Permit Fees in Texas

City	Bathroom	Kitchen	Roof	HVAC	Status
Austin	$686.86	$740.86	$370.00	$67.32	✓
Dallas	$994.00	$994.00	$167.00	$167.00	✓
Houston	$336.00	$447.06	$147.38	$240.56	✓
San Antonio	$324.00	$374.00	$26.50	$59.60	✓

Texas sets its statutory baseline in the past tense: state law points municipalities at the International Residential Code as it existed on May 1, 2012, and lets each city amend from there by ordinance. In practice the big cities run far ahead of the baseline. Houston has enforced the 2021 code family since January 1, 2024. The edition on your project depends entirely on which city you're standing in.

Outside city limits the system changes shape completely. Counties don't issue residential building permits; in covered counties, new homes instead get a minimum of three inspections (foundation, framing and mechanical, completion) from third-party inspectors the builder hires, and the county is barred from charging enforcement fees or requiring approval before construction starts. There is also no statewide general-contractor license in Texas; the state licenses specific trades like electricians and HVAC contractors, and that's it.

Fees across our four tracked cities show how local the pricing is. A bathroom remodel permit runs $324 in San Antonio, $336 in Houston, $686.86 in Austin, and $994 in Dallas. A roof permit spans $26.50 in San Antonio to $370 in Austin. Same state, 14x spread.

One date to know: SB 783, effective September 1, 2025, slowed the state's energy-code machinery. Energy codes can now change at most once every six years, with at least nine months of lead time and a cost-payback analysis first, so the energy chapter under your remodel is likely to sit still for a while.

Sources: Tex. Local Gov't Code ch. 214 · Tex. Local Gov't Code ch. 233 (county inspections) · Houston 2021 code adoption · SB 783 (2025) · verified 2026-06