Shed Permit in Austin, Texas
It depends
Sometimes, depending on the project
Before building a shed that meets or exceeds the 200 sq ft area or 15 ft height threshold or that will have plumbing or is in a floodplain
Issued byAustin Development Services Department
By Mario Bailey, verified against official sources
- Median to issue
- 19 days
- 39,585 records
Quick answer
Austin exempts one-story detached tool and storage sheds from a building permit if they are no larger than 200 square feet in floor area, no taller than 15 feet, contain no plumbing, and are not located in a flood hazard area. Sheds that exceed any of these limits require a residential building permit through Austin Development Services. Applications are submitted through the AB+C portal.
Typical threshold: 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.
Who is pulling this permit?
Apply yourself
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When a permit is usually needed
Before building a shed that meets or exceeds the 200 sq ft area or 15 ft height threshold or that will have plumbing or is in a floodplain
What a shed permit costs in Austin
How Austin compares in Texas
Across the Texas jurisdictions we have verified, the same threshold runs from 100 to 200, so a project that is exempt here may still need a permit one county over.
| Jurisdiction | Permit needed? | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Arlington | It depends | floor area of a one-story detached tool or storage shed |
| Austinthis page | 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 |
| Corpus Christi | It depends | Detached storage buildings larger than 200 square feet need a building permit; accessory structures 200 square feet or less are on the city's published exemption list. |
| Dallas | It depends | one-story detached utility or storage buildings under 200 sq ft without utilities on single-family or duplex premises are exempt from a permit |
| El Paso | It depends | The exemption covers accessory storage buildings or structures of less than 200 square feet of floor area, and is limited to one such accessory structure per site. |
| Houston | It depends | one-story detached accessory structure under 120 sq ft does not require a permit |
| Lubbock | It depends | The building permit threshold for a detached accessory building is 200 square feet of floor area. |
Closest shed permit thresholds outside Texas
Jurisdictions we cover whose limit sits nearest Austin's 200 sq ft.
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana, floor area of a detached accessory structure
- Bellevue, Washington, detached storage sheds playhouses or gazebos with a floor area of 200 square feet or less do not require a building permit; structures over 200 square feet require a permit
- Clark County, Nevada, sheds over 200 sq ft require a building permit; storage sheds 200 sq ft or under may be exempt under Building Administrative Code Section 22.02.190
- Clark County, Washington, Sheds over 200 square feet require a building permit; sheds of 200 square feet or less are exempt if they meet setbacks and easements, but any size shed in a mobile home park or multi-family zone requires a permit.
How to apply in Austin
In Austin, a residential shed permit application, once the shed is large enough to require one, is a set of construction documents that show what will be built and prove it meets the adopted residential code. In practice that means a written permit application, a scaled site plan locating the shed and its distances to the property lines, and construction documents covering the shed's foundation or anchoring system and its framing.
What most shed permit applications include:
- For Austin, a written permit application identifying the proposed work and describing the property by its address or legal description, filed with the building department before construction begins (IRC R105.3).
- For Austin, a scaled site plan showing the shed's size and location and its dimensioned distances to all property lines so required setbacks can be verified before the permit is issued (IRC R106.2).
- Construction documents showing the shed's foundation: freestanding accessory structures at or under the code's small-structure size and eave-height limits (600 square feet and a 10 foot eave height in the model code) are exempt from continuous footings but must still be shown supported on undisturbed soil or engineered fill and anchored to resist wind-induced uplift and overturning (IRC R403.1).
- Where the shed does sit on a continuous foundation with a wood sill plate, anchor bolt or approved strap details tying the sill plate to the foundation (IRC R403.1.6).
- Roof framing details showing the rafter-to-wall or truss-to-wall connections, since even a shed exempt from continuous footings must be anchored to resist wind-induced uplift and overturning (IRC R403.1; R802.11).
General submittal guidance from IRC R105.3 (permit application), R106.2 (site plan), R403.1 (footings and anchorage for accessory structures), and R403.1.6 (sill anchorage), 2021 IRC. Source. Austin Development Services Department sets the exact checklist for Austin.
Where to apply in Austin:
Austin Development Services Department
- 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr., Austin, TX 78752
Shed Permit in Austin compared with nearby Texas localities
| Locality | Permit needed? | Threshold | What each Texas schedule says | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | 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 | |
| Arlington | It depends | floor area of a one-story detached tool or storage shed | Planning and Development Services Fee Schedule, Effective June 1, 2026, Resolution No. | |
| Corpus Christi | It depends | Detached storage buildings larger than 200 square feet need a building permit; accessory structures 200 square feet or less are on the city's published exemption list. | FY 2026 Development Fee Schedule, Residential Construction - New, Remodels, and... | |
| Dallas | It depends | one-story detached utility or storage buildings under 200 sq ft without utilities on single-family or duplex premises are exempt from a permit | No shed-specific line | |
| El Paso | It depends | The exemption covers accessory storage buildings or structures of less than 200 square feet of floor area, and is limited to one such accessory structure per site. | FY 2026 Schedule C has no line item named "shed" or "accessory structure." The closest... |
Inspections and closing out your permit
In Austin, a permitted shed is inspected in stages as it goes up: the foundation or the anchors that hold it down before they are covered, the framing before it is enclosed, and a final inspection once the shed is finished. Each stage checks the items that would be hidden or unsafe if skipped.
- Foundation or anchor inspection in Austin: called after any required footings, piers, or ground anchors are set and any forms or reinforcing steel are in place, but before concrete is placed, so the foundation or anchoring system can be verified before it is covered (IRC R109.1.1).
