Fort Worth Remodel Permit Costs

Remodel permits in Fort Worth are priced by trade, not by square footage

Fees verified November 2026. Source: City of Fort Worth fee schedule, Ordinance 26-28781, effective October 1, 2026.

If you are planning a kitchen update, a bathroom renovation, or a full interior gut remodel in Fort Worth, the first surprise is usually how the city prices the permit. New homes and additions are priced by square footage. Remodels are different. Fort Worth prices a residential remodel by the number of trades involved in the work, and that single fact changes how you should budget, how you should describe your project on the application, and how you should talk to your contractor before anyone files paperwork.

This guide walks through the remodel fee table exactly as the city publishes it, adds the two fees that go on top of every permit, and then works three complete examples: a simple one trade job, a three trade kitchen or bath remodel, and a five trade gut remodel. It also explains what counts as a trade, where the line sits between a remodel and an addition, what inspections to expect, and how the 180 day permit clock works.

The Fort Worth remodel fee table

Under the current schedule, which took effect on October 1, 2026 and raised fees roughly 5 percent over the previous schedule, the base permit fee for a residential remodel depends only on the trade count:

Two points in that table deserve emphasis. First, every permit adds a $31.50 application fee and a $16.87 technology fee, which together add $48.37 to the base fee. Budget for the total in the right hand column, not just the base fee in the second column. Second, the totals above are the building permit total before any separate trade permits or impact fees. As our main estimator page notes, trade permits for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work are priced separately, and impact fees can apply depending on the project and location. The city confirms the final billing when you apply, so treat these totals as the permit total on the published schedule, not as a quote for every charge a large project might carry.

What counts as a trade?

A trade is a distinct licensed area of construction work involved in your project. In a typical home remodel, the trades homeowners run into most often are electrical, plumbing, mechanical work such as heating and air conditioning, and structural or framing work. The practical question is not how many contractors visit your house. The question is how many distinct kinds of regulated work the project includes.

A few everyday examples help. Replacing a water heater and moving its supply lines is plumbing work. Adding recessed lighting and new circuits is electrical work. Rerouting ductwork or replacing an air handler is mechanical work. Removing a load bearing wall and installing a beam is structural work. A project that only touches one of those areas is a one trade remodel for fee purposes. A project that touches three of them is priced at the three trade rate, even if one general contractor coordinates all of it.

This is also why an honest scope matters at application time. If you describe a kitchen remodel as electrical only, and the reviewer can see plumbing and structural work in the plans, you should expect comments, a correction cycle, and a fee adjustment. Describing the full scope up front is faster and cheaper than revising it later.

Worked example 1: a one trade job

Consider a straightforward project: an electrical panel upgrade with new circuits for a home office, and no plumbing, mechanical, or structural changes. That is one trade. The base fee is $112.50. Add the $31.50 application fee and the $16.87 technology fee, for $48.37 in added fees. The permit total is $112.50 plus $48.37, which equals $160.87, before any separate trade permit charges the city may assess. For a small job like this, the two flat fees are a meaningful share of the total, which is worth knowing before you assume a small project will carry a very small permit bill.

Worked example 2: a three trade kitchen or bath remodel

Now consider the most common mid size project we hear about: a kitchen remodel that keeps the existing footprint but moves the sink, adds dedicated appliance circuits and lighting, and adjusts a duct run to fit the new layout. That project involves plumbing, electrical, and mechanical work, so it counts as three trades. The base fee for three trades is $337.50. Add the application fee of $31.50 and the technology fee of $16.87. The arithmetic is $337.50 plus $48.37, which equals a permit total of $385.87, before any separate trade permits or impact fees.

A bathroom remodel often lands in the same place. Moving a shower drain is plumbing, adding a heated floor or new lighting is electrical, and extending an exhaust or duct run is mechanical. Even though the room is small, the trade count is what drives the fee, not the room size. That is the core difference between remodel pricing and new construction pricing in Fort Worth, and it is why two remodels of the same square footage can carry different permit fees.

