Georgetown vs Round Rock: Building Permit Fees Compared (2026)

Key Takeaways

• New home - Round Rock wins big: Georgetown charges $125 application + $0.50/sq ft + $25 tech ($150 fixed plus 50 cents a foot), while Round Rock charges a flat $485 with plan review bundled. Georgetown only undercuts $485 below about 670 sq ft, so for any normal-size home Round Rock is cheaper - a 2,000 sq ft home is $1,150 vs $485.
• What each new-home number includes: Georgetown bundles the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing trades into the building permit for ground-up construction, with no separate plan review for a two-story, four-unit-or-fewer home. Round Rock's $485 bundles plan review but prices standalone trade permits at $50 each when pulled separately.
• Pools are Georgetown's clear win: a flat $110 (in-ground, above-ground, or spa) versus Round Rock's $350 in-ground / $125 above-ground. On a backyard in-ground pool, Georgetown is more than $200 cheaper.
• Decks depend on size: Georgetown scales at $0.50/sq ft ($170 for 200 sq ft), Round Rock is a flat $125 uncovered. Small decks (about 110 sq ft or less) are cheaper in Georgetown; larger decks are cheaper in Round Rock.
• Demolition, sheds, fences, re-roofs favor Round Rock: demolition $50 vs $110, shed $50 vs $170 (200 sq ft), and Round Rock requires no permit at all for a fence or a re-roof, while Georgetown charges $60 for each.
• Source vintages differ - both carry caveats: Georgetown's schedule is dated Revised October 2, 2023 (over two years old); Round Rock's figures come from live department pages with no printed effective date (the only dated companion PDF is marked August 2023). Every figure on both sides should be confirmed with the city.
• No state levy in either city. Texas has no statewide permit surcharge. Both cities bill impact, capital-recovery, and utility fees separately - none of those are in any figure on this page.

How Each City Structures Its Fees

Georgetown prices new residential construction per square foot: a $125 application fee plus $0.50/sq ft plus a $25 technology fee, with the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing trades bundled for ground-up construction and no plan review on a standard house. Its smaller projects split into a miscellaneous residential line ($60 + $0.50/sq ft + $10 tech, used for decks, additions, patio covers, and sheds) and a flat menu ($110 pool, $60 fence, $60 re-roof, $110 demolition), each carrying a $10 technology fee. Round Rock publishes a flat-fee menu: one number per project type, with residential plan review bundled into the building permit.

Source-currency note (applies to both sides of this page): Georgetown's Construction Fee Schedule is dated Revised 10.2.23 (effective October 1, 2023) - over two years old, though it is the current version linked from Development Services. Round Rock's figures come from its current live Building Inspection department pages, retrieved 2026, which carry no printed effective date (the only dated companion PDF is marked August 2023). If either city has adopted newer fees, its side of this comparison would shift.

Solar note: Georgetown's schedule lists flat $50 lines for "solar tubes" and "solar attic fans," but it does not itemize a rooftop photovoltaic (PV) solar permit as a distinct flat fee - so this page does not print a Georgetown rooftop-solar figure and routes that project to the department. Round Rock publishes a flat $150 solar fee.

Worked Examples: New Single-Family Home

Same assumptions in both cities: a new single-family home at the stated square footage, permit-office charges only (utility, water meter, tap, and impact fees excluded on both sides). Georgetown totals are all-in: $125 application + $0.50/sq ft + $25 technology fee, with trades bundled for ground-up construction. Round Rock is a flat $485 with plan review bundled at every size (undated live pages - see source note above).

Crossover, computed from verified inputs: Georgetown's all-in cost is $150 fixed ($125 app + $25 tech) plus $0.50/sq ft, so it passes Round Rock's flat $485 at about 670 sq ft. Below roughly 670 sq ft Georgetown is cheaper; above it - which is nearly every real house - Round Rock is cheaper. Scope note: the two totals are close in spirit but not identical - Georgetown bundles all four trades into one permit, while Round Rock's $485 bundles plan review and prices standalone trade permits at $50 each when pulled separately.

Project-by-Project Comparison

All Georgetown figures are all-in, including the $10 technology fee on miscellaneous and flat-menu items, from the Revised 10.2.23 schedule. All Round Rock figures are from current live department pages with no printed effective date (see source note above).

Remodels and interior finish-outs are deliberately not compared as a single number: Georgetown prices them under the same miscellaneous residential line ($60 + $0.50/sq ft + $10), while Round Rock's remodel methodology is in transition (its August 2023 companion PDF uses a valuation table while its live pages list flat fees), so the two are not directly comparable. For deck specifics, see the Georgetown deck permit guide and the Round Rock deck permit guide.

Which City Is Cheaper?

