Donna, Texas Building Permit Guide

Inside Donna city limits, building permits come from the City’s Building Permits & Inspections Department at City Hall, 307 S. 12th Street. You file a paper application with two sets of plans before any work starts, the Building Official reviews it in 2 to 3 business days, and staff call you with the fee when the permit is ready to pick up. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are separate and are pulled by the subcontractors.

What requires a permit in Donna?

A building permit is needed before remodeling, repair, additions or new construction, and the City’s FAQ confirms that any addition to a house needs one. The building permit application covers these kinds of work for homes and businesses:

A new or remodeled building may not be occupied until the City issues a Certificate of Occupancy. Moved-in houses and trailers are only allowed in the Mobile Home (M-H) district or where the subdivision’s restrictions permit them.

Who issues permits in Donna?

The Building Permits & Inspections Department has three divisions: safety and building, code enforcement, and health inspection. Roy Jimenez is the Building Official and reviews building applications; the Planning Director and the Chief Building Inspector both sign off on a building permit. The Planning Department handles zoning, plats, 911 addresses and the City’s city limits and ETJ maps.

Donna permit forms and contractor registration

Donna works from fillable City forms rather than an online portal. The Building Permit Application asks for the owner, the contractor, the type of work, the improvement value and the total square footage. Separate forms cover electrical, mechanical, plumbing and demolition permits, and the Planning Department has its own applications for zone changes, variances, conditional use permits, subdivision plats, 911 address verification and certificates of compliance.

Contractors register on the New/Renewal Contractor Application, ticking building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, sign or mover/demolition, and pay a $100 fee when they apply. Bring current liability insurance and a copy of the state licence. Anyone other than the company owner who will pull permits needs a notarized letter and must be present each time they apply.

Donna permit fees

The City does not publish a building permit fee table online: the fee is set during the Building Official’s review and given to you when staff call to say the permit is ready. The trade and demolition forms do print their fees:

Above $1,000, the mechanical form adds a charge by job value in bands: $50 plus $10, $150 plus $5, $260 plus $4, $460 plus $3 and, over $500,000, $1,660 plus $2. The form does not print the unit the per-step charge applies to, so ask the office how your job value is counted.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits in Donna

Each trade permit is pulled by the licensed subcontractor doing the work, not by the general contractor or owner. The only exception the City lists is a light reconnect, which the property owner may obtain. Electrical applications must include the property’s 17-digit ESID number for the power provider; mechanical applications list the job valuation and the tonnage; plumbing applications list each fixture and the pipe materials (PVC, copper, PEX, CPVC, ABS and so on).

Plans and documents Donna asks for

Bring two sets of plans drawn to scale, and a warranty deed or other document proving ownership.

A demolition permit also needs the deed or lease, the owner’s photo ID, the contractor’s insurance or bond, photos of the property and proof of a roll-off bin from Donna Solid Waste (956-461-2707).

How to get a building permit in Donna

Inspections in Donna

Inspection requests, like applications, are sent by email to the City’s inspector at eigarza@cityofdonna.org. Electrical and plumbing permits each carry a $20 inspection fee, and failed work costs $20 to re-inspect for electrical and mechanical and $15 for plumbing. Keep the job site clean, with debris kept in a dumpster or fenced area. A demolition permit lapses if work does not start within six months or stops for six months.

Local Donna details

Codes: the City’s Safety & Building page lists the 2015 International Codes (building, existing building, residential, energy, fire, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas and swimming pool), the 2015 NFPA Life Safety Code and the 2014 National Electrical Code, adopted by ordinances effective March 3, 2015.

Zoning: the city has five districts: single-family (R-1), multi-family (R-2), local business (B-1), general business (B-2) and mobile home (M-H). A zone change costs $300 and a subdivision plat $625 plus $25 per acre; both go to the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council.

Unsafe buildings: City Council appointed a five-member Building & Standards Commission on November 4, 2025 to hear cases on unsafe or deteriorated buildings and appeals of code enforcement actions, and to order repair or demolition.

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

Donna permit resources

• Donna Building Permits & Inspections
• Safety & Building and adopted codes
• Building requirements (plan list)
• Building permit application
• Electrical permit application
• Mechanical permit application
• Plumbing permit application
• New/renewal contractor application
• Demolition permit application
• Donna Planning Department

Frequently asked questions

Who issues building permits in Donna?

The City of Donna Building Permits & Inspections Department at City Hall, 307 S. 12th Street. Roy Jimenez is the Building Official.

How long does a Donna building permit take?

The Building Official reviews building applications in 2 to 3 business days, then staff call with the fee and the permit is picked up at City Hall.

How much does a building permit cost in Donna?

The City sets the building permit fee during review and tells you the amount when the permit is ready. Trade fees are printed on the forms, for example $50 for a new electrical service of 100 A or less.

Can a homeowner pull an electrical or plumbing permit in Donna?

No, apart from a light reconnect. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits must be obtained by the subcontractors.

How do I request an inspection in Donna?

By email to the City inspector, eigarza@cityofdonna.org, the same address used for applications.

Do contractors need to register in Donna?

Yes. The New/Renewal Contractor Application costs $100 and needs current liability insurance and a state licence where one applies.

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