Waco, TX Building Permit Cost (2026)
Actual residential building permit fees from the City of Waco Permit Fee Schedules, published by Development Services - Inspection Services. Waco is the seat of McLennan County in Central Texas, on the Brazos River between Dallas and Austin. Verified directly against the city's live fee schedule. Note: the live schedule prints no adopted effective date - see the caveat below.
This page covers: The residential building permit fees in the City of Waco - $0.35 per square foot for a new residential building permit on total area (living area, non-living area, and accessory structures), plus a $15 building technology fee and a $60 non-refundable residential plan submittal fee. It also covers the city's flat residential fees: leveling $75, repairs & alterations $200, roofing $125, siding $75, windows/doors $75, residential demolition $75, residential swimming pool $125 (plus a $60 pool plan review), and structure relocation within the city $112. Each figure is taken from the city's published Permit Fee Schedules.
The fee schedule is undated: The City of Waco's live fee schedule page prints no adopted or effective date. The figures on this page are the current published amounts (the city website carries a 2026 copyright). The codified backing is the Waco Code of Ordinances Chapter 6, Article II, which sets that fees are "established by separate ordinance." Verify the adopted date and current amounts with Development Services - Inspection Services before treating any total here as final.
Trade permits are SEPARATE: Electrical, Plumbing & Lawn Sprinkler, and Mechanical permits are priced separately from the building permit. Each trade permit carries its own $60 administration fee and its own $15 technology fee, plus per-component charges (fixtures, circuits, units). A new home built by a general contractor typically draws all three trade permits on top of the $0.35/sq ft building permit.
A $15 technology fee applies per permit type: Building, Electrical, Plumbing & Irrigation, Mechanical, and Signs each carry their own separate $15 technology fee. Texas adds no statewide percentage building-permit levy.
This page does NOT cover: Impact fees, water and wastewater tap fees, and utility connection fees - all separate schedules not on this page. Working without a required permit DOUBLES the fees as a penalty. Commercial building fees ($0.28/sq ft on the first 100,000 sq ft, $0.14/sq ft after) are summarized only for context; this page is about residential work.
A new 2,000 sq ft Waco home's building permit is about $775 - $700 at $0.35 per square foot, plus a $15 building technology fee and a $60 non-refundable residential plan submittal fee. Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical are billed as separate trade permits, each with its own $60 administration fee and $15 technology fee plus component charges. Flat permits are modest: a roof replacement is $125 ($140 with the tech fee), a residential swimming pool is $125 plus a $60 pool plan review ($200 with the tech fee), and residential demolition is $75. A foundation-only permit is one third of the building permit cost. Waco charges no statewide Texas levy, but the live fee schedule prints no adopted effective date.
- A new residential building permit is $0.35 per square foot on total area (living, non-living, and accessory). A 2,000 sq ft home is 2,000 × $0.35 = $700 for the building permit, plus a $15 building technology fee and a $60 non-refundable residential plan submittal fee, for a building-side total of about $775.
- Trade permits are separate line items: Electrical, Plumbing & Lawn Sprinkler, and Mechanical permits each carry their own $60 administration fee and $15 technology fee, plus per-component charges. A full new-home package therefore adds three separate trade permits on top of the $775 building side.
- Common flat residential fees: leveling $75, repairs & alterations $200, roofing $125, siding $75, windows/doors $75, residential demolition $75, and a residential swimming pool $125 (plus a $60 pool plan review). An accessory-structure demolition is $50. A foundation-only permit is one third of the building permit cost.
- An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is $0.50 per square foot, but the building permit fee is waived if the applicant uses a City of Waco pre-approved ADU plan - trade permit fees still apply. Structure relocation is $112 within the city and $55 out of city.
- The fees come from the City of Waco Permit Fee Schedules (Development Services - Inspection Services). The live schedule prints no adopted effective date; the amounts are the current published figures, codified under Waco Code Chapter 6, Article II. Impact fees, water/wastewater taps, and utility connections are separate and NOT included. Working without a required permit DOUBLES the fees.
