San Marcos vs Austin: Building Permit Fees Compared (2026)

Key Takeaways

• New home: On the same 1,000 sq ft assumption, San Marcos's permit-side total is about $645 (building $630 + $15 tech fee; up to about $819 if E/M/P child permits are billed separately) versus about $1,842.04 in Austin (build-up estimate) - roughly a third of Austin's figure.
• Same-vintage schedules: Both cities are on FY 2025-26 fee schedules effective October 1, 2025 - a clean same-cycle comparison, unlike comparisons that mix schedule vintages.
• Different structures: Austin charges five separate per-square-foot trade lines (Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy) plus a separate plan review and processing fee. San Marcos charges $0.63/sq ft for the residential building permit plus a flat $15 technology fee, with electrical, mechanical, and plumbing as separate trade permits and no separate residential plan-review line.
• Re-roof: San Marcos meters roofs at $0.10/sq ft (capped at $2,000), so a 1,800 sq ft re-roof is about $180 - versus Austin's $370 roof replacement inspection.
• Reinspection flips the pattern: Austin charges $76.23 for a reinspection versus San Marcos's $263.00 - one of the few core lines where Austin is much cheaper.
• Impact fees are excluded on both sides - and they are substantial. San Marcos bills water/wastewater capital recovery and a $444-per-unit parkland development fee separately; Austin Water tap and capital recovery fees are likewise separate. On a new home, these routinely exceed the permit itself in either city.

How Each City Structures Its Fees

Both cities price new homes per square foot, but they slice the bill differently. Austin charges the dwelling permit as five separate per-square-foot trade lines - Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, and Energy - and then bills plan review separately on its own tier table plus a $106.72 application processing fee. San Marcos charges $0.63/sq ft for the residential building permit plus a flat $15.00 technology fee on every permit; its trades (electrical, mechanical, plumbing) are separate permits, and it prints no separate residential plan-review line - instead it collects a non-refundable application deposit of half the permit fee (capped at $2,000) that is credited to the permit balance when plans go into review. Whether the E/M/P child permits are required in addition to the $0.63/sq ft building fee on a new home is not stated on the San Marcos schedule (a disclosed ambiguity - verify with the Permit Center).

Source vintages match: San Marcos's figures come from its Development Fees schedule (Resolution 2025-185R; effective October 1, 2025; re-confirmed on the city's Fee Schedule page July 4, 2026). Austin's figures come from its FY 2025-26 residential fee schedule (effective October 1, 2025; updated November 13, 2025; current). Impact fees are excluded from every figure in this table for both cities.

Worked Example: New Home at 1,000 sq ft

Same assumptions in both cities: a new single-family home of 1,000 sq ft, permit-office charges only. Utility, meter, and impact fees are excluded in both. San Marcos's electrical, mechanical, and plumbing lines are shown at the $58 child-permit rate and flagged as an assumption, because the schedule does not state whether those trade permits are required in addition to the $0.63/sq ft building fee on a new home. Both totals are build-up estimates assembled from verified line items.

Both totals are arithmetic from verified line items on each city's FY 2025-26 schedule and are labeled build-up estimates. San Marcos's building-plus-tech figure ($645.00 = $630.00 + $15.00) is firm; the $58-per-trade electrical/mechanical/plumbing lines are a disclosed assumption because the schedule does not state whether they are required in addition to the building permit on new construction. Austin's ~$1,842.04 = $838.82 + $896.50 + $106.72, using its base tier (up to 1,000 sq ft); every Austin trade line and the plan-review tier step up with square footage. Scope note: Austin's total includes its separate plan-review and processing lines; San Marcos prints no separate residential plan-review line, so the two totals are close in scope but not perfectly identical.

Which City Is Cheaper?

• New construction: San Marcos, decisively. On the 1,000 sq ft same-assumption example, its permit-side total (~$645, or ~$819 with trade child permits) is roughly a third of Austin's (~$1,842.04). Caveat: Austin's figure includes its separate plan-review lines, while San Marcos prints no separate residential plan-review line (a half-fee application deposit is credited to the balance instead).
• Re-roof: San Marcos. Roofs are $0.10/sq ft (capped at $2,000), so a 1,800 sq ft re-roof is about $180 versus Austin's $370 roof replacement inspection - about $190 less. See the Austin roof replacement permit guide for the full Austin picture.
• Decks: San Marcos publishes a clean $0.53/sq ft deck line - a 200 sq ft deck is $121 (see the San Marcos deck permit guide). Austin prices deck-scale projects through its small-projects and trade-line system rather than one deck fee, so this is a methodology contrast, not a dollar-for-dollar winner.
• Demolition: Austin, slightly - $73.70 versus San Marcos's $105.00.
• Pools: Methodology contrast only - no dollar-for-dollar winner can be printed. San Marcos charges a flat $263 for the pool permit line (trade permits separate); Austin publishes no flat pool permit total, only a $132.86 Small Projects Plan Review and $67.10 standalone-project inspections. The two are not directly comparable.
• Reinspection: Austin, by a wide margin - $76.23 versus San Marcos's $263.00.

