Dallas Permit Fee Estimator
Estimates based on the City of Dallas Permit Fee Schedule, Ordinance 33080, effective July 1, 2025.
Estimates are based on the City of Dallas Permit Fee Schedule (Ordinance 33080), effective July 1, 2025. They exclude the 10% surcharge that applies in planned development, specific use permit, and deed-restricted areas, and any expedited review fees. We are not a government agency and are not liable for differences between these estimates and final city billing. Fee schedule current as of September 2026.
Building Permits in Dallas: 2026 Guide
Dallas is building at a remarkable pace, from infill duplexes in East Dallas to towers reshaping downtown. Whatever your project looks like, the permit fee is usually the first number you need. Here is how Dallas actually figures it.
How Dallas calculates your fee
Dallas prices permits differently depending on what you are building, which is more nuanced than most Texas cities. The current fee schedule comes from Ordinance 33080, effective July 1, 2025.
New single-family and duplex homes are priced by square footage on a sliding scale. Up to 700 square feet runs $1.07 per foot. From 701 to 2,350 square feet the formula is 34.6 cents per foot plus $300. Above that the per-foot rate keeps dropping: 7.7 cents per foot plus $800 up to 10,500 square feet, then 2.7 cents per foot plus $1,000 beyond that.
New multi-family buildings are simple: $652 per dwelling unit.
New commercial buildings are priced by the value of the proposed work, using a tiered table that starts at a flat $75 for small jobs and scales with project value.
Home remodels and alterations on single-family and duplex homes are refreshingly straightforward: $181 plus $100 for each additional trade. An electrical panel upgrade, one trade, is $181. A kitchen touching electrical and plumbing, two trades, is $281.
Commercial remodels use a value-based formula with a 1.33 multiplier, and a $175 minimum.
On top of the base fee, plan review runs $0.046 per square foot with a $577 minimum, and every permit carries a $15 technology fee plus a $25 document handling fee.
What that looks like in real numbers
- 2,000 square foot new home: about $991 in base fees, plus $577 plan review and $40 in city fees, roughly $1,608 all in
- 3,000 square foot new home: about $1,031 in base fees, roughly $1,648 all in
- Electrical panel upgrade (one trade): $181 plus $40 in city fees, about $221
- $50,000 commercial remodel: about $642 in base fees, roughly $682 plus plan review
Our calculator above runs the city's exact tables, so the number you get is the number the tables produce.
One honest quirk worth knowing
Dallas's published brackets have small jumps at the edges. A 700 square foot project computes to $749, while 701 square feet computes to about $542. That is genuinely how the city's tables read, in both the current schedule and the one before it. We implemented the tables exactly as published, and the city sets the final fee when you submit, so treat any estimate near a bracket edge as a ballpark.
The fee schedule just changed, and it matters
Dallas had not updated its permitting fees since 2015. A 2023 fee study led to a full overhaul in May 2024, and then corrections in July 2025. The headline from the 2025 update: plan review fees were cut roughly 90 percent, from $0.46 to $0.046 per square foot. The city also fixed a broken commercial remodel formula that had been collecting only about half the expected revenue.
The city has committed to a comprehensive fee study every three years, so the next one should land around 2027 or 2028. Dallas's fiscal year starts October 1, and we re-verify these numbers every September.
What the estimate does not include
A 10 percent surcharge applies in planned development districts, specific use permit areas, and deed-restricted areas, so check whether your property falls in one. The city also enforces minimum inspection fees of $125 per trade, which can raise the total on small projects. Expedited Q-Team review is available for rush projects at separate fees, capped at $10,000.
How to Get a Building Permit in Dallas, Texas
The short version: You apply online through the city's DallasNow portal, the Planning and Development Department reviews your plans (residential reviews run about 5 days, commercial takes longer), you pay your fees, and then you schedule inspections as work progresses.
Do you actually need a permit?
