Guides

Permit guides for Texas homeowners.

Short answers to what a city asks for, built from the rules we've checked on each city's own pages.

• Do I need a permit and site plan for a shed in Texas?

  It depends on the city. Houston exempts one-story sheds up to 120 sq ft, Dallas up to 200 and San Antonio up to 300, while Fort Worth, Frisco and Prosper ask for a permit for every shed. When you do need one, the city almost always wants a site plan or marked survey showing the shed and its distance to each property line.

• Do I need a permit for a fence in Texas?

  Many Texas cities only want a fence permit above a set height: over 8 ft in Houston, over 7 ft in Fort Worth, and over 6 ft (4 ft in a front yard) in Dallas. San Antonio, Frisco and McKinney want a permit for every new fence, and Cedar Park needs none up to 8 ft.

• Do I need a permit for a patio cover or pergola in Texas?

  Usually, and in every city we've checked when the cover is attached to the house. Dallas exempts a detached cover under 200 sq ft and San Antonio a detached one of 300 sq ft or less, but Frisco, Fort Worth, Round Rock and Plano have no exemption. Few cities name pergolas at all, so ask yours.

• How to draw a site plan for a permit in Texas

  A permit site plan is a top-down drawing of your lot: the property lines, the house, the new structure and its distance to every line, plus easements, setbacks, a north arrow and a scale. Cities add their own extras, such as impervious cover in Austin and Georgetown or street width in Houston.