Fort Worth Permit Fee Estimator
Residential estimates based on the City of Fort Worth published fee schedule, effective October 1, 2024.
Estimates are based on the city's published building permit tables only. They exclude trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical), impact fees, and plan review deposits. We are not a government agency and aren't liable for differences between these estimates and final city billing. Fee schedule current as of September 2026; the city publishes a new schedule effective October 1, 2026.
Residential Building Permits in Fort Worth: 2026 Guide
Fort Worth keeps growing, and with growth comes construction. Whether you are building a new home in North Fort Worth or adding on to a bungalow in Fairmount, the permit fee is usually the first number you need. Here is how it actually works.
How Fort Worth calculates your fee
Fort Worth does not base residential permit fees on what your project costs. It bases them on square footage, using a tiered bracket system. That is good news for you, because it makes the math predictable.
Small projects start with a flat $96.84 covering the first 65 square feet. From there, each bracket adds a per-foot charge, and the per-foot rate gets smaller as the project gets bigger. The city rewards scale, in other words.
Here is what that looks like in real numbers. Take a 2,400 square foot new home. A base of $892.25 covers the first 1,400 square feet, and the remaining 1,000 square feet are charged at 37 cents a foot. Total: about $1,262.
A few more examples so you can sanity-check your own project:
- 1,000 square foot addition: about $692
- 2,400 square foot new home: about $1,262
- 3,000 square foot new home: about $1,476
The full city table runs from that $96.84 minimum up through very large projects, with the per-foot rate stepping down in each higher bracket. Our calculator above runs the exact city brackets, so the number you get is the number the table produces.
What about remodels? Let's be straight about it
This is the part most estimator sites get wrong, so here is the honest version. Fort Worth does not publish a fixed fee table for interior remodels. If a website gives you an exact remodel permit number without talking to the city, it is guessing. Your best move is calling Development Services at 817-392-2222 and getting a real quote. We would rather tell you that than hand you a confident-sounding number we made up.
The 200 square foot shed rule
Detached sheds and accessory structures have their own friendlier fee table. But here is the part homeowners love: a detached shed under 200 square feet, with no plumbing and no electrical, generally does not need a building permit at all. You still have to respect setback rules, usually 5 feet from your side and rear property lines, so check your lot before you build.
Heads up: new fees are coming
The city is publishing a brand new fee schedule that takes effect October 1, 2026. Our calculator uses the current published schedule, and we will update it when the new numbers drop. If you are planning a project for late 2026, treat today's estimate as a solid ballpark and confirm with the city before you budget to the dollar.
What the estimate does not include
The building permit is only one piece. Trade permits for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work are priced separately, item by item. Impact fees may apply depending on your project and location. Factor those in before you finalize your budget.
How to Get a Building Permit in Fort Worth, Texas
The short version: You apply online through the City of Fort Worth's Accela Citizen Access portal, the Development Services Department reviews your plans (a full review usually takes about 7 business days), you pay your permit fees, and then you schedule inspections as the work moves along. New homes and additions are priced by square footage, and remodels are priced by how many trades are involved.
Do you actually need a permit?
In Fort Worth, most real construction work needs one. The city's Development Services Department issues residential permits in five categories: new construction, additions, remodels, accessory structures and pools. If your project falls into any of those buckets, plan on getting a permit before work starts.
Projects that commonly trigger a permit:
- Building a new home or adding a room, a second story or any enclosed living space
- Remodeling work that touches electrical, plumbing, mechanical or structural elements
- Building or enlarging a detached garage, workshop, shed, carport or patio cover
- Installing a swimming pool, hot tub or spa
- Replacing a roof when the decking or sheathing is being changed out along with the shingles
- Installing or replacing an HVAC system
- Building a solid fence over 7 feet tall or an open-design fence over 8 feet tall, and any fence work inside a historic district
Rule of thumb from the city's own remodel packet: if your re-roof only swaps the shingles and leaves the decking alone, no permit is required. The moment the decking comes off, you need one.
What usually does not need a permit
Cosmetic work generally does not need a permit in Fort Worth. Painting, new flooring, cabinets and countertops, and other surface-level updates that do not touch structure, electrical, plumbing or mechanical systems are typically fine to do without one. When in doubt, a quick call to Development Services at 817-392-2222 settles it, and that call is a lot cheaper than a stop-work order.
How to apply, step by step
- Figure out your permit type. Match your project to one of the city's categories: new construction, addition, remodel, accessory structure or pool. Each one has its own application packet and checklist on the city's residential building permit page.
- Gather your documents. A complete set of construction plans is required for every residential permit type. You may also need a site plan, a certified copy of the plat, energy code compliance forms (when adding conditioned or heated space), and an urban forestry permit if the property under common ownership is an acre or more.