In Dallas, most real construction work needs one: new buildings, additions, structural changes, and anything touching electrical, plumbing, or mechanical systems. Cosmetic work like painting, flooring, and cabinets that does not touch structure or systems generally does not. When in doubt, a quick call to 214-948-4480 settles it, and that call is a lot cheaper than a stop-work order.
How to apply, step by step
- Figure out your permit type. Match your project to the city's categories: new single-family or duplex, multi-family, new commercial, residential alteration, or commercial alteration. Each has its own submittal requirements.
- Gather your documents. Construction plans are required, and depending on the project you may need a site plan, survey, and energy code compliance forms. Every submittal carries a $15 per-document technology fee, so submit clean and complete.
- Apply online through DallasNow. The city's portal at aca-prod.accela.com/DALLASTX handles applications, plan uploads, fee payment, and inspection scheduling around the clock. You can also visit the permit center in person at the Oak Cliff Municipal Center, 320 E. Jefferson Blvd., Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm.
- Wait for plan review. The city's published goal is about 5 days for initial residential review. Commercial remodels typically run about 12 business days to first review, and new commercial buildings 20 or more. If reviewers send comments, you correct and resubmit, which starts another cycle.
- Pay your fees. Once plans are approved, you pay the permit fee plus plan review and the per-permit city fees, and the permit is issued.
- Schedule inspections. Inspections happen at key milestones: foundation, framing, rough-ins, and final. Schedule through DallasNow or the automated inspection line at 214-670-5313.
In a hurry? Two faster lanes exist
The Q-Team offers expedited plan review for rush projects at additional fees, now capped at $10,000 for up to 10 hours of review time. Separately, the Service First express program lets qualifying new single-family projects (3,000 square feet or less, three stories or fewer, outside overlay districts) book in-person review appointments Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. Details and booking contacts are on the city's Planning and Development site.
How long does the whole process take?
Plan review itself is measured in days for residential work. The longer pole in the tent is the full journey from application to permit in hand: the median time to issue a permit was 276 days in 2023, improving to 189 days in 2024 as the department worked through its backlog. The city now publishes live permit activity dashboards showing current median times for residential and commercial permits. As with every city, the biggest controllable factor is on your side: complete plans the first time through.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a building permit cost in Dallas?
It depends on the project. A 2,000 square foot new home runs roughly $1,608 all in, a single-trade remodel permit is about $221, and new multi-family is $652 per unit plus review fees. The calculator at the top of this page runs the city's exact tables.
Where do I apply for a Dallas building permit?
Online through the DallasNow portal at aca-prod.accela.com/DALLASTX, or in person at the Oak Cliff Municipal Center, 320 E. Jefferson Blvd.
How long does Dallas plan review take?
The city's goal is about 5 days for initial residential review. Commercial remodels typically take about 12 business days to first review, and new commercial buildings 20 or more.
Do I need a permit for a remodel in Dallas?
If the work touches electrical, plumbing, mechanical, or structural elements, yes. Purely cosmetic updates generally do not need one. When in doubt, call 214-948-4480.
Who do I contact with questions about my Dallas permit?
The Planning and Development Department's permit line is 214-948-4480, or email residential questions to biresidential@dallas.gov.
Are Dallas permit fees going up soon?
The current schedule took effect July 1, 2025, and the city runs comprehensive fee studies every three years, so the next major update is expected around 2027 to 2028. We re-verify these numbers every September.
Real stories: why permits matter
These are real cases from around the country. The names and fines are real, and every one of them comes down to the same lesson: the permit is the cheap part.
The HGTV stars who skipped permits and paid $20,000 in penalties
HGTV hosts Tristyn and Kamohai Kalama of "Renovation Aloha" flipped houses on Oahu without waiting for building permits. Work on the show's Season 1 homes began before permits were approved, and one home's permit listed only windows and a carport while the crew did $425,000 of structural, electrical and plumbing work. The city revoked the permit and the couple paid $20,000 in penalties, then faced another $40,000 in fines for related rental violations.
Illustrates: even professionals with TV crews behind them cannot outrun the permit office, and fines follow the property.
