Building permits in Austin, Texas
Of the 10 common home projects we have verified in Austin, 4 need a permit outright and 6 depend on size or scope. Click any project for the full rule, fee, and how to apply.
By Mario Bailey Last checked · 2 official sources
Verified against official sources- Project types verified
- 10
- in Austin
- Permits analysed
- 39,585
- in the last 12 months
- Median to issue
- 19 days
- application to issue
Austin Development Services Department
- 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr., Austin, TX 78752
- Official permit page
- Permit portal
- Official fee schedule
Look up a permit in Austin
Austin permit records are public, and you can check a property's permit history online.
What needs a permit in Austin
Of the 10 common home projects we have verified in Austin, 4 need a permit outright and 6 depend on size or scope. Click any project for the full rule, fee, and how to apply.
| Project | Permit needed? | Threshold | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deck Permit | It depends | uncovered decks with area no greater than 200 sq ft and no more than 30 inches above grade and not attached to the dwelling and not providing required egress and not in floodplain are exempt | ...grouped with pools and fences under the Small Projects Plan Review fee of $132.86... |
| Electrical Permit | Permit required | Any size | Electrical trade permit base fee is $166.99, per the FY2025-26 DSD residential fee... |
| Fence Permit | It depends | fences over 7 ft high at any point require a permit; fences over 6 ft along public ROW require a permit; fences in a floodplain at any height require a permit | Fences are named directly in the Small Projects Plan Review fee of $132.86, per the... |
| HVAC Permit | Permit required | Any size | The Residential Change-Out Program charges $67.32 for the first HVAC system and $18.81... |
| Patio Permit | It depends | at-grade sidewalks, driveways, and concrete flatwork outside the public right-of-way are exempt; a covered patio or attached patio cover requires a residential building permit | Not published |
| Plumbing Permit | Permit required | Any size | Plumbing trade permit base fee is $200.43, per the FY2025-26 DSD residential fee... |
| Pool Permit | It depends | prefabricated pools less than 24 inches deep are exempt; all other residential pools require a permit | Pools are named directly in the Small Projects Plan Review fee of $132.86, per the... |
| Roof Replacement Permit | It depends | asphalt shingle re-roofing is generally exempt unless property is in the Wildland-Urban Interface area and 50% or more of the roofing is being replaced | ...fee schedule lists a Residential Roof Replacement Inspection fee of $370 in its... |
| Shed Permit | It depends | one-story detached accessory structures used as tool or storage sheds with floor area no greater than 200 sq ft and no more than 15 ft in height and no plumbing and not in a floodplain are exempt | Not published |
| Solar Permit | Permit required | Any size | Solar permits carry a $32.47 intake fee plus a $111.66 auxiliary power electrical permit... |
Planning a project in Austin?
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Schedule an inspection in Austin
Permitted work is not finished until it passes inspection. The Development Services inspections page covers inspection types and scheduling through the Austin Build + Connect portal.
Schedule or request a Austin inspection
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Austin permit fees compared with nearby Texas localities
| Texas locality | Deck Permit | HVAC Permit | Electrical Permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | ...under the Small Projects Plan Review fee of $132.86... | The Residential Change-Out Program charges $67.32 for the... | Electrical trade permit base fee is $166.99, per the... |
| Arlington | ...Cover, Screened Porch, Gazebo & Decks*... | ...and Residential New Construction Permits $100.00"... | ...and Residential New Construction Permits $100.00"... |
| Corpus Christi | ...New, Remodels, and Additions: Building Permit $0.461... | ...Fee Schedule, Mechanical Permits: Residential $0.075... | ...Fee Schedule, Electrical Permits: Residential $0.075... |
| Dallas | ...value of work times 0.009652 times 1.33 with a $175... | ...value of work times 0.009652 times 1.33 with a $175... | ...value of work times 0.009652 times 1.33 with a $175... |
Each cell is the opening clause of that Texas jurisdiction's own fee schedule; the full wording and source sit on each permit page.
Austin permit questions, answered from the data
- Do you need a permit in Austin?
- For most projects, yes. Of the 10 permit types we have verified for Austin, 4 always require a permit (for example an electrical permit), 6 depend on size or scope (a deck permit, for instance). Each Austin permit type's page states the exact rule and its source.
- How much does a permit cost in Austin?
- Austin publishes a fee for 8 of the 10 permit types we cover, each quoted on its page from the jurisdiction's own schedule (linked on every page that carries one). Fees are set by Austin Development Services Department; we do not estimate or mark them up.
- Where do you apply for a permit in Austin?
- Austin Development Services Department issues permits in Austin, with an online portal for applications, plan uploads and status checks. The Austin official page and portal are linked in the office section above.
- How long does a permit take in Austin?
- A median of 19 days from application to issue in Austin, measured across 39,585 issued residential permits, from the jurisdiction's open records rather than a published goal.
How the Austin pages were verified. 10 permit types, 8 distinct official sources, most recently checked . Every rule is read from Austin Development Services Department or the applicable code and cited on its page; anything we could not confirm for Austin is marked rather than estimated. How we verify.
Real permit outcomes in Austin
- Median to issue
- 19 days
- 39,585 permits
Based on 39,585 residential permits issued in Austin between 2025-07-12 and 2026-07-12: permits typically took 19 days to issue.
Source: City of Austin issued construction permits (open data), fetched . Figures are medians of actual issued-permit records, not a quote.
Permitting activity in Austin
In 2025, Austin authorized permits for 8,893 new residential housing units (2,079 single-family, 6,814 in multi-family buildings), valued at $1.6B , down from 9,444 the year before. That works out to about 9.5 permits per 1,000 residents. It is a useful gauge of how busy the local permit office is.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025 annual data · population 937,492.
About Austin
Austin has about 466,428 housing units. The median home is valued at $512,700, against a median household income of $91,461. About 44% of homes are owner-occupied, and the typical home was built around 1993.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year.