General building work permit checklist — San Antonio, Texas
Assembled from San Antonio’s own published permit rules. Every line below is quoted from a city document and linked to it. Nothing here is generated, estimated, or inferred from another jurisdiction.
Do you need a permit?
San Antonio requires a permit for general building work.
City Code Chapter 10 sets out the work that carries no building permit requirement. Detached single-story accessory buildings - tool sheds, storage sheds, playhouses and the like - are covered up to 300 square feet of floor area. Finish and surface work is covered: paint, wallpaper, tile, carpet, cabinetry and countertops. Walkways and driveways qualify while they stay within 30 inches of the grade beside them, and the same 30-inch limit covers an uncovered patio. Pool kits at a one- or two-family home qualify where they sit above ground, the water is shallower than 24 inches, and capacity tops out at 5,000 gallons. Backyard play structures at a detached one- or two-family home are also on the list, as is a window awning reaching out no more than 54 inches.
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Sources
- building — fee schedule ↗verified August 2026
Other permits San Antonio publishes rules for
Listed because the city publishes a separate rule for each type — not because this project necessarily triggers one. Whether it does depends on your scope of work.
- Deck permit checklist
- Fence permit checklist
- Shed permit checklist
- Water heater permit checklist
- Re-roof permit checklist
- Retaining wall permit checklist
- Electrical work permit checklist
BuildSpec is a reference, not the authority having jurisdiction. Confirm requirements with San Antonio before you build.