Building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and right-of-way permits inside Glenn Heights are issued by the Permitting Division of the City’s Planning & Development Services department, and every application and inspection request goes through the Vertex online portal. A new house is charged $0.72 per square foot under the roof, with plan review, impact and park fees on top, and commercial and multifamily projects must hold a pre-development meeting before they can apply.
What requires a permit in Glenn Heights?
A permit is required before anyone builds, alters, moves or changes the occupancy of a building, or installs, alters, repairs or replaces an electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system.
Permit needed
- New homes, additions and remodels, including moving walls or bracing
- Sheds, decks, pergolas, gazebos, detached garages and accessory dwellings
- Carports, which also need a specific use permit
- Fences over 2½ ft, and fence repairs over 36 linear ft
- Roofing, patios, driveways, sidewalks and other flatwork
- Pools and spas, solar, HVAC, irrigation and water heater replacement
- Demolition, house moving and work in the right-of-way
- Rental registration and each change of rental occupant
No permit
- Cabinets, carpet and other floor coverings
- Wallpaper, paneling, paint and trim
- Redecorating without structural changes, and simple landscaping
- Above-ground pools under 36 in. tall with no plumbing or electrical work
Glenn Heights building department: who handles permitting
Planning & Development Services has four divisions, Building Inspections, Permitting, Zoning and Engineering, and its director is Bester Munyaradzi, AICP. The Permitting Division takes applications; the City’s building inspectors check the work against the adopted codes. Glenn Heights straddles two counties, with about 14,300 residents in Dallas County and 6,100 in Ellis County, and the City permits both parts.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Permitting Division | 972-223-1690, ext. 451 |
| Director of Planning & Development Services | Ext. 452 |
| Planning and zoning questions | Ext. 455 |
| Office | City Hall, 1938 S. Hampton Road, Building C, Glenn Heights, TX 75154 |
| Online | Vertex portal: applications, contractor registration, zoning letters and inspections |
| Water and sewer | Utility Billing, 972-223-1690, option 3 |
| New addresses | Police Department, 972-223-3478 |
Vertex portal and contractor registration
New users create a Vertex account, then submit permit and inspection requests, upload plans, track status in real time and receive reviewer comments there; the City posts step-by-step instructions for the portal. Zoning and land use verification letters are also requested through Vertex.
Contractors register in Vertex with a current ACORD certificate showing at least $1,000,000 of general liability insurance, naming the City at 1938 S. Hampton Rd., Bldg. C as certificate holder. General contractor registration is $100 a year; mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors do not pay it, but the City checks their state licences on every application, and electrical registrations run to December 31. Homeowners living in the house can do work on it without a licence. The City advises owners not to pull a permit on a contractor’s behalf, because whoever signs the permit is responsible for the work meeting code.
Glenn Heights permit fees
Fees are set in Appendix A of the Code of Ordinances, last revised by Ordinance O-19-25 on October 21, 2025. Where plans must be submitted, a plan review fee of 65% of the building permit fee is paid at submittal, and impact and park fees are charged under their own ordinances.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| New one- or two-family home | $0.72 per sq ft under the roof |
| Residential addition | $0.72 per sq ft under the roof, plus plan review |
| Remodel or alteration | $150, plus plan review |
| Electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit: residential / commercial | $150 / $250 |
| Roofing, flatwork or driveway: residential / commercial | $150 / $250 |
| Residential fence | $150 |
| Shed, free-standing carport, pergola or gazebo | $150, plus plan review and trade permits |
| Detached garage, attached carport or patio, accessory dwelling, pool house | $0.54 per sq ft under the roof, plus plan review |
| In-ground pool or site-built spa / above-ground pool | $250 plus plan review / $150 |
| Demolition: residential / commercial | $250 / $350 |
| Moving a structure into the city | $500 |
| Commercial Certificate of Occupancy | $250 |
| Commercial work, by value | $150 up to $10,000; $993.75 for the first $100,000 plus $7 per extra $1,000 |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →The first inspection of each type is included. A first or second re-inspection costs $75 for residential work and $125 for commercial, and each one after that $100 or $150; after-hours inspections are $100 an hour with a 2-hour minimum. Extra in-house plan review is $120 an hour. Fire Department plan review is $150 for buildings under 10,000 sq ft and $200 above, a stormwater permit is $250, and rental registration is $150 per unit, including one inspection.
