Texas Building Permits
Building permits in Texas are issued by cities and counties, not the state, so the rules depend on where your home is. These are the Texas city we cover: Austin.
Texas Permit Activity at a Glance
Across the city below, we counted 4,425 issued permits for the home projects we track between October 30, 2025 and October 30, 2026. The counts come straight from each city's open permit data and are refreshed monthly. The busiest category was HVAC work in Austin, with 2,212 permits. Where the data includes an application date, the fastest median time from application to issue was 5 days (HVAC in Austin) and the slowest was 104 days (deck in Austin).
Austin Building Permits
5 project guides · 4,425 permits in 12 months · City of Austin Development Services Department
In Austin, residential permits are issued by the City of Austin Development Services Department. Our counts use the city's Austin Issued Construction Permits dataset. Short answers for each project we cover:
- Roof replacement: Often no. Austin exempts asphalt shingles that replace asphalt shingles, and any roof covering that does not affect the roof structure. You do need a permit (normally an Express permit) to replace more than 128 sq ft of roof decking, or if the home is in the Wildland-Urban Interface and 50% or more of the roof is replaced.
- AC or furnace replacement: Yes. Replacing a central heat and air system, a packaged unit or a mini-split in a one- or two-family home requires a Residential Change-Out permit, pulled by a licensed mechanical contractor. Replacing supply and return duct runs alone is exempt.
- Solar panel installation: Yes. Solar panels or solar shingles inside Austin city limits that interconnect to Austin Energy need a residential building permit. Systems in the ETJ use a separate auxiliary permit through the AB+C portal.
- New fence: Usually no. A fence up to 7 feet high is exempt from a building permit unless it is in a flood hazard area. A permit is required above 7 feet, and residential fences over 6 feet along a public right-of-way also need a letter of authorization.
- New deck or porch: Usually yes. A deck is exempt only if it is 200 sq ft or less, no more than 30 inches above grade, not attached to the house, not used for egress and not in a flood hazard area. Other decks need a building permit; repairs limited to existing deck boards are exempt.
| Project Guide | Permit Needed? | Permits in 12 Months | Median Days to Issue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Roofing Permits | Often no | 1,081 | 28 |
| Austin HVAC Permits | Yes | 2,212 | 5 |
| Austin Solar Panel Permits | Yes | 660 | 9 |
| Austin Fence Permits | Usually no | 87 | 94 |
| Austin Deck Permits | Usually yes | 385 | 104 |
How to Use These Texas Guides
Start with the city that issues permits for your address. If you live outside city limits, your county or township usually handles permits instead, and its rules can differ from the city pages here. Each project guide quotes the official rule, lists any fee the city publishes, and links to the source so you can confirm it before you start work. Permit counts show how often each kind of job is permitted locally, and median days to issue show how long a typical application took over the last 12 months. Rules and fees change, so treat the official source as final and call the permit office if your project is unusual.
Data last refreshed October 30, 2026.