Business
Permits & Inspections
Most construction, remodeling, demolition, trade and sign work inside the city limits requires a permit from Planning & Development before work begins.
What needs a permit
- New buildings, additions, accessory buildings over 120 square feet, carports and decks over 30 inches high
- Electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical (HVAC) work, by a Texas-licensed contractor or a homeowner on their own homestead
- Roofing replacement, foundation repair, demolition, swimming pools and fences over 6 feet
- Driveway approaches and work in the right-of-way
- Signs, including temporary banners and inflatable advertising devices
- Moving a building, including a storage shed you have grown attached to
Painting, flooring, cabinets, gutters and fences 6 feet or lower do not need a permit. Properties in the Historic Courthouse Square district need a certificate of appropriateness for any exterior change, including paint.
How to apply
- Pick up an application at City Hall, 150 E Brisket St, or request one at [email protected].
- Submit it with two sets of plans (one set for trade-only permits) and a site plan showing setbacks. Check the zoning and floodplain for your lot on the zoning map first.
- Staff reviews residential permits within 5 business days and commercial permits within 10. Projects in FEMA Zone AE also need a floodplain development permit.
- Pay the fee in person by cash, check or money order. Card payments are unavailable during the billing vendor transition.
- Post the permit card where it can be seen from the street and call for inspections.
Fee estimator
Building permit fees are based on project valuation (Ordinance No. 2019-044). This estimate is for planning only; staff calculates the final fee at review.
Fee schedule
| Valuation | Building permit fee |
|---|---|
| $1 – $2,000 | $50 |
| $2,001 – $25,000 | $50 plus $9.00 per $1,000 over $2,000 |
| $25,001 – $100,000 | $257 plus $6.50 per $1,000 over $25,000 |
| $100,001 – $500,000 | $745 plus $4.75 per $1,000 over $100,000 |
| Over $500,000 | $2,645 plus $3.25 per $1,000 over $500,000 |
Commercial projects add a plan review fee of 50 percent of the building permit fee. Reinspections are $50. Work started without a permit pays double, which is in the ordinance and also just fair.
Inspections
Call (936) 555-0102 by 3:00 p.m. for next-business-day inspections, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Required inspections usually include foundation (before the pour), framing, rough-in trades, insulation and final. Building Official Vernon Grubbs performs residential inspections; commercial projects may be inspected by the City's contract plan reviewer.