predictability60
Mostly Predictable
Approval Rate60
Good
Trend55
Stable
Congestion55
Normal
Estimated carry impact
Roughly 4 extra months of delay risk on a $10M project, about $266,668 in extra carry.
5
B-
Seattle
Moderate FrictionScore 65/100
Overall65
Speed60
Above Average
Predictability60
Mostly Predictable
Approval Rate60
Good
Trend55
Stable
Congestion55
Normal
Estimated carry impact
Roughly 4 extra months of delay risk on a $10M project, about $266,668 in extra carry.
6
A-
Austin
Low FrictionScore 82/100
Overall82
Speed60
Above Average
Predictability60
Mostly Predictable
Approval Rate60
Good
Trend55
Stable
Congestion55
Normal
Estimated carry impact
Roughly 2 extra months of delay risk on a $10M project, about $133,334 in extra carry.
7
D
Miami
Very High FrictionScore 38/100
Overall38
Speed60
Above Average
Predictability60
Mostly Predictable
Approval Rate60
Good
Trend55
Stable
Congestion55
Normal
Estimated carry impact
Roughly 8 extra months of delay risk on a $10M project, about $533,336 in extra carry.

How to read this

This page is not just a league table. It is a quick underwriting signal. Low friction means faster approvals, tighter variance, and lower carry exposure. High friction means bigger timeline uncertainty and more capital at risk before permits clear.

Speed (25%)
Median permit duration versus the cross-city benchmark. Faster cities score higher.
Predictability (25%)
How variable timelines are. Lower variance matters because lenders and ICs underwrite worst-case duration.
Approval Rate (20%)
Historic approval rates from zoning and permit outcomes.
Trend (15%)
Whether the city is getting faster or slower year over year.
Congestion (15%)
Pipeline backlog relative to normal permit throughput.

Based on 1.8M+ building permits across 7 US markets. Scores are recomputed quarterly from live permit data.

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Enter any address to get parcel zoning, permit timelines, approval probability, and delay sensitivity in seconds. If you want the full Friction Index PDF, we will send that too.

See your market's friction scoreDownload the 2026 Friction Index PDF