DrawPermit

Harris County · Texas

Houston site plans and permits.

Houston has no zoning, but a shed over 120 sq ft, a raised or attached deck, or a fence over 8 ft still needs a permit and a to-scale site plan showing property lines, easements and building lines.

Start a site planSee a sample set
Building code
2021 International Residential Code with Houston amendments, in effect since January 1, 2024.
Decks
A deck is exempt only if it is 200 sq ft or less, no more than 30 inches above grade at any point, not attached to the house and not serving the required exit door. Miss any one of these and it needs a permit.
Sheds
A one-story detached shed of 120 sq ft or less is exempt. Garages, carports and storage buildings over 120 sq ft need a permit.
Fences
Fences up to 8 ft that aren't masonry, concrete or electrified are exempt. A fence over 8 ft, or any fence with masonry or concrete in it, needs a permit at any height.
Patio covers
Patio covers and pergolas aren't on Houston's exempt list, and the city publishes no size cutoff for them. Carports always need a permit. In flood zones A, AO and AE, pergolas, porches, awnings and carports go through a floodplain permit.
Owner-drawn plans
The city doesn't say who must draw residential plans. The owner signs a declaration with the application. Plans must be to scale and dimensioned. Graph paper drawings, photos and 3D drawings aren't accepted.
Engineer
A fence that needs a permit needs a structural section designed by a professional engineer. Garages, carports and storage buildings may need an engineer for the slab and the roof and framing plans.
Setbacks
Houston has no zoning. Building lines come from your plat, deed restrictions or city ordinance, and the city's Planning staff review them on the site plan. No part of a carport may sit in the building line or the street right-of-way.
Fees
Every permit adds a $33.56 admin fee, and plan review is 25% of the permit fee. The minimum permit fee is $91.06. Fences are $73.85 for the first 100 linear feet. Other residential permits are priced by square footage.
Where to apply
iPermits at the Houston Permitting Center, then plan upload in ProjectDox

What Houston asks the site plan to show.

  • A Texas registered survey, or a complete site plan based on one
  • Property lines that match the plat or survey
  • Easements
  • Building setback lines
  • The existing house and every structure on the lot
  • The new structure, or the fence layout with its gates
  • Full dimensions, drawn to an architectural or engineering scale
  • Legal description
  • North arrow
  • Street name and width

Your DrawPermit site plan draws the lot lines, north arrow, scale, structures, setbacks, distances to each line and impervious cover. Add utility lines, meters and trees by hand if your city asks for them.

Worth knowing.

  • A lot in the floodplain may need a floodplain permit even when the project needs no building permit.
  • The permit declaration asks whether your lot has deed restrictions and whether the project breaks them. Check your plat and deed first.
  • Drilled piers aren't allowed in easements.

Checked against the city's own pages on November 2, 2026. Rules change, so confirm with Houston before you submit.