Do you need an electrical permit in Texas?
By Mario Bailey Last checked
- Always required
- 10
- of 10 jurisdictions
- Conditional
- 0
- depends on size or scope
- Not required
- 0
- exempt outright
Electrical Permit rules nationwide, beyond Texas.
Requirements and size thresholds for electrical 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 electrical permit rules across every locality we cover.
What to know about electrical permits in Texas
Electrical permits in Virginia cover new wiring, service upgrades, and added circuits, while simple device swaps are often exempt. Costs vary by locality and scope. A licensed electrician is strongly recommended, because electrical work is a common cause of inspection failures and safety issues.
The application steps and inspection sequence for electrical 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 an electrical 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 | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Austin | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Corpus Christi | Yes | An electrical permit is needed to replace a meter loop or panel, add receptacles or outlets, add circuits or lights, add a dryer plug, rewire a house, or add solar panels; communications cabling and low voltage work fall outside what the city permits at all. | Confirmed on official page |
| Dallas | Yes | Not specified | Based on building code |
| El Paso | Yes | Replacing a switch, receptacle, fuse, fan, light fixture, or similar equipment without altering the mechanical, electrical, or plumbing system is exempt. | Confirmed on official page |
| Fort Worth | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Houston | Yes | Not specified | From an official source |
| Lubbock | Yes | Installation, alteration, repair, removal, conversion or replacement of an electrical system regulated by the adopted codes is permitted work. | Confirmed on official page |
| Plano | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| San Antonio | Yes | Not specified | From an official source |
| No localities match your filter. | |||
What an electrical permit costs in Texas
9 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, Building Permit for Electrical: "Per Trade - Commercial and Residential New Construction Permits $100.00" where associated with a building permit. Not associated with a building permit: "Base permit fee $100.00" plus items such as "Services and sub panels; new, repair, replace (each) Up to and including 200 amps $35.00", "Over 200 amps and up to and including 400 amps $60.00", "Electrical Vehicle Charging Station 120 - 480 Volt $30.00 each", "Temporary pole $25.00", and "Hot-tubs, Spas, and Swimming Pools (above and below ground)- No Charge $0.00".
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Electrical trade permit base fee is $166.99, per the FY2025-26 DSD residential fee schedule effective 10/01/2025
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FY 2026 Development Fee Schedule, Electrical Permits: Residential $0.075 per square foot, Minimum Permit Fee $146.41 (commercial is the greater of the minimum fee or 0.25% of total project valuation). Asterisked fees carry a 4.5% surcharge. A separate Electrical Permit for a sign is $117.13. Under the fee schedule's note, trade permit fees on new residential construction are paid when the building permit is issued and assessed to the trade permit.
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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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FY 2026 Schedule C Departmental Fee List, Planning & Inspections, Electrical Permits: "Base fee, ea. (non-refundable)" is "$110 plus applicable technology fee," plus per-item charges such as "Each Service or new/replacement of electrical panel/panel board $47 based on quantity plus base fee and applicable technology fee," "Max Service Entrance Fee $130 plus applicable technology fee," and outlets at "1 to 20 ea. $1.17 Based on quantity plus base fee and applicable technology fee." For new and remodeling work the schedule instead uses building-permit valuation tiers, beginning "$1,000.00 to $6,000.00 ... shall be $76 plus applicable technology fee."
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Billed per item on the Schedule of Electrical Fees, Table 1-J: services and subpanels 60 amps to 100 amps $18.81, over 100 amps to 150 amps $27.78, over 150 amps $37.65; light fixtures, outlets, switches and receptacles up to 100, each $0.51, over 100, each $0.42; water heater, dryer, or range each $2.85; air conditioner 3 to 5 ton $5.81; swimming pools $53.79; construction pole $27.78. 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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Minimum electrical permit fee is $91.06 plus the $33.56 administrative fee, with itemized charges per outlet, fixture or panel, per the 2026 Permit Fee Schedule effective 1/1/2026
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Building Safety Fee Schedule, fiscal year effective dates October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, under Electrical Permit Fees: "Commercial or Residential Service Permits $75.", "Alteration or Total Rewire Permits $0.07 per square foot of gross floor area under roof.", "New Construction Permits $0.07 per square foot of gross floor area under roof.", and "Generic Permits Not Listed Above $75."
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For work on an existing home, a $50 electrical inspection permit fee plus a $10 administrative processing fee, then an amperage-based service rating charge, 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 electrical permits in Texas
- Do I need an electrical permit in Texas?
- In most of Texas, yes. Permits are issued locally, so the answer comes from your Texas city or county rather than a single statewide rule. Of the 10 Texas jurisdictions we have verified for electrical work, 10 require a permit outright, 0 depend on the size or scope of the job, and 0 require none.
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