Brownwood, Texas Building Permit Guide

Inside Brownwood city limits, the City’s Planning & Development Department at 501 Center Avenue issues building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and sign permits on its own project applications and trade worksheets. A new one- or two-family home costs $0.10 per square foot, the City allows at least 2 days to process a house application and a week for commercial work, and inspections are booked by calling 325-646-5331.

What requires a permit in Brownwood?

The City’s Building & Permits FAQ lists the work that needs a permit and the inspections that follow it.

The project applications warn that site clearing and grading, work in City right-of-way, storm water pollution prevention, parking lots, flatwork that does not support a structure, street access, signs, demolition and development in a FEMA flood hazard area each need their own permit on top of the building and trade permits. No business licence is required to open a business, but a Certificate of Occupancy may be.

Brownwood building department: who handles permitting

The department issues every permit the City requires, supervises inspection of public and private construction, checks zoning and variance requests, assigns 911 addresses and runs floodplain management. Its staff includes a Chief Building Official who also works as permit technician and four building officials who double as code compliance officers. It supports the Zoning Board of Adjustment, Building and Standards Commission, Unified Board of Appeals and Historical Building Review Committee.

City permits apply only inside the city limits. The Zoning page publishes a map of Brownwood’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), but the City’s pages do not say that building permits are required there; land outside the city is in unincorporated Brown County.

Brownwood applications and contractor registration

Permits start from fillable PDF forms on the Permits and Inspections page, returned to Planning & Development at City Hall:

• Residential Project Application and Commercial Project Application, the main building permit forms, with the owner, general contractor and total project cost. The commercial form also asks for the architect and engineer and their Texas licence numbers, and a TDLR project number for commercial work over $50,000.
• Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing Permit Worksheets, one per trade.
• Application for Demolition, which needs an asbestos survey and a utility check list.
• Application for Moving Permit, with the travel route, vehicle details, a no-delinquent-taxes certificate from the Brown County Appraisal District and route sign-offs from the Fire and Police Departments, Oncor, Astound Broadband and Frontier.
• Street Access, Parking Lot and Similar Structure (ROW Access) Application, reviewed by the City Engineer against a site plan checklist.
• Request for Certificate of Occupancy, for a new business or a change of use.

Building trade and sign contractors must register with the City before working inside city limits. General contractors file the registration form and pay $25 a year; anyone working in City right-of-way also posts a $5,000 licence/permit bond. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors submit copies of their state licences and a liability insurance certificate naming the City of Brownwood as certificate holder. Moving contractors pay $50 a year and sign contractors $75. Registration forms can be mailed, delivered to City Hall or emailed to dsd@brownwoodtexas.gov.

Brownwood permit cost

Building fees are set by Ordinance 21-12 (revised October 1, 2021). Homes are priced by area; other building work is priced on the declared valuation.

For example, a 1,800 sq ft new house carries a $180 building permit fee before the trade permits. A commercial alteration valued at $200,000 costs $534 plus 100 × $3.50, or $884.

Zoning requests are charged separately: $150 for a Zoning Board of Adjustment appeal and $300 for a zoning change, each including public notice.

Brownwood trade permits

Planning & Development issues electrical, mechanical, plumbing and gas permits on the trade worksheets, priced item by item under the same ordinance:

Trade work must be done by state-licensed electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors registered with the City. The one exception in the City’s FAQ is a homesteader living in the house, who may do the work on their own home with the proper permits and inspections.

What to submit with a Brownwood application

The City allows at least 2 days to process a single- or two-family application and at least 1 week for commercial or multi-family projects, and it may take longer. Before any commercial permit is issued, the City schedules a pre-construction meeting with the general contractor and subcontractors, attended as needed by inspectors, the fire marshal, engineering, utilities, streets and sanitation.

The application forms list standard setbacks: 25 feet at the front (15 feet in the MH district), 15 feet on a side street, side yards of 5 to 7.5 feet depending on the district, and 3 feet at the rear (10 feet in MH).