- Frame inspection in Austin: after the shed is framed, sheathed, and braced, the inspector checks the framing, bracing, fasteners, and the roof connections that resist wind uplift, before those elements are covered (IRC R109.1.4 frame inspection; R403.1 anchorage).
- Final inspection in Austin: made after the permitted work is complete and before the shed is used; work may not proceed past any inspection stage without the building official's approval (IRC R109.1.6 final inspection; R109.4 approval required).
- In Austin: for a pre-fabricated or kit shed, the manufacturer's installation instructions must be on site at the time of inspection so the inspector can confirm the anchoring and assembly match the design (IRC R106.1.2).
Schedule each inspection in advance and pass the final before you use the work or close the permit. Request inspections through the Austin permit portal.
Inspection sequence from IRC R109.1.1 (foundation inspection), R109.1.4 (frame inspection), R109.1.6 (final inspection), and R106.1.2 (manufacturer's instructions on site), 2021 IRC. Source. An open permit left un-inspected can surface later in a title search or home sale.
Your Shed Permit checklist for Austin
- Confirm the requirement. Sometimes, depending on the project. Typical threshold: 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. Usually needed: Before building a shed that meets or exceeds the 200 sq ft area or 15 ft height threshold or that will have plumbing or is in a floodplain.
- Budget the fee. Check the official fee schedule for current amounts.
- Apply. In Austin, a residential shed permit application, once the shed is large enough to require one, is a set of construction documents that show what will be built and prove it meets the adopted residential code. In practice that means a written permit application, a scaled site plan locating the shed and its distances to the property lines, and construction documents covering the shed's foundation or anchoring system and its framing. Start at the Austin permit portal.
- Keep the office details handy. Austin Development Services Department. Address: 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr., Austin, TX 78752.
- Plan for inspections. In Austin, a permitted shed is inspected in stages as it goes up: the foundation or the anchors that hold it down before they are covered, the framing before it is enclosed, and a final inspection once the shed is finished. Each stage checks the items that would be hidden or unsafe if skipped.
Compiled from the official sources on this page. Last checked .
Permitting activity in Austin
In 2024, Austin authorized permits for 9,444 new residential housing units (1,946 single-family, 7,498 in multi-family buildings), valued at $1.5B, down from 13,684 the year before. That works out to about 10.1 permits per 1,000 residents.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 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.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you need a shed permit in Austin?
- Austin exempts one-story detached tool and storage sheds from a building permit if they are no larger than 200 square feet in floor area, no taller than 15 feet, contain no plumbing, and are not located in a flood hazard area. Sheds that exceed any of these limits require a residential building permit through Austin Development Services. Applications are submitted through the AB+C portal. 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. Always confirm with the office before starting.
- How much does a shed permit cost in Austin?
- Fees are set by Austin and are not published here. See the official fee schedule for current amounts.
- How long does a shed permit take in Austin?
- Across 39,585 recent residential permit records in Austin, the median time to issue was 19 days. Individual projects vary with scope and office workload, so confirm with the office.
- Where do you apply for a shed permit in Austin?
- You can apply through the Austin permit portal or contact the Austin Development Services Department directly. The links are listed on this page.
- Can a homeowner pull a shed permit themselves in Austin?
- Under Texas law (Tex. Occupations Code 1305.003(a)(6), 1301.051; Tex. Local Government Code 233.157(c)): Texas licenses individual construction trades rather than general contractors, so no state statute requires a license to act as your own general contractor on your own house. For electrical work, the state licensing law does not apply to work performed in or on a dwelling by a person who owns and resides in it, but only where no municipal ordinance specifically regulates that work, so city electrical licensing and permit rules still control inside city limits (Occupations Code 1305.003(a)(6)). For plumbing, a property owner does not need a state license to perform plumbing in the owner's homestead (Occupations Code 1301.051). In opt-in counties' unincorporated areas, an individual who builds their own house or acts as their own contractor is exempt from the Class C misdemeanor penalty for inspection notice failures if they intend to use the home as their primary residence (Local Government Code 233.157(c)). None of these exemptions waive local permit or inspection requirements where they apply. Confirm how Austin applies this before you apply.
How the 19 days break down
Application filed
Submitted through the permit portal, with the fee due at submission.
Review
A correction request restarts this leg, which is the single largest reason a permit takes longer than the median.
Permit issued
Median across 39,585residential permit records in the last 12 months. Half were faster, half slower.
Inspections
The sequence in the checklist above. Work that is covered up before its inspection generally has to be reopened.
From the Library
What else needs a permit in Austin
Every other permit type we have verified for this jurisdiction, with the rule that applies here.
| 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 | Uncovered decks are grouped with pools and fences under the Small Projects Plan Review... |
| Electrical Permit | Permit required | Not specified | 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 | Not specified | 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 | Not specified | 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 | The FY2025-26 residential fee schedule lists a Residential Roof Replacement Inspection... |
| Solar Permit | Permit required | Not specified | Solar permits carry a $32.47 intake fee plus a $111.66 auxiliary power electrical permit... |
Shed Permit in other Texas localities
Everything above, sourced
Code references
National and state model-code sections the general guidance on this page is drawn from. They are not Austin documents; the office above sets the local rules.
- IRC R105.3 (permit application), R106.2 (site plan), R403.1 (footings and anchorage for accessory structures), and R403.1.6 (sill anchorage), 2021 IRC
- IRC R109.1.1 (foundation inspection), R109.1.4 (frame inspection), R109.1.6 (final inspection), and R106.1.2 (manufacturer's instructions on site), 2021 IRC
How this shed permit page for Austin was verified. 2 official sources: austintexas.gov, austintexas.gov; fee schedule: official document. Last checked by Mario Bailey, not confirmed with Austin Development Services Department. Rules change; confirm before you build. How we verify.
Last checked: Report an error on this page