Building Permits in San Antonio

San Antonio requires a building permit for most construction, alteration, and repair work that affects structural, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical systems. Permits are issued by the City of San Antonio Development Services Department (DSD), which administers zoning, plan review, and field inspections for the city.

San Antonio has adopted the 2024 building-related codes — including the 2024 International Building Code (IBC), 2024 International Residential Code (IRC), 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC), 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), and the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), each with local amendments. These codes took effect May 1, 2025, under City Ordinance No. 2025-01-30-0075. Note that Texas has no statewide building code — the locally adopted DSD codes are the governing standard in San Antonio.

When You Need a Permit

You generally need a San Antonio building permit for:

• New construction, additions, and accessory structures including ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units)
• Structural alterations, load-bearing wall changes, and foundation work
• Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical (HVAC) changes
• Reroofing and window or door openings in exterior walls
• Swimming pools, spas, and retaining walls above a height threshold
• Demolition of any habitable structure
• Fences above applicable height thresholds

Minor cosmetic work (painting, floor coverings, cabinetry without plumbing or electrical changes) is typically exempt. The DSD maintains an official No Permit Required List at the City of San Antonio's website. When in doubt, contact DSD at (210) 207-1111 before starting work.

BuildSA — The Online Portal

BuildSA is the City of San Antonio DSD's customer portal for permit applications, plan review, and inspections. Through BuildSA you can:

• Create a personal or contractor account
• Submit new residential and commercial permit applications
• Receive your application record number
• Upload construction documents to the DSD Plan Room for electronic plan review
• Respond to plan review correction comments
• Pay fees
• Request and track inspections

The portal is available at sanantonio.gov/dsd/online. The DSD also operates a walk-in Development Services counter at 1901 South Alamo, San Antonio, TX, open Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

New residential combination permits bundle all trade work — mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and flatwork — into a single permit record. Separate trade permits for each discipline are not required on combination permits, simplifying the application and inspection process.

Permit Costs

San Antonio DSD permit fees are established in the current DSD Fee Schedule, which is updated periodically and published at sanantonio.gov/DSD/Online/Fee. The DSD also provides an online fee estimator on the same page. Fees are typically calculated based on:

• Building permit fee — scales with project valuation
• Plan review fee — based on project scope and valuation
• Inspection fees — per required inspection
• Impact and development fees — for new construction or added square footage
• Trade permit fees — electrical, plumbing, mechanical (bundled in combination permits for residential)

Do not rely on third-party fee estimates. Always use the current DSD Fee Schedule linked in the sources above for exact amounts.

Typical Timeline

DSD publishes a Building Permit Chart (available at docsonline.sanantonio.gov) listing first-review time goals by permit category. Actual timelines vary with workload, project complexity, and completeness of the submittal.

Preliminary plan review meeting minutes are signed off by DSD reviewers within 10 business days of receipt and uploaded to the BuildSA record.

The Process

1. Pre-submittal: Confirm zoning, applicable codes, and any overlay districts for your parcel using the DSD zoning resources
2. Plans: Prepare construction drawings; a licensed Texas architect or engineer stamp is required for projects exceeding applicable thresholds
3. Submit via BuildSA: Create an account, submit your application online, and receive a record number
4. Upload documents: Upload PDF construction documents to the DSD Plan Room; review begins after DSD confirms a complete submittal
5. Completeness review: DSD first checks that all required documents are present before beginning technical review and invoicing plan review fees
6. Technical plan review: DSD disciplines (building, fire, planning, and others based on scope) review plans for code compliance
7. Corrections: Respond to correction comments in BuildSA and resubmit until all disciplines approve
8. Permit issuance: Pay remaining fees and receive the permit
9. Inspections: Schedule required inspections at each construction phase
10. Final: Pass final inspection and, where applicable, receive a Certificate of Occupancy (CO)

Inspections

Inspection stages for a typical residential project include:

• Foundation / footings
• Underground plumbing and electrical
• Framing
• Rough-in plumbing, electrical, and mechanical (top-out)
• Insulation — must be completed after all rough-in, top-out, and frame inspections pass
• Drywall / sheetrock — may only be installed after rough inspections are approved
• Final building and trade inspections

Schedule inspections through the BuildSA Customer Portal, the Inspection Scheduler web or mobile app, or by calling the Inspection Request Line at (210) 207-1111. Phone scheduling carries a $3 fee; online and app scheduling is free.

Common Reasons for Denial or Corrections

• Plans don't meet the adopted 2024 San Antonio building-related codes or local amendments
• Missing engineering calculations, energy compliance documentation, or design-professional stamps
• Zoning conflicts (setbacks, height, lot coverage, use) under the Unified Development Code (UDC)
• Missing civil or site review items (drainage, right-of-way, utility clearances)
• Historic district or overlay zone review not completed
• Incomplete submittal or missing documents in the BuildSA Plan Room
• Property not properly platted and recorded at Bexar County Courthouse (required for new residential)

Official Sources

Always verify current requirements with the City of San Antonio Development Services Department and the BuildSA portal before starting your project. See the sources listed in the frontmatter for direct links to DSD, the BuildSA portal, the DSD Fee Schedule, and the adopted building codes ordinance.

Disclaimer: This guide summarizes publicly available information from official City of San Antonio sources and is provided for general orientation only. It does not constitute legal or engineering advice. Building code and permitting requirements change — always confirm current rules with the City of San Antonio Development Services Department at (210) 207-1111 or sanantonio.gov/DSD before submitting plans or starting construction.