- Apply online. Every residential permit type in Fort Worth is submitted through Accela Citizen Access, the city's online permitting system, at acaprod.accela.com/CFW. You create an account, choose your permit type, upload your documents and submit. The customer service line is 817-392-2222.
- Wait for plan review. City reviewers check your plans against zoning rules like setbacks and height limits, the building code, and any historic or overlay district requirements. A full review of building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing plans is completed within about 7 business days. If reviewers find issues, they send comments and you resubmit corrections, which starts another review cycle, so clean and complete plans are the fastest way through.
- Pay your fees. Once plans are approved, you pay the permit fee and the permit is issued. Every permit also carries a $31.50 application fee and a $16.87 technology fee on top of the base permit fee.
- Schedule inspections. With the permit in hand and work underway, inspections happen at key milestones such as the foundation, framing, rough-ins for electrical, plumbing and HVAC, and the final walkthrough. Inspections are scheduled through the Accela portal.
What a Fort Worth building permit costs
Fort Worth prices residential permits two different ways, depending on your project. New construction and additions are priced by new square footage using a sliding scale from the city's fee schedule (Ordinance No. 27191-09-2024, effective October 1, 2024). The first 65 square feet cost $96.84, then the per-foot rate steps down as the project gets bigger: $0.70 per foot up to 700 square feet, $0.50 up to 1,400, $0.37 up to 2,700, $0.33 up to 11,800, $0.25 up to 24,500 and $0.19 beyond that. Small projects on one- and two-family homes (500 square feet or less) get a reduced rate that starts at $58.10.
Common projects: a 200 square foot addition is about $191 in base permit fees, a 2,000 square foot new home is about $1,114, and a 2,400 square foot new home is about $1,262.
Remodels are priced by the number of trades involved: one trade starts at $112.50, two trades are $225, three are $337.50, four are $450 and five are $562.50. Accessory structures like detached garages and sheds follow their own square-footage table starting at $96.84 for the first 175 square feet.
Remember the $31.50 application fee and $16.87 technology fee get added to every permit, so budget a little above the base number. Heads-up: the city proposed a roughly 5 percent building permit fee increase for the fiscal year starting October 1, 2026, so confirm the current schedule before you budget a project.
How long does the whole process take?
Plan review itself is typically measured in days, not weeks, with the city targeting about 7 business days for a full review. The part that stretches timelines is usually on the applicant's side: incomplete plans, missing documents like the plat or energy forms, and corrections that trigger additional review rounds. Submitting a complete packet the first time is the single best thing you can do to keep things moving.
What happens if you skip the permit
It is not worth it. Building without a required permit can bring a stop-work order that halts your project cold, daily fines, and in some cases an order to tear out completed work so it can be inspected. Permits applied for after work has started can be assessed at double the normal fee. The permit almost always costs less than the penalty.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for a Fort Worth building permit online?
Yes. All residential permit types are submitted through Accela Citizen Access at acaprod.accela.com/CFW.
How much does a building permit cost in Fort Worth?
New construction and additions are priced by square footage starting at $96.84, remodels are priced by trade starting at $112.50 for one trade, and every permit adds a $31.50 application fee plus a $16.87 technology fee. A typical 2,000 square foot new home runs about $1,114 in base permit fees.
How long does it take to get a building permit in Fort Worth?
The city's plan review target is about 7 business days for a full review. Incomplete applications and correction cycles add time.
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Fort Worth?
If you are only replacing shingles, no. If the roof decking or sheathing is being replaced too, you need a building permit.
Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?
Sheds and other accessory structures generally need a permit, and solid fences over 7 feet (or open-design fences over 8 feet) do as well. Any fence work in a historic district needs a permit regardless of height.
Who do I contact with questions about my permit?
The Development Services Department's customer service line is 817-392-2222, at 200 Texas Street in downtown Fort Worth.
How long is a Fort Worth building permit good for?
Permits generally expire if work has not started within 180 days of issuance, or if work stops for 180 days after the last inspection.
Real stories: why permits matter
These are real cases from around the country. The names and fines are real, and every one of them comes down to the same lesson: the permit is the cheap part.
The HGTV stars who skipped permits and paid $20,000 in penalties
HGTV hosts Tristyn and Kamohai Kalama of "Renovation Aloha" flipped houses on Oahu without waiting for building permits. Work on the show's Season 1 homes began before permits were approved, and one home's permit listed only windows and a carport while the crew did $425,000 of structural, electrical and plumbing work. The city revoked the permit and the couple paid $20,000 in penalties, then faced another $40,000 in fines for related rental violations.