Source: TV Insider
The New Jersey homeowner hit with a Stop Construction Order and weekly fines
Merrick Wilson of Lambertville, New Jersey, had tenants living in his garage and began installing a bathroom on an enclosed porch without permits. The city issued a Stop Construction Order and fined him $2,000 plus another $2,000 for each week the violations stayed open, and the penalties survived his appeal.
Illustrates: weekly fines turn a small unpermitted project into an open-ended bill.
Source: New Jersey Courts opinion (PDF)
The Florida treehouse that cost its owners 14 years and a $188,621 lien
Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen built a two-story treehouse at their beachfront resort in Holmes Beach, Florida, in 2011. The city cited them for building without a permit, and $125-a-day fines piled up for 14 years. A judge ordered the treehouse removed, it was demolished on August 29, 2024, and in July 2025 the city refused to reduce the resulting $188,621 lien.
Illustrates: fighting the permit office for a decade costs far more than the permit ever would.
Source: Anna Maria Island Sun
The $6.7 million estate with a secret second house built without permits
The owners of a palatial home in West Vancouver, assessed at more than $6.7 million, built a small second residence at the back of the property with no permits and no inspections. After a neighbor complaint, the city posted a Stop Work Order and ordered the 1,500-square-foot structure demolished, and the owners lost their appeal.
Illustrates: wealth does not exempt anyone from permits.
Source: News report (YouTube)
The $3 million "renovation" that was really a new house
Philip and Raven Garrow of West Vancouver pulled a permit to renovate a small house and add a garage, then demolished the original house entirely and built a massive ultra-modern home with almost no permits or inspections. After neighbors complained, the District issued Stop Work orders and asked the B.C. Supreme Court to force demolition at the owners' expense.
Illustrates: a permit for one thing does not cover doing something else.
Source: Canadian Contractor
The flipped rowhouse with an illegal, leaking gas tap
In 2003, Washington Post real estate columnist Jill Chodorov Kaminsky was representing a buyer on a newly flipped rowhouse in Washington, D.C. During the home inspection, they smelled gas and the inspector found the flipper had tapped into the gas meter illegally and it was leaking at an alarming rate. The deadly defect might have been caught earlier if the flip had been properly permitted and inspected.
Illustrates: unpermitted work can be genuinely dangerous, not just a paperwork problem.
Source: Washington Post column (PDF)
The South Florida homeowner facing foreclosure over the previous owner's unpermitted work
Angelica Martinez bought her South Florida home in 2019 after a clean title search. Years later, city inspectors found unpermitted work done by the previous owner, code enforcement fines piled up, and CBS News Miami reported her home was on the brink of foreclosure over violations she did not create.
Illustrates: unpermitted work follows the property, not the person who did it.
Source: CBS News Miami (YouTube)
The Bethesda homeowner whose permits caught the previous owner's shortcut
A Bethesda, Maryland homeowner hired a contractor to build a second story on an addition the previous owner had built. Because the contractor pulled permits before starting, the county discovered the existing addition had never been permitted and required the foundation to be dug up and rebuilt.
Illustrates: pulling permits before you build catches hidden problems while they are still fixable.
Source: Washington Post column (PDF)
The Silver Spring sellers who checked permit records before listing
Before listing a home, agent Jill Chodorov Kaminsky looked up the property's permit history and found the contractor had never pulled permits for a back addition built five years earlier. The sellers hired an engineer, got a post-construction permit, and the only cost was the engineer's report and the permit fee.
Illustrates: a five-minute permit lookup before selling can save a deal and a lawsuit.
Source: Washington Post column (PDF)
The HVAC system that got its permit after the fact, before the sale
A home's new HVAC system had no county inspector approval sticker, and the seller admitted a family member had installed it. Before listing, the seller applied for a permit and received approval after installation.
Illustrates: it is never too late to legalize work.
Source: Washington Post column (PDF)
The treehouse owners who asked the city first (and why you get it in writing)
Before building their treehouse, Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen say they contacted the building department to ask whether they needed a permit and were told they did not. After it was built, code enforcement cited them anyway: the original inquiry described a simple platform in a tree, not the elaborate two-story structure actually built.
