Remodel permits in Austin

Work that doesn't need a permit

The City of Austin Development Services Department lists work that is exempt from building permits for one- and two-family houses and townhouses of up to 3 stories. Its Work Exempt from Building Permits list includes painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops, and similar finish work. You can also repair up to 128 square feet of drywall under this exemption if the repair isn’t part of a fire-rated assembly (built to resist fire), a shear-wall assembly (built to resist sideways force), or a tub or shower surround. The list also covers a foundation repair or floor decking repair up to 128 square feet, along with replacing doors with ones of the same size and operation.

The City of Austin Development Services Department’s plumbing exemptions are narrow. They cover stopping leaks, clearing stoppages, and repairing or replacing fixtures, exposed traps, supply valves, or faucets when no other city department or other trade’s inspection is involved. A new installation or replacement of a shower, tub, or tub-and-shower combination is not exempt. Exempt work still has to meet the building codes.

When a remodel needs a permit

The City of Austin’s Homeowner’s Permit page says a building permit is required to erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, improve, remove, convert, relocate, or demolish any building or structure within the city’s zoning jurisdiction. Building permits cover additions, interior remodels, garage conversions, and carport and porch enclosures, according to the City of Austin’s Types of Permits page. For an interior remodel, the City of Austin requires a building permit when the work changes structural components or involves new or relocated plumbing fixtures. The city requires a demolition permit for total demolitions and partial demolitions that remove more than half of the exterior walls.

The City of Austin’s Homeowner Permitting Resources page says some insurers won’t cover claims for work done without permits. Unpermitted work can also affect your ability to refinance, get a loan, or sell your home, according to the City of Austin.

Express permits for kitchens and bathrooms

The City of Austin’s Express Permits page says Residential Express Building Permits (Minor Repairs) cover small projects, including bathroom remodels with tub or shower conversions and kitchen remodels. Only the tub, shower, or sink surround drywall can be removed, and walls can’t be relocated or removed. Plumbing fixtures can’t be relocated or added, and a trade permit may be required. The city issues most Express Permits in 1 business day, though that timeframe may differ in a floodplain or historic district.

If your project grows past the Express Permit qualifications, the City of Austin requires a new residential building permit application and its fees. Express fees you’ve already paid aren’t reimbursed. A registered general contractor must be assigned to the permit, and a homeowner can act as the general contractor after registering.

Who can pull the permit

The City of Austin says anyone in Texas, including a homeowner, can be a general contractor without a state license. Before construction, general contractors, trade contractors, and homeowners acting as contractors register with the city’s Building and Trade Contractor Services, as explained in Contractor Registration. Electricians, plumbers, and mechanical contractors are among the trade contractors who must be licensed by the State of Texas and registered with the City of Austin before doing any work. The city says all contractors obtain permits for their own work and cautions you about a contractor who asks you to get a permit on their behalf in How to Select a Contractor, so ask for proof of an active building permit and any trade permits before work starts.

The City of Austin’s Homeowner’s Permit page says a homeowner can register as the contractor and handle permits and inspections for their own property. Trade work without a Texas license is allowed only under a Homestead Permit, which requires a homestead exemption on file with the county appraisal district and work in your homestead and principal residence. The city’s Homestead Permit terms also exclude main electric service, refrigerant charging of a ducted system (adding refrigerant to a system with ducts), and liquefied petroleum (LP gas) or auxiliary (additional) water systems.

Additions, garage conversions, and ADUs

The City of Austin’s Residential Plan Review sends additions through the New Construction or Addition application. Raising a house’s roof counts as an addition. For new construction, the city requires foundation plans, wind bracing plans, and framing plans.

For legally established garages, carports, and porches, the City of Austin uses the Garage Conversion or Carport/Porch Enclosure application. A carport that isn’t open on at least 2 sides counts as a garage. If your project includes an interior remodel and a garage conversion, you need both applications and submit them through the interior remodel web form. The city reviews the work against the 2024 International Residential Code, Chapter 3, which requires every sleeping room to have at least one operable emergency escape and rescue opening, such as a window or door you can get out through.

The City of Austin’s Additional Dwelling Units page defines a dwelling unit as a structure with habitable space, a full bathroom, and permanent cooking facilities. An ADU needs SF-1, SF-2, or SF-3 zoning, a lot of 5,750 square feet or more, and its own address, and you apply through the New Construction and Addition application. The city says an ADU built after October 1, 2015 can’t be used as a short-term rental for more than 30 days in a calendar year. The City of Austin’s HOME Amendments say HOME Phase 1, adopted December 7, 2023, allows up to 3 housing units on SF-1, SF-2, and SF-3 lots.

Review times and inspections

Starting July 1, 2026, the City of Austin’s Residential Plan Review lists 5 business days for an interior remodel and 5 business days for a garage conversion or porch enclosure. It lists 10 business days for new construction and additions, and 7 business days for updates submitted for review. An interior remodel combined with a garage conversion takes 10 business days because it requires 2 applications. After the last approval, permit issuance can take 1 to 2 days, and the contractor then activates the permit.

The contractor schedules each inspection through the City of Austin’s Building Inspections process. Inspections run Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., usually 24 hours after scheduling, though an inspector’s workload can push one to the next business day or 48 hours. Residential inspections include building layout and foundation, framing, insulation, wallboard, and final, plus electrical, mechanical, and plumbing rough and final inspections, and a paper copy of the approved plans has to be on site. The City of Austin’s Homeowner’s Permit says an activated permit expires on the 181st day if no inspection has been scheduled or done, and each passing inspection extends it 180 days.

Permits outside Austin city limits

Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Georgetown, Leander, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Buda, Kyle, and Manor each run their own permit office. The Round Rock Building Inspection Division says structural modifications in a single-family remodel, such as removing a wall, require an engineered design on its Round Rock single-family remodel permits page. Buda calls itself a one-permit city. Its Buda building permits page says subcontractors are listed on the building permit application and don’t pull their own mechanical, electrical, or plumbing permits.

Leander says on its Leander permits page that all contractors and subcontractors register before the permit issues. For properties in Leander’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, the area just outside city limits, Leander requires permits only for signs and water or wastewater connections. Georgetown says on its Georgetown residential permits page that building permits apply in its extraterritorial jurisdiction when the City of Georgetown provides the water, wastewater, or electric service.