Waco Building Permit Fee Structure
Waco prices a new residential building permit per square foot on total area, adds a flat $15 technology fee and a $60 non-refundable residential plan submittal fee, and prices repairs, trades, and other small jobs as flat or per-component fees. The tables below show the verified figures exactly as published on the city's live Permit Fee Schedules page.
Per-square-foot building permit rates
| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
| New residential building permit (total area: living + non-living + accessory) | $0.35 / sq ft |
| Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) | $0.50 / sq ft (permit waived w/ pre-approved plan) |
| Foundation-only permit | 1/3 of the permit cost |
| Equipment | $0.14 / sq ft |
| Commercial building (context only) - first 100,000 sq ft | $0.28 / sq ft ($0.14 / sq ft after) |
The new residential rate applies to total area - living area, non-living area, and accessory structures. Each new residential building permit also carries a $15 building technology fee and a $60 non-refundable residential plan submittal fee. The ADU building permit fee is waived when the applicant uses a City of Waco pre-approved ADU plan, but the trade permit fees still apply. Commercial plan review is the greater of $100 or 25% of the total building permit fee (shown for context; this page is about residential work).
Flat residential permit fees
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Repairs & alterations (existing residential) | $200.00 |
| Roofing | $125.00 |
| Leveling | $75.00 |
| Siding | $75.00 |
| Windows / doors | $75.00 |
| Residential swimming pool (+ $60 pool plan review) | $125.00 |
| Residential demolition | $75.00 |
| Accessory-structure demolition | $50.00 |
| Structure relocation - within city / out of city | $112.00 / $55.00 |
| Site grading (+ $60 grading plan review) | $50.00 |
| Certificate of Occupancy - change of record | $50.00 |
Each permit type also carries its own $15 technology fee. Commercial swimming pools are $200, and a commercial one-story demolition is $150 (multi-story $500). Working without a required permit doubles the fee as a penalty.
Trade permits (each priced separately)
| Trade permit type | Base fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical - administration + technology | $60 admin + $15 tech + component fees |
| Plumbing & Lawn Sprinkler - administration + technology | $60 admin + $15 tech + component fees |
| Mechanical - administration + technology | $60 admin + $15 tech + component fees |
| Signs - administration + technology | $60 admin + $15 tech + component fees |
Component fees vary by scope - for example, an electrical service up to 400A is $24, each plumbing fixture is $8, and a heating unit up to 250,000 BTU is $20. Each trade permit is issued and paid on its own, on top of the building permit.
Waco Permit Fee Components
A Waco residential building permit total stacks a few separate components: the per-square-foot building permit fee, a flat $15 building technology fee, a $60 non-refundable residential plan submittal fee, and any separately priced trade permits. Impact and utility tap fees sit outside this stack entirely.
| Component | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Building permit fee | $0.35/SF (new residential), or flat fee for repairs | Exact schedule figure |
| Building technology fee | $15.00 | Flat, per permit type |
| Non-refundable residential plan submittal fee | $60.00 | Flat, on new residential permits |
| Trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) | $60 admin + $15 tech each + component fees | Separate - priced and paid on their own |
| Statewide Texas levy / percentage surcharge | $0.00 | None - Texas adds no statewide levy |
| Impact / tap / utility connection fees | Separate schedules | Excluded - not on the fee schedule |
| Working without a permit | Fees doubled | Penalty - avoid by permitting first |
There is no statewide Texas levy on a Waco permit. The building technology fee is $15 and applies per permit type, so a new home that draws a building permit plus electrical, plumbing, and mechanical trade permits carries four separate $15 technology fees. Because trade permits are priced on their own, new-home totals that add the three trades are labeled build-up estimates in the worked examples below.
Worked Examples
Every figure below is direct arithmetic from the city's published Permit Fee Schedules. Building-side figures are exact; full new-home package totals that add separate trade permits are larger because electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits are priced on their own.
