Baytown vs College Station: Building Permit Fees Compared (2026)

Key Takeaways

• Opposite fee models: Baytown charges a flat new-home fee by size tier - $1,660 under 2,000 sq ft, $1,900 for 2,000-4,000 sq ft, $2,030 over 4,000 sq ft - and the schedule states it includes MEP permit fees. College Station charges $0.74/sq ft for the building permit and bills electrical, mechanical, and plumbing separately.
• Small home: On a 1,000 sq ft new home, College Station is cheaper - about $970 (build-up estimate, 12-fixture plumbing assumption) versus Baytown's $1,660 flat fee.
• Large home flips it: Baytown's flat fee stays at $1,900 (2,000-4,000 sq ft) while College Station's $0.74/sq ft building fee alone reaches $1,900 at about 2,570 sq ft - and College Station still adds separate trade permits on top. Above that size, Baytown is the cheaper all-in permit.
• Scope warning: Baytown's single new-home number already includes mechanical, electrical, and plumbing; College Station's per-sq-ft building number does not. Do not read the two raw figures as covering the same work.
• Small jobs favor College Station: Re-roof $95 vs Baytown $128; demolition $67 vs $128. Windows are near-identical ($127 vs $128).
• No state levy either way: Texas has no statewide percentage permit levy, and neither city prints a percentage surcharge. Impact and utility tap fees are excluded on both sides.

How Each City Structures Its Fees

Baytown's residential new-construction permit is a three-step flat fee - $1,660 under 2,000 sq ft, $1,900 for 2,000 to 4,000 sq ft, and $2,030 above 4,000 sq ft - and the schedule says that fee "Includes MEP Permit Fees," so the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work on a new house is inside that single number. College Station charges $0.74/sq ft for the building permit on a new single-family home or duplex, then bills electrical (minimum $54 for the first 1,000 sq ft), mechanical (minimum $55), and plumbing ($40 base + $6.75 per fixture) as separate lines; its FY26 schedule prints no separate residential plan-review line and is CPI-adjusted each October 1. The result: Baytown front-loads a flat, all-in number that is size-insensitive within each tier, while College Station's total climbs steadily with square footage and fixture count.

Source vintages: Baytown's figures come from its Building Permit Fee Schedule printed June 1, 2026 (current). College Station's figures come from its FY26 PDS fee schedule (updated September 29, 2025; effective October 1, 2025; current). The College Station building-fee estimate at 3,000 sq ft (~$2,220) is $0.74/sq ft × 3,000 for the building permit only and excludes its separate trade permits. Impact fees are excluded from every figure in this table for both cities.

Worked Example: New Home, Small vs Large

Because Baytown is flat and College Station scales, one worked size hides the story. Here are two: a 1,000 sq ft home and a 3,000 sq ft home, permit-office charges only, impact and utility fees excluded in both. Baytown's figures are the exact printed tier fees (which include MEP). College Station's figures are build-up estimates from its verified line items; the plumbing line assumes 12 fixtures (labeled), and the 3,000 sq ft building figure is the $0.74/sq ft building permit only, before its separate trade permits.

Baytown's $1,660 and $1,900 are the exact printed tier fees and include MEP. College Station's ~$970 at 1,000 sq ft = $740.00 + $54.00 + $55.00 + $121.00; the $121.00 plumbing line depends on the 12-fixture assumption and moves $6.75 per fixture. At 3,000 sq ft, College Station's building permit alone is $2,220.00 ($0.74 × 3,000) - already above Baytown's $1,900 flat fee - and its electrical, mechanical, and plumbing trade permits are billed on top of that, so the crossover where Baytown becomes cheaper sits near the 2,570 sq ft mark ($1,900 / $0.74). Every College Station figure is a build-up estimate; Baytown's tier fees are exact.

Which City Is Cheaper?

• Small new homes (under about 2,570 sq ft): College Station. Its per-sq-ft building fee plus separate trades stays under Baytown's flat tier - about $970 versus $1,660 at 1,000 sq ft. Remember Baytown's number already includes MEP, so part of the gap is scope.
• Large new homes (over about 2,570 sq ft): Baytown. Its flat fee holds at $1,900 (2,000-4,000 sq ft) or $2,030 (over 4,000 sq ft) with MEP included, while College Station's building permit alone passes $1,900 at roughly 2,570 sq ft and then piles trade permits on top.
• Re-roof: College Station, $95 versus Baytown's $128 - $33 less.
• Demolition: College Station, $67 versus Baytown's $128 - about half.
• Windows / doors / siding: Effectively a tie - $127 in College Station, $128 in Baytown.
• Pools: Scope contrast, not a clean winner. Baytown charges a flat $620 that includes MEP; College Station's building-side pool fee is valuation-based ($40 for the first $1,000 + $6.70 per $1,000 up to $50,000, so a $40,000 pool works out to $301.30 - see the College Station pool permit guide), with electrical and plumbing billed separately. Baytown's higher number buys a bundled MEP permit.
• Reinspection: Baytown's is billed hourly ($65/hour, 1-hour minimum) versus College Station's flat $132, so a single quick reinspection is cheaper in Baytown.