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

When This Comparison May Not Apply

• Impact fees change the picture on new construction: Both cities bill impact fees separately, and they are excluded from every figure above. San Marcos bills water/wastewater capital recovery fees and a $444-per-single-family-unit parkland development fee separately; Austin Water tap and capital recovery fees plus other charges are likewise separate. On a new home, these routinely exceed the permit itself in either city.
• The San Marcos trade lines are an assumption: The schedule does not state whether the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing child permits ($58 each under a general contractor) are required in addition to the $0.63/sq ft building fee on a new home. The worked example shows them at that rate but flags it - your all-in San Marcos figure moves by up to $174 depending on how the Permit Center bills the trades.
• Scope is close, not identical: Austin bills five trade lines plus a separate plan review and processing fee; San Marcos separates its trades but prints no separate residential plan-review line and collects a half-fee application deposit that is credited to the balance. If San Marcos bills review differently in practice, its side of the worked example would shift.
• Larger homes: Austin's trade lines and plan-review tier step up with square footage above 1,000 sq ft, while San Marcos's building fee is a straight $0.63/sq ft with no tiering, so the ratio at the 1,000 sq ft floor is a snapshot, not a constant - San Marcos's advantage widens on bigger homes.
• Payment and penalties: Austin adds a 2.35% ($2 minimum) credit-card service fee for payments through the Austin Build + Connect portal. San Marcos doubles the fee for work started without a permit ($200 flat for a homeowner's own work) and charges $315 for resubmittals after the second staff review.
• Estimates only: Every combined total on this page is a build-up estimate from verified line items, not an official quotation. Verify with each department before budgeting.

San Marcos vs Austin Permit FAQ

Is a building permit cheaper in San Marcos or Austin?

San Marcos, for most core residential work. On a same-assumption 1,000 sq ft new home, San Marcos's permit-side total is about $645 (build-up estimate; up to about $819 with trade child permits) versus about $1,842.04 in Austin (build-up estimate) - roughly a third of Austin's figure. Re-roofs (about $180 vs $370) also favor San Marcos. Austin wins on reinspections ($76.23 vs $263.00) and demolition ($73.70 vs $105.00).

Why is Austin's new-home figure so much higher?

Structure. Austin charges the dwelling permit as five separate per-square-foot trade lines ($838.82 combined at the base tier up to 1,000 sq ft) and then adds a separate plan review ($896.50 base tier) plus a $106.72 application processing fee. San Marcos charges $0.63/sq ft for the residential building permit plus a flat $15 technology fee, prints no separate residential plan-review line, and credits a half-fee application deposit to the balance.

Does San Marcos charge separate electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits on a new home?

The schedule lists residential stand-alone trade permits at $63 each and child permits pulled under a general contractor at $58 each, but it does not state whether those E/M/P permits are required in addition to the $0.63/sq ft building permit on new construction. This page shows them at the $58 child-permit rate as a labeled assumption. Confirm how the trades are billed with the Permit Center at (512) 805-2630 before budgeting an all-in new-home total.

How much is a pool permit in each city?

San Marcos charges a flat $263.00 for the swimming pool permit line, with any electrical or plumbing trade work priced separately. Austin does not publish a single flat pool permit total - its printed lines are a $132.86 Small Projects Plan Review and $67.10 standalone-project inspections - so the two cities are not directly comparable on pools. Verify the full Austin figure with the Development Services Department.

Are these the current fee schedules?

Yes. Both cities are on FY 2025-26 schedules effective October 1, 2025: San Marcos's Development Fees schedule (Resolution 2025-185R, re-confirmed on the city's Fee Schedule page July 4, 2026) and Austin's DSD residential fee schedule (updated November 13, 2025). Fees can be revised by council action, so confirm before filing.

What is NOT included in these figures?

Impact fees, in both cities. San Marcos bills water/wastewater capital recovery fees and a $444-per-unit parkland development fee separately; Austin bills Austin Water tap and capital recovery fees plus other charges separately, and adds a 2.35% ($2 minimum) credit-card service fee through its Austin Build + Connect portal. On a new home these impact and utility charges routinely exceed the permit itself.

How do I apply in each city?

San Marcos: Planning & Development Services - Permit Center, 630 E. Hopkins, San Marcos, TX 78666, (512) 805-2630, permitinfo@sanmarcostx.gov. Austin: Development Services Department, Permitting and Development Center, 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive, Austin, TX 78752, 512-978-4000, via the Austin Build + Connect portal.

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