• New homes of any normal size: Round Rock. Its $485 flat fee never moves, while Georgetown's $150 + $0.50/sq ft passes $485 at just 670 sq ft and keeps climbing - $1,150 at 2,000 sq ft, $1,400 at 2,500 sq ft.
• Pools: Georgetown, decisively. A flat $110 versus Round Rock's $350 in-ground pool - a savings of $240 - and $110 vs $125 for an above-ground pool or spa.
• Decks: it depends on size. A small deck (about 110 sq ft or less) is cheaper in Georgetown ($120 at 100 sq ft vs $125); a larger deck is cheaper under Round Rock's flat $125 ($170 vs $125 at 200 sq ft).
• Demolition and sheds: Round Rock - $50 vs $110 on demolition, and $50 vs $170 on a 200 sq ft shed.
• Fences and re-roofs: Round Rock, because it charges nothing - no fence permit at all, and no re-roof permit unless the roof structure is modified. Georgetown permits both at $60 each.
• Solar: not a clean comparison - Round Rock publishes a flat $150, while Georgetown does not itemize a rooftop-PV permit as a distinct flat line, so route a Georgetown solar project to the department.

These are close neighbors: Georgetown and Round Rock are both in Williamson County, roughly 10 miles apart along I-35 in the Austin metro. To sanity-check a specific project against other jurisdictions we cover, run the permit fee calculator or browse the full comparison hub. For how Round Rock's flat menu stacks up against Austin's per-square-foot system, see Austin vs Round Rock.

When This Comparison May Not Apply

• Different source vintages - both dated: Georgetown's schedule is Revised October 2, 2023 (over two years old). Round Rock's figures come from live department pages with no printed effective date; the only dated companion PDF is marked August 2023. If either city has adopted newer figures, its side of every table above would shift.
• Scope is close, not identical: Georgetown's per-square-foot new-home fee bundles the structure plus all trades, with no separate plan review on a standard house. Round Rock's $485 bundles plan review but prices standalone trade permits at $50 each when pulled separately, so a Round Rock project that pulls multiple standalone trades will cost more than the headline flat fee.
• Permit fees are not total project cost: Both cities bill impact/capital-recovery, utility, and tap fees separately. Georgetown's October 2023 schedule lists a 5/8" water meter at $7,337 water + $4,088.04 wastewater plus $500-per-unit engineering fees; Round Rock adds a water meter, water/sewer line charges, and per-LUE impact fees on new construction. None of those are in any figure on this page.
• Solar is not directly comparable: Round Rock lists a flat $150, but Georgetown does not itemize a rooftop-PV permit as a distinct flat line, so it is left out of the head-to-head totals.
• ETJ pricing differs: Georgetown standalone trade permits jump to $200 + $10 in the extraterritorial jurisdiction versus $50 + $10 inside the city.
• Penalties change the math: Round Rock charges double the fee when work starts before a permit is issued.

Georgetown vs Round Rock Permit FAQ

Is a building permit cheaper in Georgetown or Round Rock?

It depends on the project. For a new home, Round Rock's flat $485 is much cheaper than Georgetown's $150 + $0.50/sq ft (which passes $485 at just 670 sq ft) - a 2,000 sq ft home is $1,150 vs $485. But Georgetown wins decisively on pools ($110 vs $350 in-ground) and on very small decks. Round Rock is cheaper on demolition, sheds, and anything that needs no permit there (fences, re-roofs).

How is a new-home permit calculated in each city?

Georgetown charges a $125 application fee plus $0.50 per square foot plus a $25 technology fee, with the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing trades bundled for ground-up construction and no plan review on a standard two-story, four-unit-or-fewer house. Round Rock charges one flat $485 building permit with plan review bundled, and prices standalone trade permits at $50 each when pulled separately.

Why is a pool permit so much cheaper in Georgetown?

Georgetown prices a swimming pool - in-ground, above-ground, or spa - as a flat $100 permit plus a $10 technology fee, or $110 all-in. Round Rock charges $350 for an in-ground pool and $125 for a spa or above-ground pool. On a backyard in-ground pool, Georgetown is $240 cheaper. Pool electrical and barrier work are handled separately in both cities.

Do I need a permit for a fence or a re-roof in either city?

In Round Rock, no on both counts - fences need no building permit, and a re-roof needs no permit unless the roof structure is modified. In Georgetown, both are permitted at a flat $50 plus the $10 technology fee - $60 each. That makes Round Rock free where Georgetown charges $60.

At what deck size does the cheaper city flip?

Georgetown's deck is $60 + $0.50/sq ft + $10, so it ties Round Rock's flat $125 uncovered deck at about 110 sq ft. Below that, Georgetown is slightly cheaper ($120 at 100 sq ft); above it, Round Rock's flat fee wins ($125 vs $170 at 200 sq ft). See the Georgetown deck guide for the full breakdown.

Does either city charge a state or city surcharge?

Texas has no statewide permit levy, so neither city adds one. Georgetown's across-the-board add-on is a technology fee ($25 on a new home, $10 on miscellaneous and flat-menu permits). Round Rock adds no city surcharge but charges double the fee when work begins before a permit is issued. Both cities bill impact and utility fees separately.

Sources