Dallas permits run through DallasNow, and the fees changed for the better
Fees verified November 2026. Source: City of Dallas Permit Fee Schedule, Ordinance 33080, effective July 1, 2025.
Almost every building permit in Dallas now starts in the same place: DallasNow, the city online portal for applications, plan uploads, fee payment, and inspection scheduling. Understanding that portal, and understanding how Dallas rebuilt its fee schedule in 2024 and 2025, will save you both time and money. This guide covers the process step by step, explains the fee overhaul honestly, and then walks through the three examples homeowners and builders ask about most: a 2,000 square foot new home, a single trade remodel, and a new multi family building priced per unit.
The fee overhaul story: 2015 prices, a 2023 study, and a 2025 correction
Dallas had not updated its permitting fees since 2015. For nearly a decade, builders paid rates set for a very different construction market, while the cost of running plan review and inspections kept rising. In 2023 the city commissioned a comprehensive fee study. That study led to a full overhaul adopted in May 2024, and then to corrections that took effect on July 1, 2025 under Ordinance 33080, which is the schedule this site uses today.
The headline change in the 2025 corrections was plan review. The plan review fee was cut by roughly 90 percent, from $0.46 to $0.046 per square foot. That cut matters on every project that carries a separate review charge, because review is calculated on the whole building area. The corrections also fixed other parts of the schedule, including the commercial remodel formula. Looking ahead, Dallas now runs a comprehensive fee study every three years, so the next major update is expected around 2027 to 2028. If you are planning a project on that horizon, budget with the current schedule and then recheck the numbers before you file.
The DallasNow process, step by step
- Figure out your permit type. Match the project to the city categories: new single family or duplex home, new multi family building, new commercial building, residential alteration, or commercial alteration. Each category has its own submittal requirements and its own fee table, so choosing correctly at the start prevents a mispriced application.
- Gather your documents. Construction plans are required, and depending on the project you may also need a site plan, a survey, and energy code compliance forms. Submit a clean and complete set the first time. Incomplete submittals are the most common cause of delay, because every set of reviewer comments starts another review cycle.
- Apply online through DallasNow. Go to aca-prod.accela.com/DALLASTX, the DallasNow portal, create an account, start the application, upload your plans and documents, and submit. The portal handles the application around the clock, and it remains your dashboard for comments, payments, and inspections.
- Wait for plan review. Reviewers check the plans against zoning, the building code, and any overlay or historic requirements that apply to the property. Meet the review goals described below by keeping an eye on the portal and responding to comments promptly and completely.
- Pay your fees. Once plans are approved, you pay the base permit fee, any plan review fee, and the per permit city fees: a $15 technology fee and a $25 document handling fee, $40 in total. The permit is then issued.
- Schedule inspections and build. Inspections happen at key milestones such as the foundation, framing, rough in work, and the final inspection. Schedule through DallasNow or through the inspection line at 214-670-5313, and keep the approved plans on site.
If you would rather work in person, the permit center is at the Oak Cliff Municipal Center, 320 E. Jefferson Blvd. The Planning and Development permit line is 214-948-4480, and residential questions can go by email to biresidential@dallas.gov. For rush projects, the city also offers expedited review options and express programs for qualifying small residential projects. Ask the permit line what currently applies to your project type before you count on a faster lane.
A fee walk through, with worked examples
Example 1: a 2,000 square foot new home, about $1,608 all in
New single family and duplex homes are priced by square footage on a sliding scale. For a 2,000 square foot home, the base permit fee from the published table is about $991. Plan review is charged at $0.046 per square foot with a $577 minimum. On 2,000 square feet, the per foot math gives $92, so the $577 minimum is what applies. Add the $40 in city fees, the $15 technology fee plus the $25 document handling fee. The total is about $991 plus $577 plus $40, which equals roughly $1,608 all in. Note how the review minimum, not the per foot rate, drives the review charge on a typical house. That is a direct result of the 2025 cut to $0.046: at the old $0.46 rate, the same house would have carried a far larger review fee.
Example 2: a single trade remodel, about $221
Home remodels and alterations on single family and duplex homes are priced per trade. A single trade project, such as an electrical panel upgrade, carries a base fee of $181 in the calculator on this site, built from the published per trade table of $181 plus $100 for each additional trade. Add the $40 in city fees, and the total is about $221. A two trade kitchen project that touches electrical and plumbing would start from a higher base on the same per trade logic. When you estimate a remodel, count the trades honestly: electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and structural work each count, and understating the count only creates a correction later.
Example 3: new multi family, $652 per unit plus review fees
New multi family buildings use the simplest table in the Dallas schedule: $652 per dwelling unit. A 10 unit building therefore starts at $6,520 in base permit fees, and a 20 unit building at $13,040, in each case plus plan review fees and the $40 city fees. Plan review still applies at $0.046 per square foot with the $577 minimum, calculated on the total building area, so on a large building the per foot charge will exceed the minimum and become a real line item. Use the home page estimator to run your exact unit count and square footage together.
Two cautions apply to every example above. First, a 10 percent surcharge applies in planned development districts, specific use permit areas, and deed restricted areas, and our estimates exclude it. Check your property status before you finalize a budget. Second, the published brackets have small jumps at their edges, and the city sets the final fee when you submit. Treat every figure here as a solid, schedule based estimate rather than a quote.
Review timelines by project type
| Project type | Published review goal |
|---|---|
| Initial residential review | About 5 days |
| Commercial remodel, first review | About 12 business days |
| New commercial building | 20 business days or more |
These are goals for the first review, not a guarantee of a permit in hand. Comments, corrections, and resubmittals add cycles, and the total journey from application to issuance depends heavily on the completeness of the first submittal. The city publishes permit activity information showing current performance, so if timing is critical to a closing or a construction loan, check the current picture and build contingency into your schedule.
Inspections: the last mile of the permit
After the permit issues, inspections verify the work at each stage. Typical residential milestones include the foundation, framing, rough in inspections for the trades, and a final inspection. Schedule inspections through DallasNow or by calling the inspection scheduling line at 214-670-5313. Keep the permit and approved plans accessible on site, and do not cover work before its rough in inspection has passed. Failed inspections are usually fixable, but each return visit costs schedule time, so walking the work before you call is time well spent.
Where to go and who to call
- Online: DallasNow at aca-prod.accela.com/DALLASTX for applications, uploads, payments, and inspection scheduling.
- In person: Oak Cliff Municipal Center, 320 E. Jefferson Blvd.
- Permit questions: Planning and Development permit line, 214-948-4480.
- Residential email: biresidential@dallas.gov.
- Inspection scheduling: 214-670-5313.
Start with the calculator on our home page for a schedule based estimate, read the short answers on our frequently asked questions page, and explore Dallas community resources for homeowners and builders when you are ready to connect with local help.
Figures on this page come from the City of Dallas Permit Fee Schedule, Ordinance 33080, effective July 1, 2025. Estimates exclude the 10 percent surcharge that applies in planned development, specific use permit, and deed restricted areas, and any expedited review fees. Confirm current fees with the city before finalizing your budget. Last updated: November 2026.