Cleburne, Texas Building Permit Guide

Building and trade permits for property inside Cleburne are issued by the Building Inspections division of Community Development, and applications, payments and inspection requests all go through the City’s Cityworks online permitting system. A new house is charged $0.19 per square foot plus a $20 administrative fee, and most new-home permits are issued within 20 business days.

What requires a permit in Cleburne?

A permit is needed to build, enlarge, alter, repair, install, move or demolish a building or structure, or to change its occupancy. The City’s October 2025 Quick Guide to Residential Construction spells out how that applies to homes:

Cleburne building department: who handles permitting

Building Inspections, part of the Community Development Department, reviews plans and issues permits for residential and commercial construction inside the city, then inspects the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work. Michael Roberts is the Building Official. Planning & Zoning and Engineering review new-home applications alongside Building Inspections. Cleburne lies entirely in Johnson County.

The Building Permits and Services web page still gives the Municipal Service Center at 407 N. Main St. as the division’s address, while the October 2025 Quick Guide and the Adopted Codes page place staff at City Hall.

Cityworks online permits and contractor registration

Every application goes through Cityworks at cityworks.cleburne.net/BuildingPermits, which handles account set-up, contractor registration and renewal, applications, fee payment, permit printing, inspection requests and status checks. Contractors should keep one username for all their permits, because staff cannot change login details and permits under another account will not show. Fees are paid online only, by Visa or MasterCard. Drawings must be to scale and of professional quality.

Contractors register with the City every year. The fee ordinance sets $100 for each registration or licence: general building, roofing, siding, concrete, mechanical, irrigation, plumbing, OSSF installer, backflow tester and master or journeyman electrician. The October 2025 Quick Guide says plumbers and electricians are excepted from the $100 registration as long as they are registered with the state. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and irrigation permits must be pulled by a licensed contractor registered with the City, and sidewalks and curbs by a concrete contractor holding a $2,000 performance bond.

Cleburne permit fees

Fees are set in Section 150.016 of the Code of Ordinances, reauthorized by Ordinance OR09-2023-62 on September 12, 2023. Every building permit carries a $20 administrative fee, and the minimum permit fee is $25.

For example, a 2,000 sq ft new house has a building permit fee of $380 plus the $20 administrative fee, before the separate trade permits. If no inspection is ready within 180 calendar days of issue, the permit expires and the fees must be paid again.

Cleburne trade permits

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are separate from the building permit and priced from the City’s fixture tables, with a $22 administrative fee added to each permit. Examples: electrical for a new house or rewire, $0.05 per sq ft; a service of 200 amps or less, $27.25; a temporary pole, $22; each plumbing fixture such as a sink, tub or water closet, $8.75; a water heater, $11; a sewer or water line, $22; an A/C or heating unit of 3.5 tons or less, $13.15. Irrigation permits are $60.25.

The City will not accept a temporary pole inspection request without an electrical permit, a plumbing rough without a plumbing permit, or a top-out without a mechanical permit, so all three trade permits need to be in place early. Most trade permits are issued within 24 to 48 hours when the information is complete.

New-home submittal checklist

• Application with the address, legal description and a copy of the survey, the owner’s and builder’s details, square footage and a description of the work
• Site plan showing the house, existing structures and pools, utility easements, driveways and sidewalks, sewer cleanouts at the house and property line, and patios and landscaping
• A floodplain development permit and elevation certificate if any part of the lot is in the floodplain
• Elevations showing materials, roof pitch, garage spaces and architectural details
• Floor plans with window and door sizes and ceiling heights
• Foundation plan stamped by an engineer, and a braced wall plan stamped by an engineer or architect with the wind bracing table
• Electrical and plumbing plans, Manual J and Manual S, and a REScheck or IC3 energy report
• A driveway approach permit application with the building plans

After upload, Planning & Zoning, Building Permits and Engineering review the application, and the City emails when the permit is ready to pay for. Plans for any foundation or footing over 400 sq ft, or any addition to a post-tension slab, must be sealed by a Texas-registered engineer.

Cleburne permit application: how to apply step by step

Inspections in Cleburne

Request inspections in Cityworks before 4 p.m. for a next-day visit, and cancel online before 8 a.m. on the day. A form board survey must be submitted before inspections start. Emergency inspections, such as an electrical service change or reconnect, a gas test, a water or sewer line or an on-site sewage system, are done the same day; call 817-645-0955 or 817-556-8891 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

A new house goes through these inspections:

• Setback, based on the form board survey
• Temporary power pole
• Plumbing rough, with all piping on test and bedded
• Foundation box and wrap, with the UFER ground in place
• Top-out, or seconds: framing, electrical, plumbing and mechanical
• Insulation, or an uploaded third-party insulation report
• Electric and gas release, with the address posted
• Building final

Before the final, upload the engineer’s foundation report, the termite form, any insulation report and the blower door form; blower door and duct tests must be done by an independent HERS rater, RESNET or performance verification technician. The lot grading and swales are inspected before sod goes down, and builders must replace the curb 12 inches in front of gutters before final.

Local Cleburne details that matter

Codes: since December 1, 2022 Cleburne has enforced the 2021 International Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code with the regional NCTCOG amendments (Ordinance OR10-22-75). New homes need an exterior disconnect, surge protection and at least R-49 attic insulation.

Accessory buildings: these must sit at least 5 ft from side and rear lot lines, and 10 ft (lots under 10,000 sq ft) or 15 ft from a side street, and their size and number are limited by lot size. The City publishes specifications for carports, pergolas, storage sheds and residential fences.

Floodplain and right-of-way: lots in the floodplain need a floodplain permit and certificate from the City Engineer, and work in a City street needs a right-of-way construction permit.

Job site: portable toilets must be on site before construction begins, and debris must be kept in a container that stops it blowing onto neighboring lots.

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

Cleburne permit search and official resources

• Cleburne Building Permits and Services
• Apply for a building permit (Cityworks guides)
• Cityworks online permitting portal
• Quick Guide to Residential Construction (October 2025)
• Permit and fixture fees (Ordinance OR09-2023-62)
• Adopted codes
• Applications and permits, including floodplain and right-of-way

Frequently asked questions

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

$0.19 per square foot plus a $20 administrative fee, so $400 for 2,000 sq ft. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are priced separately.

How long does it take to get a new-home permit in Cleburne?

The Building Official says most new residential permits are issued within 20 business days, and trade permits within 24 to 48 hours, when the submittal is accurate.

Do I need a permit for a shed or fence in Cleburne?

Only for a storage building over 200 sq ft or a fence over 6 ft tall. Smaller sheds and lower fences need no permit but must meet setbacks.

Does a roof replacement need a permit?

Only when decking or rafters are replaced. That permit is $30 plus the administrative fee.

When must inspections be requested?

Before 4 p.m. in Cityworks for the next day. Cancellations must be made before 8 a.m.

Who issues septic permits in Cleburne?

The City does, at $500 for an OSSF permit, and septic inspections are among the same-day emergency inspections.

Simplify Cleburne 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 Cleburne permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.