Illustrates: asking first is the right instinct, but get the city's answer in writing.
Source: Anna Maria Island Sun
Figures on this page come from the City of Dallas Permit Fee Schedule (Ordinance 33080, effective July 1, 2025) and the Planning and Development Department's published permit materials. Fee schedules are updated periodically, so confirm current fees with the city before finalizing your project budget. Last updated September 2026.
Good News in Dallas
Good things are happening all over Dallas. Here are a few worth knowing about.
Halperin Park Deck Park Opens Over I-35E
February 2026. The five-acre Halperin Park, a deck park spanning I-35E in Oak Cliff, opened in late spring 2026 after nine years of construction. Phase One brings a pavilion, amphitheater, playground, interactive fountains and an overlook facing the Dallas Zoo, and a UNT Dallas study projects $1 billion in economic impact over five years.
Source: CultureMap Dallas
Dallas Ranked No. 8 Best City in America
June 2026. Dallas climbed to No. 8 in Resonance Consultancy's annual America's Best Cities report, up from No. 14 last year, ranking higher than any other Texas city and third nationally for perceived job opportunities.
Source: CultureMap Dallas
Dallas Hosts Nine World Cup Matches, Including a Semifinal
June 2026. AT&T Stadium, rebranded Dallas Stadium for the tournament, hosted nine 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, the most of any venue, including the July 14 semifinal. Argentina, England, the Netherlands and Spain all played before near-capacity crowds.
Source: USA Today
Samsung Moves U.S. Headquarters to Plano, Up to 1,000 Jobs
June 2026. Samsung Electronics America confirmed it will move its U.S. headquarters from New Jersey to its Plano campus by the end of 2026, potentially relocating as many as 1,000 jobs and joining the wave of corporate headquarters choosing North Texas.
Source: D CEO
Lite-On Plans $919 Million McKinney Campus, 600 Jobs
July 2026. Taiwan-based electronics maker Lite-On Technology confirmed a $919 million investment in a new headquarters and manufacturing facility in McKinney, one of the largest private investments in the city's history, bringing around 600 jobs.
Source: The Real Deal
Dig World Dude Perfect Adventure Park Opens at Grapevine Mills
July 2026. Dig World, a construction-themed adventure park inspired by the Dude Perfect crew, opened July 11, 2026 at Grapevine Mills. Visitors get to operate real excavators and take on trick-shot challenges.
Source: Attractions Magazine
Dallas Zoo Unveils $26 Million Safari Trails Expansion
June 2026. The Dallas Zoo announced a $26 million Safari Trails expansion, the first phase of its $119 million Wild Horizons capital campaign and the most ambitious in zoo history. The 10-acre project adds a free-flight flamingo habitat and one of the nation's largest penguin flocks, with construction starting fall 2026.
Source: Courier Texas
Irish Engineering Firm H&MV Plants North American HQ in Dallas
September 2026. H&MV Engineering established its North American headquarters in Dallas with plans to create 1,000 U.S. jobs over five years. The high-voltage engineering specialist is riding the AI and data-center power infrastructure boom, with revenues topping $1.1 billion.
Source: D Magazine
CRAFT Restaurant & Beer Market Opens First U.S. Location in Preston Center
April 2026. CRAFT Restaurant & Beer Market opened its first U.S. location on April 1, 2026 in Dallas' Preston Center: a 500-seat dining and social destination with over 100 taps, a chef-driven menu and one of the area's first rooftop patios.
Source: PR Newswire
ASTRA Kitchen + Lounge Opens in the Dallas Arts District
March 2026. The HALL Arts Hotel unveiled ASTRA Kitchen + Lounge on March 4, 2026, a celestial-themed dining destination in the Dallas Arts District led by Executive Chef Miguel Antonio, with modern Americana cuisine and a signature espresso martini bar program.
Source: Food & Beverage Magazine
Know a good-news story from around Dallas we should feature? We would love to hear about it.