Worked example 3: a five trade gut remodel

A full gut remodel is where the trade count climbs. Picture a house taken back to the studs: new electrical throughout, replumbed supply and drain lines, a new heating and cooling system, structural changes to open the main living area, and the general building work to put it all back together. At five trades, the base fee is $562.50. Add $31.50 and $16.87, and the permit total is $562.50 plus $48.37, which equals $610.87, again before separate trade permits or impact fees.

Even at this level, the building permit itself is usually a small line item compared with the construction budget. The bigger financial risk in a gut remodel is not the permit fee. It is delay: incomplete plans, correction cycles, and inspections scheduled out of sequence. A complete plan set and a realistic trade list at submittal protect your schedule far more than any fee saving could.

When a remodel stops being a remodel

The remodel table only applies while you are working inside the existing structure. The moment your project adds new enclosed square footage, Fort Worth prices that new space as an addition, using the square footage table instead of the trade table. Additions start at $102.00 for the first portion of space, and common examples from the published schedule include about $202 in base permit fees for a 200 square foot addition, about $1,171 for a 2,000 square foot new home, about $1,327 for a 2,400 square foot home, and about $1,551 for a 3,000 square foot home.

Projects often split across both systems. A kitchen remodel combined with a bump out addition, for example, can involve remodel pricing for the interior work and square footage pricing for the added space. Accessory structures have their own table as well: they start at $102.00 for the first 175 square feet, and a 500 square foot shed runs about $167 in base fees. If your project mixes categories, use our home page estimator for the square footage pieces and call Development Services at 817-392-2222 to confirm how the city will classify the combined scope.

Inspections and the 180 day clock

A permit is not finished when it is issued. Work is inspected at key stages, which can include foundation work where relevant, framing, rough in inspections for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems, and a final inspection when the work is complete. Inspections are scheduled through the Accela Citizen Access portal, and keeping the approved plans and permit available on site makes each visit smoother.

Timing matters because Fort Worth permits generally expire if work has not started within 180 days of issuance, or if work stops for 180 days after getting underway. A remodel that stalls for half a year while you wait on materials or financing can therefore create a second problem on top of the delay itself. If your start date is uncertain, talk to Development Services before you apply, and once work begins, keep inspections moving so the permit stays active.

One roof note that comes up often in remodel planning: replacing shingles only, with the decking left alone, does not require a permit in Fort Worth. Replacing the roof decking does require one. If your remodel includes roof work, that distinction decides whether the roof belongs in your permit scope at all.

How to apply for a Fort Worth remodel permit

1. Define the scope and count the trades. List every kind of regulated work in the project before you start the application, so the fee and the plan set match the real job.
2. Gather your documents. A complete set of construction plans is required for residential permits, and you may also need a site plan, a certified copy of the plat, and energy code forms when conditioned space is involved.
3. Apply online through Accela Citizen Access. Submit at acaprod.accela.com/CFW, the City of Fort Worth portal. Create an account, choose the remodel permit type, upload your documents, and submit.
4. Allow for plan review. The city targets about 7 business days for a full plan review. Reviewers check zoning, building code, and any historic or overlay district requirements. Comments lead to corrections and another review cycle, so complete plans are the fastest route.
5. Pay the fees and receive the permit. Once plans are approved, you pay the base fee plus the $31.50 application fee and the $16.87 technology fee, and the permit is issued.
6. Build, inspect, and close out. Schedule inspections as work reaches each stage, and finish with the final inspection so the permit closes cleanly.

Questions at any step go to Development Services customer service at 817-392-2222, at 200 Texas Street in downtown Fort Worth. For square footage pricing on new homes, additions, and accessory structures, start with the calculator on our home page, and see our frequently asked questions for the short answers. You can also read about community resources for Fort Worth homeowners and small builders.

Figures on this page come from the City of Fort Worth adopted fee schedule, Ordinance 26-28781, effective October 1, 2026. Permit totals shown are the base fee plus the application and technology fees, before separate trade permits or impact fees. Confirm current fees with the city before finalizing your budget. Last updated: November 2026.