Do you need an HVAC 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
HVAC Permit rules nationwide, beyond Texas.
Requirements and size thresholds for HVAC 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 HVAC permit rules across every locality we cover.
What to know about HVAC permits in Texas
HVAC permits in Virginia typically apply to new installations and to replacing gas or oil fueled equipment. Costs vary with equipment type and your locality. Using a licensed mechanical contractor matters, because the install must meet code and pass inspection, which also helps protect your equipment warranty.
The application steps and inspection sequence for HVAC 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 HVAC 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 | A mechanical permit is needed to install a new A/C unit, a new heat furnace, duct outlets or a system, to add or move a kitchen hood vent, or to add a restroom exhaust fan; the two published exceptions are installing a portable HVAC appliance and replacing minor parts as long as the equipment does not become unsafe. | Confirmed on official page |
| Dallas | Yes | Not specified | Based on building code |
| El Paso | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Fort Worth | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Houston | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Lubbock | Yes | Mechanical changes, equipment change-outs, and duct work additions or alterations are permitted work; replacing a minor part to make a unit functional is not. | 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 HVAC 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, Mechanical: "Per Trade - Commercial and Residential New Construction Permits $100.00" for permits associated with a building permit. For mechanical work not associated with a building permit there is a "Base permit fee $100.00" plus per-item charges, including "HVAC complete refrigeration split/package/DX system up to and including 10 tons per first system $40.00", "Forced air heating furnace $25.00" plus "$4.00" per additional unit per address, and "Environmental ductwork only-up to and including 10 outlets $25.00". "Penalty for Work Without a Permit (in addition to the permit fee charged) Equal to the permit fee."
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The Residential Change-Out Program charges $67.32 for the first HVAC system and $18.81 for each additional system, per the FY2025-26 DSD residential fee schedule effective 10/01/2025
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FY 2026 Development Fee Schedule, Mechanical 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. Under the fee schedule's own note, on new residential construction the trade fees are paid at the time the building permit is issued and assessed to the trade permit, and mechanical subcontractors still have to be added to the trade permits with fees collected before the trade permit issues.
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Billed as a Mechanical Permit under the Alterations or Repairs schedule (Table B-I), 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, Mechanical: "Base fee, ea. (non-refundable)" is "$110 plus applicable technology fee," then per-item charges are added, including "Each force air or gravity heater or furnace $24 based on quantity plus base fee and applicable technology fee," "Each evaporative cooler $24 based on quantity plus base fee and applicable technology fee," "Combination heating-cooling unit or refrigeration unit, ea. $47 plus $6.35 per ton plus base fee and applicable technology fee," and "Ducts: Heating, cooling and/or under slab 1-10 openings $21.24 Based on quantity plus base fee and applicable technology fee."
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Billed per unit on the Schedule of Mechanical Fees, Table 1-H: forced air heating furnace including ducts and vents, capacity to and including 100,000 BTU input or 20 KW, $5.81; each compressor, condensing unit, or chiller unit up to and including 2 tons $5.81, over 2 and including 3 tons $9.85, over 3 and including 5 tons $15.68; ventilation fan and duct system $8.08; mechanical ventilator $8.08. Add the $31.50 permit application fee and the $16.87 technology fee. Residential remodel work is separately subject to the Table 1-A-1 minimum of $112.50 for 1 trade. Per Ordinance No. 27191-09-2024, effective October 1, 2024.
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2% of total job cost plus $47.00 base fee plus administrative fee of $33.56
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Building Safety Fee Schedule, fiscal year effective dates October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, under Mechanical Permit Fees: "Commercial or Residential Heating & Air Conditioning Equipment Replacements $75.", "Alteration or Total HVAC System Replacement 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 mechanical permit fee plus a $10 administrative fee, with $77 flat for adding a system to a home with no pre-existing central HVAC or itemized per-device charges for component replacements, 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 HVAC permits in Texas
- Do I need an HVAC 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 HVAC work, 10 require a permit outright, 0 depend on the size or scope of the job, and 0 require none.
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