Example 1: New 2,000 SF Single-Family Home
| Fee Component | Rule Applied | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Building permit | 2,000 SF × $0.35 | $700.00 |
| Building technology fee | flat | $15.00 |
| Non-refundable residential plan submittal | flat | $60.00 |
| Building-side total (exact) | $700 + $15 + $60 | $775.00 |
| + Trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) | 3 × ($60 admin + $15 tech + components) | Separate (build-up) |
Assumptions: 2,000 SF home. Building permit $0.35/SF = $700, plus a $15 building technology fee and a $60 non-refundable residential plan submittal fee, for a building-side total of $775.00 - an exact schedule figure. Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical are separate trade permits, each $60 admin + $15 tech + component fees, so a full package is larger and depends on the component counts. Impact fees and utility taps are separate and not included. Source: City of Waco Permit Fee Schedules (Development Services - Inspection Services, current published, undated).
Example 2: Roof Replacement
| Fee Component | Rule Applied | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Roofing permit | flat | $125.00 |
| Building technology fee | flat | $15.00 |
| Total (exact) | $125 + $15 | $140.00 |
Assumptions: A residential roofing permit is a flat $125, plus the $15 building technology fee, for an exact $140.00. No per-square-foot calculation applies to a re-roof. Source: City of Waco Permit Fee Schedules (Development Services - Inspection Services, current published, undated).
Example 3: Residential Swimming Pool
| Fee Component | Rule Applied | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Residential swimming pool permit | flat | $125.00 |
| Pool plan review fee | flat | $60.00 |
| Building technology fee | flat | $15.00 |
| Total (exact) | $125 + $60 + $15 | $200.00 |
Assumptions: A residential swimming pool permit is a flat $125, plus a $60 pool plan review fee and a $15 building technology fee, for an exact $200.00. Any separate electrical or plumbing work for the pool draws its own trade permit. Source: City of Waco Permit Fee Schedules (Development Services - Inspection Services, current published, undated).
Example 4: Residential Demolition and Foundation-Only
| Project | Rule Applied | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Residential demolition | flat | $75.00 |
| Accessory-structure demolition | flat | $50.00 |
| Foundation-only permit | 1/3 of the building permit cost | Depends on permit |
Assumptions: Residential demolition is a flat $75.00 and an accessory-structure demolition is $50.00 - both exact. A foundation-only permit is one third of the building permit cost, so for a 2,000 SF home whose building permit is $700, the foundation-only permit works out to about $233.33. Each permit type also carries its own $15 technology fee. Source: City of Waco Permit Fee Schedules (Development Services - Inspection Services, current published, undated).
Read before you budget from these examples
- Undated schedule: the City of Waco live fee schedule prints no adopted or effective date. The figures are the current published amounts; verify the adopted date with Development Services - Inspection Services before relying on a total.
- Trades are separate: Waco prices electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits on their own, each $60 admin + $15 tech + component fees, on top of the building permit.
- Technology fee per permit type: a $15 technology fee applies to each permit type (building, electrical, plumbing & irrigation, mechanical, signs), so a full new home carries multiple $15 fees.
- Excluded fees can dwarf the permit: impact fees, water/wastewater taps, and utility connections are separate and not in any total above; on a new home they can far exceed the building permit.
- No-permit penalty: working without a required permit doubles the fees.
Practitioner Insight
Waco keeps its residential building math simple: one $0.35/sq ft rate on total area, a flat $15 technology fee, and a $60 non-refundable plan submittal fee. A 2,000 sq ft new home's building side is $775.00 - low compared with the pricier metros, and easy to compute up front. If you are comparing Central Texas cities, it helps to look at the whole region: see nearby Killeen, Round Rock, and College Station, or the capital at Austin, each on the Texas permit fees hub.
Two things to watch. First, the trades: Waco bills electrical, plumbing, and mechanical as separate permits, each with its own $60 administration fee, $15 technology fee, and per-component charges, so a full new-home number is a build-up rather than a single line. Second, the schedule is undated - the city's live page prints no adopted effective date, so confirm the current amounts with Development Services - Inspection Services before you file. For a flat job like a re-roof ($140 with the tech fee) or a pool ($200 with plan review and tech fee), the figure is exact. Anyone building new should price the excluded impact and utility tap fees early, because on a new home they can exceed the building permit itself.