Brownwood permit application: how to apply step by step

Inspections in Brownwood

Inspectors work from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. Call 325-646-5331 with the address and the type of inspection you need. Work may not continue past each inspection point until the inspector gives a written release, and reinforcing steel or structural framing may not be covered until it is released.

The City’s Required Inspections list (revised May 3, 2024) sets the building sequence: elevation (before the foundation), foundation, frame, roof deck, insulation, floodproofing where it applies, gypsum board and final. Electrical work adds construction meter loop, underground, rough-in, meter loop and final inspections; plumbing adds underground, rough-in, stack-out, tests and final; mechanical and gas work have their own rough and final inspections, and signs and engineering work in the right-of-way are inspected too.

When all required inspections pass, the City issues a Certificate of Occupancy. It becomes void if the use changes or the building is altered or extended. Section 98-145 of the Code of Ordinances bars any new use or change of use until a C of O is issued; a business requests one on the City’s form with a $50 fee, and a temporary C of O can usually be issued while inspection findings are corrected.

Local Brownwood rules that matter

Fences: a fence closer than 25 feet to the front property line may be no more than 4 feet high, and on a corner lot no more than 3 feet within 20 feet of the intersection. Fences must stay on private property, out of the right-of-way, and barbed wire is allowed only in the A-1 agriculture district.

Demolition and moving: under Section 78-531, when a building is razed or moved off a lot the owner signs a no-fee work agreement to remove slabs, footings, walks and fences, clear debris within 25 feet, fill and level the site, mow, and plug sewer lines with concrete after coordinating with the plumbing inspector, all within 30 days. Debris must be separated before it goes to the landfill. Moves taller than 15 feet require notice to the utility companies along the route.

Zoning: the City has 16 zoning districts, from R-1 single-family to A-1 agriculture, and publishes its zoning map and setback table online. Home occupations are allowed inside city limits if they meet Section 98-583(f) of the zoning ordinance.

Adopted codes: the City’s list dated September 18, 2023 shows the 2021 International Building, Residential, Energy Conservation, Property Maintenance, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Existing Building, Plumbing and Fire Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code.

Texas building code

Texas has no single statewide building code: state law makes the International Residential Code the base code for homes in cities and the International Building Code the base for commercial buildings, with each city choosing the edition and its own amendments, while the National Electrical Code and the energy code apply statewide. Outside city limits most counties issue no building permits for homes. Texas building code rules

Brownwood official resources

• Brownwood Permits and Inspections (applications and fee sheets)
• Brownwood Planning & Development
• Building permit fees, Ordinance 21-12
• Required inspections list (May 2024)
• Adopted codes list (September 2023)
• Contractor and vendor registration
• Fence regulations
• Zoning map, setbacks and ETJ map
• Building & Permits FAQ

Brownwood permit FAQs

How much is a building permit for a new house in Brownwood?

$0.10 per square foot for a new single- or two-family home, so $180 for 1,800 sq ft, plus the electrical, plumbing and mechanical permit fees and a $25 Certificate of Occupancy for new construction.

Do I need a permit to re-roof in Brownwood?

Not to replace shingles or other non-structural roof covering. Work on structural roof members does need a permit.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Only if the fence is taller than 6 feet. Height limits still apply without a permit: 4 feet within 25 feet of the front property line and 3 feet near a corner intersection.

Can a homeowner do their own electrical or plumbing work?

Yes, if you live in the house as your homestead; you still need the permits and inspections. Otherwise the work must be done by state-licensed tradesmen registered with the City.

How long does it take to get a permit?

The City allows a minimum of 2 days for a single- or two-family application and 1 week for commercial or multi-family projects.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 325-646-5331 with the address and inspection type. Inspections run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays.

What codes does Brownwood use?

The 2021 International codes, including the IBC, IRC, IECC and IFC, and the 2020 National Electrical Code.

Simplify Brownwood permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Texas. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Brownwood permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.