Illustrates: even professionals with TV crews behind them cannot outrun the permit office, and fines follow the property.
Source: TV Insider
The New Jersey homeowner hit with a Stop Construction Order and weekly fines
Merrick Wilson of Lambertville, New Jersey, had tenants living in his garage and began installing a bathroom on an enclosed porch without permits. The city issued a Stop Construction Order and fined him $2,000 plus another $2,000 for each week the violations stayed open, and the penalties survived his appeal.
Illustrates: weekly fines turn a small unpermitted project into an open-ended bill.
Source: New Jersey Courts opinion (PDF)
The Florida treehouse that cost its owners 14 years and a $188,621 lien
Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen built a two-story treehouse at their beachfront resort in Holmes Beach, Florida, in 2011. The city cited them for building without a permit, and $125-a-day fines piled up for 14 years. A judge ordered the treehouse removed, it was demolished on August 29, 2024, and in July 2025 the city refused to reduce the resulting $188,621 lien.
Illustrates: fighting the permit office for a decade costs far more than the permit ever would.
Source: Anna Maria Island Sun
The $6.7 million estate with a secret second house built without permits
The owners of a palatial home in West Vancouver, assessed at more than $6.7 million, built a small second residence at the back of the property with no permits and no inspections. After a neighbor complaint, the city posted a Stop Work Order and ordered the 1,500-square-foot structure demolished, and the owners lost their appeal.
Illustrates: wealth does not exempt anyone from permits.
Source: News report (YouTube)
The $3 million "renovation" that was really a new house
Philip and Raven Garrow of West Vancouver pulled a permit to renovate a small house and add a garage, then demolished the original house entirely and built a massive ultra-modern home with almost no permits or inspections. After neighbors complained, the District issued Stop Work orders and asked the B.C. Supreme Court to force demolition at the owners' expense.
Illustrates: a permit for one thing does not cover doing something else.
Source: Canadian Contractor
The flipped rowhouse with an illegal, leaking gas tap
In 2003, Washington Post real estate columnist Jill Chodorov Kaminsky was representing a buyer on a newly flipped rowhouse in Washington, D.C. During the home inspection, they smelled gas and the inspector found the flipper had tapped into the gas meter illegally and it was leaking at an alarming rate. The deadly defect might have been caught earlier if the flip had been properly permitted and inspected.
Illustrates: unpermitted work can be genuinely dangerous, not just a paperwork problem.
Source: Washington Post column (PDF)
The South Florida homeowner facing foreclosure over the previous owner's unpermitted work
Angelica Martinez bought her South Florida home in 2019 after a clean title search. Years later, city inspectors found unpermitted work done by the previous owner, code enforcement fines piled up, and CBS News Miami reported her home was on the brink of foreclosure over violations she did not create.
Illustrates: unpermitted work follows the property, not the person who did it.
Source: CBS News Miami (YouTube)
The Bethesda homeowner whose permits caught the previous owner's shortcut
A Bethesda, Maryland homeowner hired a contractor to build a second story on an addition the previous owner had built. Because the contractor pulled permits before starting, the county discovered the existing addition had never been permitted and required the foundation to be dug up and rebuilt.
Illustrates: pulling permits before you build catches hidden problems while they are still fixable.
Source: Washington Post column (PDF)
The Silver Spring sellers who checked permit records before listing
Before listing a home, agent Jill Chodorov Kaminsky looked up the property's permit history and found the contractor had never pulled permits for a back addition built five years earlier. The sellers hired an engineer, got a post-construction permit, and the only cost was the engineer's report and the permit fee.
Illustrates: a five-minute permit lookup before selling can save a deal and a lawsuit.
Source: Washington Post column (PDF)
The HVAC system that got its permit after the fact, before the sale
A home's new HVAC system had no county inspector approval sticker, and the seller admitted a family member had installed it. Before listing, the seller applied for a permit and received approval after installation.
Illustrates: it is never too late to legalize work.
Source: Washington Post column (PDF)
The treehouse owners who asked the city first (and why you get it in writing)
Before building their treehouse, Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen say they contacted the building department to ask whether they needed a permit and were told they did not. After it was built, code enforcement cited them anyway: the original inquiry described a simple platform in a tree, not the elaborate two-story structure actually built.
Illustrates: asking first is the right instinct, but get the city's answer in writing.
Source: Anna Maria Island Sun
Figures on this page come from the City of Fort Worth's adopted fee schedule (Ordinance No. 27191-09-2024, effective October 1, 2024) and the Development Services Department's published permit materials. Fee schedules are updated periodically, so confirm current fees with the city before finalizing your project budget. Last updated September 2026.
