Texas Commercial Building Permit Cost Estimator
Estimate the cost of a commercial building permit in Texas based on your project's construction valuation, occupancy classification, and local jurisdiction fee schedule. Results are estimates only — always confirm with your local building department.
Enter the full estimated cost of construction (labor + materials).
Total conditioned and unconditioned floor area of the building.
Formula & Fee Components
Grand Total = Building Permit Fee + Plan Review Fee + Technology Fee + Story Surcharge + Sprinkler Permit + MEP Permits + TDLR Fee
- Base Building Permit Fee — ICC tiered valuation table (widely adopted across Texas municipalities):
- ≤ $2,000: flat $50
- $2,001–$25,000: $50 + $20.00 per $1,000 over $2,000
- $25,001–$50,000: $510 + $14.50 per $1,000 over $25,000
- $50,001–$100,000: $872.50 + $12.00 per $1,000 over $50,000
- $100,001–$500,000: $1,472.50 + $9.00 per $1,000 over $100,000
- $500,001–$1,000,000: $5,072.50 + $7.50 per $1,000 over $500,000
- $1,000,001–$5,000,000: $8,822.50 + $6.00 per $1,000 over $1,000,000
- > $5,000,000: $32,822.50 + $5.00 per $1,000 over $5,000,000
- Jurisdiction Multiplier — Applied to base fee to reflect each city's published schedule (Houston 1.10×, Dallas 1.15×, Austin 1.25×, etc.).
- Occupancy Surcharge — Additional percentage for complex occupancies: H (20%), I (15%), E (10%), A (8%), R/F (5%), M (2%), B/S/U (0%).
- Plan Review Fee — 65% of adjusted building permit fee (standard Texas practice per IBC adoption).
- Technology / Records Fee — $0.10 per gross sq ft (range $0.05–$0.15 across Texas cities).
- Multi-Story Surcharge — 3% of base fee per story above 2 (egress, elevator, structural complexity).
- Fire Sprinkler Permit — $0.08 per sq ft, minimum $250.
- MEP Sub-Permits — Mechanical 1.5%, Electrical 1.8%, Plumbing 1.2% of construction valuation (each min $150).
- TDLR Accessibility Fee — $5 per $100,000 of valuation, min $5, max $2,500 (Texas Gov't Code §469.052).
Assumptions & References
- Construction valuation should reflect total project cost including labor and materials per IBC §109.3.
- Fee schedule based on ICC Building Valuation Data table, widely adopted by Texas municipalities.
- Jurisdiction multipliers derived from published fee schedules: City of Houston Code of Ordinances Ch. 10, Dallas Development Services Department, City of Austin Land Development Code, City of San Antonio UDC, Fort Worth Building Services.
- Plan review fee of 65% is standard practice under Texas IBC adoption; some cities charge 50%–85%.
- TDLR fee mandated by Texas Government Code §469.052 for accessibility compliance review.
- MEP permit fees are estimates; actual fees vary by contractor license type and scope of work.
- Does not include: impact fees, tap fees, zoning/platting fees, fire marshal review fees, TxDOT driveway permits, or third-party inspection fees.
- Texas adopts the International Building Code (IBC) with local amendments per Texas Local Government Code §214.212.
- Estimate range of ±15% reflects variability in local fee schedules and project scope interpretation.
- Always verify fees with your local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) before budgeting.