Do you need a deck permit in Texas?
By Mario Bailey Last checked
- Always required
- 1
- of 10 jurisdictions
- Conditional
- 8
- depends on size or scope
- Not required
- 0
- exempt outright
Deck Permit rules nationwide, beyond Texas.
Requirements and size thresholds for deck permits vary by locality. The table below compares what each Texas county or city requires. Always confirm with the local office before starting.
Comparing states? See deck permit rules across every locality we cover.
The application steps and inspection sequence for deck permits come from the model code rather than from Texas law, so they read the same wherever you build. We keep that walkthrough in one place: how a deck permit application and its inspections work, start to finish. What changes between Texas jurisdictions is below: who requires a permit, what they charge, and which office you file with.
Swipe sideways to see thresholds and confidence.
| Locality | Permit required? | Typical threshold | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington | Conditional | height of an uncovered deck above grade at any point | Confirmed on official page |
| Austin | Conditional | 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 | Confirmed on official page |
| Corpus Christi | Conditional | A deck needs a permit if it is larger than 200 square feet, or more than 30 inches above the ground, or attached to a dwelling, or serving the exit door; any one of the four triggers alone requires the permit. | Confirmed on official page |
| Dallas | Conditional | decks platforms walks or driveways not more than 30 inches above grade and not over any basement or story on single-family or duplex premises are exempt | Based on building code |
| El Paso | Not confirmed | Not specified | Not confirmed |
| Fort Worth | Conditional | height of the platform, walk or deck above grade, and whether it sits over a basement or story below | Confirmed on official page |
| Houston | Conditional | deck not exceeding 200 sq ft and not more than 30 in above grade and not attached to dwelling and not serving required exit door is exempt from permit | Confirmed on official page |
| Lubbock | Conditional | A structure attached to an existing residence is an addition and is permitted regardless of square footage. | Confirmed on official page |
| Plano | Conditional | deck area, and the exemption also requires the deck to be no more than 30 inches above grade at any point, unattached to the dwelling or townhouse, and not serving the required exit door | Confirmed on official page |
| San Antonio | Yes | Not specified | From an official source |
| No localities match your filter. | |||
What a deck permit costs in Texas
8 Texas jurisdictions we cover publish a fee figure for this work. Each line is quoted from that office's own schedule and linked to its citation. The figures are not comparable to one another: some are flat minimums, some a percentage of job value, some charged per fixture, so what you pay depends on which schedule applies and on your job's valuation.
Planning and Development Services Fee Schedule, Effective June 1, 2026, Resolution No. 26 - 151, Residential Construction: "Patio Cover, Screened Porch, Gazebo & Decks* $300.00". The asterisk marks permits that also carry the non-refundable plan review fee, which the schedule sets at 35% of the building permit fee and requires to be paid at submittal.
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Uncovered decks are grouped with pools and fences under the Small Projects Plan Review fee of $132.86, per the FY2025-26 DSD residential fee schedule effective 10/01/2025
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FY 2026 Development Fee Schedule, Residential Construction - New, Remodels, and Additions: Building Permit $0.461 per square foot with a $146.41 minimum, plus Plan Review $0.146 per square foot; asterisked fees carry a 4.5% surcharge. Codified Sec. 14-1303(c) names "raised decks" as accessory residential construction, which is what puts a deck on the residential per-square-foot schedule rather than on a flat fee.
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No deck-specific line; billed under the Alterations or Repairs schedule (Table B-I, includes standalone trade permits), value of work times 0.009652 times 1.33 with a $175 minimum plus a $125 single-trade inspection fee, per the fee schedule effective 7/1/2025
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No deck-specific line item is published. A deck attached to an existing house is residential remodel work billed under Table 1-A-1 by number of trades, minimum permit fee $112.50 for 1 trade, $225.00 for 2, $337.50 for 3, $450.00 for 4, $562.50 for 5. Add the $31.50 permit application fee and the $16.87 technology fee. Per Ordinance No. 27191-09-2024, effective October 1, 2024.
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No dedicated deck fee; decks file as a Residential Addition Permit, valuation based per the city fee schedule, plus a $33.56 administrative fee, per the 2026 Permit Fee Schedule
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Building Safety Fee Schedule, fiscal year effective dates October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026: "Residential Building Addition $0.15 per square foot of gross floor area under roof of the addition." with a "Minimum Permit Fee for All Permits $75." The schedule has no deck line item.
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Flat $160 fee covering carports and decks under the residential miscellaneous flat-fee table, per the FY2026 Development Fee Schedule
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Jurisdictions not listed publish no dollar figure we could quote. Absence does not mean a permit is free.
Common questions about deck permits in Texas
- Do I need a deck permit in Texas?
- In Texas it depends on the size of the job. Permits are issued locally, so the answer comes from your Texas city or county rather than a single statewide rule. Of the 9 Texas jurisdictions we have verified for deck work, 1 requires a permit outright, 8 depend on the size or scope of the job, and 0 require none.
- Is there a deck permit exemption in Texas?
- 8 of the 9 Texas jurisdictions we cover set a threshold rather than a flat rule, so the same job can be exempt in one Texas county and permitted in the next. The table above lists each Texas jurisdiction's published threshold in its own words, with the source and the date we verified it.
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