Good News in Fort Worth
Good things are happening all over Fort Worth. Here are a few worth knowing about.
Texas A&M-Fort Worth Opens First Downtown Campus Building, Breaks Ground on Second
August 5, 2026. Texas A&M University System opened its eight-story, 228,000-square-foot Law & Education Building, the first of a $1.5 billion, five-building downtown campus, and broke ground on the 11-story Research & Innovation Building-A. The completed campus is projected to support more than 25,000 direct and indirect jobs and over $3 billion in annual economic activity.
Source: Texas A&M University System
Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership Wins National Mac Conway Award
July 2026. The Partnership received the 2026 Mac Conway Award for Excellence in Economic Development from Site Selection magazine, one of 23 organizations nationwide honored, for capital investment, job creation, and regional economic performance.
Source: GMI Post
AllianceTexas Lands Billions in Aerospace, AI, and Manufacturing Investment
January 2026. Siemens is putting $190 million into a new electrical products manufacturing hub, Wistron is spending $761 million on two AI supercomputer facilities, Embraer announced a new aircraft service center, and Fort Worth has been recognized as the aerospace and defense capital of Texas for ten years running.
Source: AllianceTexas
Fort Worth Woman-Owned Company Makes Inc. 5000 for Sixth Straight Year
September 2026. Fort Worth-based eosera, a founder-led, woman-owned ear care brand, earned a spot on the Inc. 5000 for the sixth consecutive year, with a roughly 44-person team, about 90% women, developing, manufacturing, and shipping every product from Fort Worth.
Source: PR Newswire
$2.8 Billion in Development in Downtown Fort Worth Pipeline
April 9, 2026. Downtown Fort Worth Inc. reports roughly $2.8 billion of development in the near-term pipeline, including the second phase of the Fort Worth Convention Center, nearly 1,600 apartment units, and 1,400 hotel rooms. The Stockyards is drawing more than 10 million visitors a year.
Source: Downtown Fort Worth Inc. (PDF)
Stockyards Gains 418 Apartments, Wins 2026 CoStar Impact Award
2026. The Union at Stockyards, a 418-unit luxury apartment development completed in 2025, gave the historic Stockyards district the one thing it lacked: housing, turning the 133-year-old district into a genuine live-work-play neighborhood and winning a 2026 CoStar Impact Award.
Source: CoStar
Historic Stockyards Hotel Undergoes $30 Million Renovation
February 2026. The 1907 Stockyards Hotel closed April 6, 2026, for a comprehensive renovation exceeding $30 million. Its longtime steakhouse H3 Ranch is expected to reopen in late 2026, with the hotel returning in early 2027.
Source: PaperCity
Omni Fort Worth Hotel Plans $217 Million Expansion
February 2026. The Omni Fort Worth Hotel is planning a roughly $217 million expansion adding at least 400 guest rooms, expanded meeting space, and a minimum 15,000-square-foot restaurant, with the City of Fort Worth contributing over $50 million in support.
Source: PaperCity
New 13.5-Acre Community Park Opens in Fort Worth's Vista West
January 26, 2026. A brand-new 13.5-acre community park opened in the Vista West neighborhood with pickleball and basketball courts, a splashpad, playground, zip line, soccer field, baseball backstop, dog park, shaded gazebo with picnic tables and grills, and walking trails.
Source: Riverton Journal
Heritage and Paddock Parks Get $34 Million Overhaul, Opening November 2026
2026. Downtown Fort Worth Inc. unveiled schematic plans for a roughly $34 million improvement of Heritage and Paddock Parks, targeting a November 2026 opening, with improved walkability, a canopy walk through the tree canopy, and river stairs connecting to the Trinity River Trails.
Source: Fort Worth Magazine
Texas's Largest Production Studio Thrives in Fort Worth
January 2026. SGS Studios, the 450,000-square-foot studio founded by Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan with Hillwood and Paramount Television, is now the largest production studio in Texas. Film productions are happening across the city, with crews, spending, and cultural cachet flowing to Cowtown.
Source: AllianceTexas
New Neighborhood Bar Concept, Bronc's Tack Room, Opens in the Stockyards
April 2026. A casual, affordable "bar and griddle" at 115 W. Exchange Ave. serving griddled sandwiches and ice-cold beer, open seven days a week with weekday lunch.
Source: CultureMap Fort Worth
Hotel SOMA Brings "Casitas in the City" to the Near Southside
February 2026. A new concept of 31 private tiny homes and four custom Airstreams set around a shared courtyard off South Main Street, within walking distance of Near Southside restaurants and bars.
Source: PaperCity
Know a good-news story from around Fort Worth we should feature? We would love to hear about it.