Permit Requirements - Common Residential Projects in Waco
| Project Type | Permit Required? | Fee Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New single-family home | Yes | $0.35/SF + $15 tech + $60 submittal | Trades separate; 2,000 SF = $775 building side |
| Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) | Yes | $0.50/SF | Building fee waived w/ city pre-approved plan; trades apply |
| Repairs & alterations | Yes | $200 flat | Existing residential; + $15 tech |
| Roofing (re-roof) | Yes | $125 flat | $140 with the $15 tech fee |
| Swimming pool (residential) | Yes | $125 flat (+ $60 review) | $200 with plan review and tech fee |
| Demolition (residential) | Yes | $75 flat | Accessory structure $50 |
| Foundation-only | Yes | 1/3 of permit cost | Fraction of the building permit fee |
| Structure relocation | Yes | $112 / $55 | Within city / out of city |
| Standalone trade work (electrical / plumbing / mechanical) | Yes | $60 + $15 each + components | Priced separately from the building permit |
Permit trigger thresholds and chargeable-area determinations (which square footage counts for garages, porches, and accessory structures) are set by the City of Waco Development Services - Inspection Services. When uncertain whether a permit is required, contact Inspection Services before starting work.
City of Waco Development Services - Inspection Services
Development Services - Inspection Services
City of Waco, McLennan County, Texas
waco-texas.com - Fee Schedules
Confirm counter hours, current phone, and the adopted fee date on the city's Inspection Services page
Permit Fee Schedules (current published)
Live page prints no adopted effective date; codified under Waco Code Ch. 6, Art. II
When This Estimate May Not Apply
The schedule is undated and can change
The City of Waco live fee schedule prints no adopted or effective date. These are the current published amounts, codified under Waco Code Ch. 6, Art. II. Confirm the adopted date and current figures with Development Services - Inspection Services before you file.
You need a single all-in new-home number
Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical are separate trade permits, each $60 admin + $15 tech + component fees. The full new-home number is a build-up that depends on component counts, so the exact building-side $775 is not the whole cost.
Your project has chargeable-area questions
Which square footage counts as living, non-living, or accessory area is an Inspection Services determination, so a computed $0.35/sq ft figure can shift once the counted area is set.
You are building a new home - site fees are separate and large
Impact fees, water and wastewater tap and meter fees, and utility connection fees are separate site charges that are NOT in any total here and can far exceed the building permit.
You started work without a permit
Working without a required permit doubles the fees as a penalty, so any total on this page would be doubled if the work began before permitting.
Source note: All figures come from the City of Waco Permit Fee Schedules on the Development Services - Inspection Services page, captured from the live native HTML tables on July 4, 2026. The page prints no explicit adopted or effective date; the amounts are the current published schedule (the city website carries a 2026 copyright). The codified backing is the Waco Code of Ordinances Chapter 6, Article II, under which fees are "established by separate ordinance." Verify current amounts and any adopted effective date with Development Services - Inspection Services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
-
City of Waco - Permit Fee Schedules (Development Services, Inspection Services) Waco, TX - official live Permit Fee Schedules page, the authoritative current fee source. Primary source for every per-square-foot rate, flat fee, and trade fee on this page. The page prints no adopted effective date; amounts are the current published schedule. Captured from the live native HTML tables July 4, 2026 Verified
-
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 - Impact Fees Texas (statutes.capitol.texas.gov) - the statewide statute that authorizes and governs the water, wastewater, and roadway impact fees Texas cities charge separately from building permit fees. Cited here because impact and utility tap fees are excluded from the permit figures on this page.
See how Waco's per-SF structure compares to nearby Central Texas cities, or estimate fees in covered jurisdictions.
Permit Fees Are One Part of Your Project Budget
Once you know your Waco permit cost, two related numbers round out your total budget picture:
Property tax impact after your project closes
A permitted addition or pool increases your assessed value in McLennan County. See how Texas jurisdictions calculate the ongoing property tax impact at CountyTaxTools.com.
Impact and utility fees for larger projects
Impact fees, water/wastewater taps, and utility connections in Waco are separate from the building permit. Research zoning and site costs at ZoneFee.com.