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work
Each trade is permitted separately in Vertex at $150 for a home or $250 for a commercial job. Glenn Heights enforces the 2023 National Electrical Code with the regional NCTCOG amendments: a temporary construction power permit lasts 120 days, knob-and-tube wiring is banned, metal buildings, churches, schools and public buildings seating 100 or more must be wired in EMT conduit, and the electric company may not connect a building until the City’s electrical inspector approves the wiring. Under the City’s plumbing and residential code amendments, water heaters may only be installed on the ground floor or in a basement.
How to apply for a Glenn Heights permit
Use the City’s interactive GIS and zoning map, or order a zoning verification letter ($60) in Vertex.
The Development Review Committee of planning, fire, police and utilities staff meets weekly; site plans and non-residential or multifamily building permits cannot be filed until this pre-development meeting is held, and it is free.
Set up the account and upload the contractor registration and insurance certificate.
Pay the plan review fee at submittal, and file by the date on the City’s 2026 submittal calendar if the project also needs a plat or site plan.
Revisions after approval are charged at $120 an hour.
Display the permit on site and start work promptly: permits expire 180 days after issue.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections in Glenn Heights
Schedule inspections through the Vertex inspection page. Work done without a permit gets a stop work order from the building inspector, and covered work may have to be opened up for inspection. Every occupied building needs a Certificate of Occupancy, including when a new tenant leases a space, and utilities are released in the tenant’s name only after the C.O. is issued and all inspections pass.
For work in the right-of-way, request utility locates through Utility Billing within 48 hours of starting, and email the City’s right-of-way inspector before pouring any concrete there.
Local Glenn Heights rules that matter
Fences: no fence on a residential lot may be taller than 8 ft or extend past the front building line, none may sit on or overhang public property, and fences near street corners must not block drivers’ view within 50 ft of the intersection. Wood, masonry, chain link and metal are allowed; barbed wire, razor ribbon, sheet metal and plastic are not, except barbed wire in some industrial yards.
Planning fees: a specific use permit (needed for carports) is $750 plus $10 per acre, a site plan $350 plus $20 per acre, a preliminary plat $400 plus $25 per lot and a final plat $325 plus $50 per lot.
Manufactured homes: a HUD-code home moving in is permitted and inspected the same way as a new single-family house, with flatwork and trade permits.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →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
Glenn Heights official resources
- Glenn Heights Building Permits & Inspections
- Planning & Development Services
- Vertex: submit a permit application
- Vertex: schedule an inspection
- Permitting and zoning FAQ (PDF)
- Building code update notice, June 2024 (PDF)
- 2026 non-plat submittal calendar (PDF)
- Code of Ordinances, including the Appendix A fee schedule
Frequently asked questions
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →How much is a building permit for a new house in Glenn Heights?
$0.72 per square foot under the roof, plus the plan review fee and the impact and park fees. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are $150 each.
Do I need a permit to replace a fence in Glenn Heights?
Yes for any new fence over 2½ ft and for repairs longer than 36 linear ft. A residential fence permit is $150, and fences are limited to 8 ft.
Does a roof replacement need a permit?
Yes. A residential roofing permit is $150 and a commercial one $250.
How long is a permit valid?
180 days from the date it is issued.
Can a homeowner pull a permit?
Homeowners living in the house can do work on it without a licence. If you hire a contractor, the City advises letting the contractor pull the permit.
How do I schedule an inspection?
Through the City’s Vertex inspection page; re-inspections start at $75 for residential work.
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More Texas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Glenn Heights permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.