To sanity-check a specific project against other jurisdictions we cover, run the permit fee calculator or browse the full comparison hub. For how College Station stacks up against a big metro, see College Station vs Austin.

When This Comparison May Not Apply

• Scope is not identical: Baytown's new-home fee includes MEP permit fees; College Station's per-sq-ft building fee does not - its electrical, mechanical, and plumbing are separate lines. The College Station "total" in the worked example builds those trades back in, but the raw table figures are not one-for-one, and the department decides how any specific job is filed.
• Impact fees change the picture on new construction: Both cities bill impact and utility tap fees separately, and they are excluded from every figure above. College Station's are itemized and substantial (water $2,150 + wastewater $3,300 for a 5/8" meter, roadway and parkland fees per dwelling unit); Baytown bills impact and water/sewer tap fees on separate schedules. On a new home these routinely exceed the permit itself.
• The College Station plumbing line is an assumption: Its plumbing fee is $40 base + $6.75 per fixture; the worked example assumes 12 fixtures, and your fixture count moves the total.
• Baytown residential processing fee: The $35 permit processing fee on Baytown's schedule is printed under the commercial sections; no processing fee is printed for residential permits, so none is added here - confirm with the department whether one applies at filing.
• Indexing and revisions: College Station's schedule is CPI-adjusted every October 1, so its figures reset annually. Baytown's schedule is dated June 1, 2026 and can be revised by the city. Confirm both before budgeting.
• Estimates only: Every College Station combined total on this page is a build-up estimate from verified line items, not an official quotation. Baytown's tier fees are exact but still subject to the department's determination of your project's classification.

Baytown vs College Station Permit FAQ

Is a building permit cheaper in Baytown or College Station?

It depends on home size. On a 1,000 sq ft new home, College Station is cheaper - about $970 (build-up estimate) versus Baytown's $1,660 flat fee. But Baytown's fee is flat by tier and includes MEP, while College Station's scales with size and bills trades separately, so above about 2,570 sq ft Baytown becomes the cheaper all-in permit. On small jobs, College Station wins on re-roofs ($95 vs $128) and demolition ($67 vs $128).

Why is Baytown's new-home fee a single flat number?

Baytown prices residential new construction as a flat fee by improvement square footage - $1,660 under 2,000 sq ft, $1,900 for 2,000-4,000 sq ft, and $2,030 over 4,000 sq ft - and the schedule states that fee includes the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing permit fees. So one number covers the building permit and the trades, unlike College Station, which separates them.

Do the two figures cover the same work?

Not exactly. Baytown's flat fee includes MEP; College Station's $0.74/sq ft building fee does not - its electrical, mechanical, and plumbing are separate line items. When we quote a College Station "total," we add those trade permits back in so the comparison is fair, and we label it a build-up estimate. Always confirm how your specific project is classified with each department.

How much is a pool permit in each city?

Baytown charges a flat $620 for a residential swimming pool permit, and the schedule states that fee includes MEP. College Station uses a valuation-based schedule for the building-side pool fee ($40 for the first $1,000 of value + $6.70 per additional $1,000 up to $50,000, so a $40,000 pool is $301.30), with electrical and plumbing billed separately. Baytown's higher headline number buys a bundled MEP permit.

Are these the current fee schedules?

Yes. Baytown's Building Permit Fee Schedule is printed June 1, 2026 and was re-confirmed live July 4, 2026. College Station's FY26 PDS fee schedule is effective October 1, 2025 (updated September 29, 2025) and is CPI-adjusted each October 1, so expect its figures to reset annually. Confirm both before filing.

How do I apply in each city?

Baytown: Planning and Development Services, City Hall, 2401 Market Street, Baytown, TX 77522, (281) 422-8281, fee information at baytown.org/822/Building-Permit-Fees. College Station: Planning & Development Services, 1101 Texas Ave., College Station, TX 77840, 979-764-3500, cspds@cstx.gov, via the eTRAKiT portal.

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