Austin vs Dallas Permit Fees (2026)

How Each City Structures Its Fees

Both cities price new homes per square foot and neither adds a state levy, but the mechanics differ. Austin sums five separate trade lines into the permit and charges a high, flat-based plan review. Dallas charges a single building-permit line from Table A-I, handles trades through a separate inspection schedule, and uses a lower plan-review floor.

Scope note: Austin's $922.70 is the sum of five trade lines (Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy). Dallas's $645.69 is the Table A-I building permit only; Dallas trade inspections are billed separately through its minimum inspection fee schedule, so the two permit figures are not a strict like-for-like. The plan-review and demolition lines compare directly.

Worked Examples

New 1,000 sq ft home (permit + plan review)

Dallas is about $784 lower at this scope, before Dallas's separate trade inspections. Austin's $986.15 plan-review base alone is $409.15 more than Dallas's $577 plan-review floor. Dallas's July 1, 2025 schedule prints residential plan review as $0.046 per sq ft or $577, whichever is greater - ten times lower per square foot than the prior schedule's $0.46 - so confirm the rate with Dallas Development Services; at 1,000 sq ft the $577 floor applies under either rate.

Demolition of a 1,500 sq ft house

Austin charges a flat $81.07 demolition permit; Dallas charges $205 + $0.21/sq ft, which is $520 for a 1,500 sq ft structure. Austin also prints a $60.50 pre-demolition inspection, so a typical Austin demolition is $141.57 - still far cheaper than Dallas. Both exclude utility disconnects and any asbestos survey.

How to Read the Difference

• New construction: Dallas is lower at the building-permit-plus-plan-review level, mainly because Austin's plan-review base ($986.15 + $112.76) is so much higher than Dallas's $577 floor. Remember Austin's permit already includes the trades; Dallas bills trade inspections on top.
• Demolition: Austin wins decisively - a flat $81.07 (plus a $60.50 pre-demolition inspection) against Dallas's $205 + $0.21 per square foot.
• Small remodels: Dallas's single-family alteration is a flat $181 plus $100 per additional trade - very simple and cheap. Austin runs remodels through an addition/remodel plan-review tier plus per-square-foot permit lines.
• Neither adds a Texas statewide percentage levy. Dallas has a 10% add-on for planned-development areas only. The 10% Austin Energy technology fee printed on the FY 2025-26 schedule does not appear on the FY 2026-27 residential schedule.

Practitioner Insight

The headline number on a new home in either city is plan review, not the permit. Austin makes that explicit - it charges plan review as a high flat base ($986.15) that dwarfs the per-square-foot permit on a modest home. Dallas keeps plan review lower with a $577 floor but recovers more through its separate trade-inspection schedule, so the apparent Dallas advantage narrows once you count the trades a project needs. When budgeting, get both numbers - the permit and the plan review - and in Dallas also ask how many trade inspections your scope triggers at $125 each. In both cities, the utility and impact charges that sit outside the permit are frequently the largest line of all on new construction.

Austin vs Dallas Permit FAQ

Is a building permit cheaper in Austin or Dallas?

For a new 1,000 sq ft home, the building permit plus residential plan review is lower in Dallas - about $1,238 against about $2,022 in Austin - largely because Austin's plan-review base is higher. Note Austin's permit bundles five trade lines while Dallas bills trade inspections separately, so the gap narrows once Dallas trades are counted.

Which city is cheaper for a demolition permit?

Austin, clearly. Austin charges a flat $81.07 demolition permit (plus a $60.50 pre-demolition inspection, $141.57 together), while Dallas charges $205 plus $0.21 per square foot - about $520 for a 1,500 sq ft house.

Do either Austin or Dallas charge a state permit levy?

No. Texas has no statewide percentage levy on permits. Dallas has a narrow 10% add-on for planned-development / specific-use-permit / deed-restricted areas. The 10% Austin Energy technology fee printed on the FY 2025-26 schedule does not appear on the FY 2026-27 residential schedule.

Why is the Austin permit higher even though both price per square foot?

Two reasons. Austin's permit is the sum of five trade lines, while Dallas's Table A-I figure is a single building-permit line. And Austin's plan-review base ($986.15 + $112.76) is far above Dallas's $577 floor. The plan-review difference is the bigger driver.

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