Shed Permit in El Paso, Texas
It depends
Sometimes, depending on the project
Before installing an accessory storage building or structure of 200 square feet or more of floor area, or a second accessory structure on a site, inside the City of El Paso
By Mario Bailey, verified against official sources
Quick answer
The City of El Paso exempts an accessory storage building or structure of less than 200 square feet of floor area from the building permit requirement, but the exemption is allowed only once per site, so a second accessory structure needs a permit at any size. Exempt accessory structures still may not be placed over utility easements, and the city directs owners to check with the utility companies or Planning and Inspections first. The Citizen Access portal carries "Residential Accessory Structure" as its own record type and the Building Permit Application has a "Storage Shed" checkbox. These rules apply inside El Paso city limits only.
Typical threshold: 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.
Who is pulling this permit?
Apply yourself
Hire it out
Before you sign, ask the contractor:
- Who pulls the permit, you or me, and is the permit fee included in the bid?
- Which inspections will this job need, and who meets the inspector on site?
- Is your contractor license active in this locality, and under which business name?
When a permit is usually needed
Before installing an accessory storage building or structure of 200 square feet or more of floor area, or a second accessory structure on a site, inside the City of El Paso
What a shed permit costs in El Paso
How El Paso 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 Pasothis page | 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 El Paso'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 El Paso
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:
- 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).
- 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. City of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department (One Stop Shop) sets the exact checklist for El Paso.
Where to apply in El Paso:
City of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department (One Stop Shop)
- One Stop Shop, 811 Texas Avenue, El Paso, TX 79901
- Phone: 915-212-0104
- Email: OSSHelp@elpasotexas.gov
Inspections and closing out your permit
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: 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: 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: 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).
- 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 El Paso permit portal or by phone at 915-212-0104.
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 El Paso
- Confirm the requirement. Sometimes, depending on the project. Typical threshold: 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. Usually needed: Before installing an accessory storage building or structure of 200 square feet or more of floor area, or a second accessory structure on a site, inside the City of El Paso.
- Budget the fee. FY 2026 Schedule C has no line item named "shed" or "accessory structure." The closest published Planning & Inspections building-permit line items are "Permit which require only one inspection $110 plus applicable technology fee," "Permit which require two inspections $160 plus applicable technology fee," and the residential square-footage schedule that begins "For additions or new single family residential construction between 401-1299 square feet ... $0.87 per square foot plus applicable Technology Fee." The city does not state which of these applies to a given shed. Official fee schedule.
- Apply. 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 El Paso permit portal.
- Keep the office details handy. City of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department (One Stop Shop). Phone: 915-212-0104. Address: One Stop Shop, 811 Texas Avenue, El Paso, TX 79901.
- Plan for inspections. 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 .
Frequently asked questions
- Do you need a shed permit in El Paso?
- The City of El Paso exempts an accessory storage building or structure of less than 200 square feet of floor area from the building permit requirement, but the exemption is allowed only once per site, so a second accessory structure needs a permit at any size. Exempt accessory structures still may not be placed over utility easements, and the city directs owners to check with the utility companies or Planning and Inspections first. The Citizen Access portal carries "Residential Accessory Structure" as its own record type and the Building Permit Application has a "Storage Shed" checkbox. These rules apply inside El Paso city limits only. 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. Always confirm with the office before starting.
- How much does a shed permit cost in El Paso?
- FY 2026 Schedule C has no line item named "shed" or "accessory structure." The closest published Planning & Inspections building-permit line items are "Permit which require only one inspection $110 plus applicable technology fee," "Permit which require two inspections $160 plus applicable technology fee," and the residential square-footage schedule that begins "For additions or new single family residential construction between 401-1299 square feet ... $0.87 per square foot plus applicable Technology Fee." The city does not state which of these applies to a given shed. See the official fee schedule for current amounts.
- Where do you apply for a shed permit in El Paso?
- You can apply through the El Paso permit portal or contact the City of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department (One Stop Shop) directly. The links are listed on this page.
- Can a homeowner pull a shed permit themselves in El Paso?
- 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 El Paso applies this before you apply.
From the Library
What else needs a permit in El Paso
Every other permit type we have verified for this jurisdiction, with the rule that applies here.
| Project | Permit needed? | Threshold | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Permit | Permit required | Replacing a switch, receptacle, fuse, fan, light fixture, or similar equipment without altering the mechanical, electrical, or plumbing system is exempt. | FY 2026 Schedule C Departmental Fee List, Planning & Inspections, Electrical Permits:... |
| Fence Permit | It depends | Masonry walls and fences are measured against 42 inches in height; chain link fences are measured against a separate and higher trigger of 6 feet in height. The material determines which of the two applies. | FY 2026 Schedule C Departmental Fee List, Planning & Inspections, Building Permits:... |
| HVAC Permit | Permit required | Not specified | FY 2026 Schedule C Departmental Fee List, Planning & Inspections, Mechanical: "Base fee... |
| Patio Permit | It depends | Concrete work more than 30 inches above grade, or concrete that will support a structure, requires a permit; a detached patio cover is permitted under the city's porches and canopies entry. | FY 2026 Schedule C has no line item named "patio" or "patio cover." The closest... |
| Plumbing Permit | Permit required | Not specified | FY 2026 Schedule C Departmental Fee List, Planning & Inspections, Plumbing: "Base fee, ea. |
| Pool Permit | It depends | Pools and ponds over 24 inches of depth require a permit, as do above ground pools containing 5,000 gallons of water or more. | FY 2026 Schedule C Departmental Fee List, Planning & Inspections: Building Permits line... |
| Roof Replacement Permit | It depends | The 25 percent is a share of the residential roof covering being replaced, measured across the roof rather than as an area in square feet or a count of squares. | FY 2026 Schedule C Departmental Fee List, Planning & Inspections, Building Permit line... |
| Solar Permit | Permit required | Not specified | FY 2026 Schedule C Departmental Fee List, Planning & Inspections, prices solar across... |
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 El Paso 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
Verified by a person against the sources above on , not confirmed with City of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department (One Stop Shop). Rules change; confirm before you build. How we verify.
Last checked: Report an error on this page
Permit office
City of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department (One Stop Shop)
915-212-0104Permit portalCompare
Shed Permit across Texas