Groves, Texas Building Permit Guide

Inside Groves city limits, permits come from the City’s Permits & Inspections office in the Public Works Department at 4925 McKinley (409-960-5707), which reviews plans, issues permits and inspects the work. Applications and payments are accepted online only, through GovWell, and contractors must register with the City first. A new house costs $568.75 plus $0.53 per square foot under roof, with plan review at $0.27 per square foot.

What requires a permit in Groves?

The City asks for a permit before you build something new, remodel or add on, or make repairs or improvements, for homes and businesses alike. Groves has deleted the model codes’ list of work exempt from permits, and its residential code requires separate permits for building, electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing work. The fee schedules show the kinds of jobs that are permitted:

Groves building department: who handles permitting

The Inspections Division of the Public Works Department handles plan review, permits and inspections for property inside Groves. George Wheeler is the Building Official, and the Building Official is also the City’s floodplain administrator under the flood damage prevention chapter of the city code.

Groves online permits and contractor registration

Since the City moved to online-only filing, paper applications are no longer taken. Two GovWell pages matter:

• Permit applications and payments: choose the permit type in GovWell and pay there.
• Contractor registration: required before any contractor works in Groves. A general contractor pays $125 and renews for $65, and must post a $15,000 bond each year or carry at least $300,000 of commercial general liability insurance. Subcontractors working for a registered general contractor and contracts under $1,000 do not need it, and owners altering or repairing their own buildings are exempt.
• Trade registration: state-licensed master electricians, plumbing and irrigation companies and air conditioning contractors register with the Inspection Department for $75, with a copy of their licence and insurance certificate. Renewals are due January 1 and must be paid by January 31, or no new permits are issued.

The City’s Document Center also has the Contractors Bond Form, a backflow form, the rezoning application for the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals application.

Groves permit costs and fees

Building fees are written into the City’s code of ordinances. Homes are priced per square foot under roof, and commercial work by valuation.

For example, a $200,000 commercial job pays $2,012.50 for the building permit and $201.25 for plan checking. New-construction valuations use national averages per square foot, such as $144 for offices and $96 for convenience stores; remodels use the actual contract cost, including trades and alarms. The demolition deposit is returned if the job is finished and the lot cleared within 90 days.

Groves electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits

The same office issues trade permits, each priced under its own chapter of the city code. Groves uses the 2023 National Electrical Code, the 2018 International Plumbing Code and the 2018 International Mechanical Code.

Who can pull trade permits: plumbing permits go only to licensed master plumbers, licensed irrigators and owners working on the home they own and occupy as a homestead. Homestead owners may also do their own electrical work (with the homestead exemption on file at the Jefferson County Appraisal District) and their own heating and air conditioning work. If a second electrician or plumber takes over a job, a new permit is needed and the first is cancelled without refund.

Time limits: an electrical permit is void if work does not start within 60 days, and a plumbing permit expires if work has not begun within 6 months. Electrical plans for buildings over 5,000 sq ft or more than 2 stories must be sealed by a Texas professional engineer.

What to submit for new construction

The City’s New Construction Checklist applies to both residential and commercial buildings:

• Two sets of 24 by 36 inch plans
• A professional site plan
• REScheck for homes or COMcheck for commercial buildings, showing energy code compliance
• The contractor’s agreement
• An elevation certificate when the lot is in a special flood hazard zone

Groves amends the residential code with local structural rules: homes are designed to the SSTD 10-97 hurricane resistant construction standard and ASCE-7, exterior footings must be at least 20 by 12 inches for one storey and 24 by 16 inches for two, and a monolithic slab’s exterior footing needs four No. 5 bars. Commercial buildings follow the 2018 IBC with local amendments, including a fire alarm when a fire area exceeds 2,000 sq ft and sprinklers in S-2 storage areas over 20,000 sq ft. The energy code is the 2020 IECC.

Groves permit application: how to apply

Inspections in Groves

The Inspections Division inspects permitted work during its office hours, Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For electrical work, the responsible person tells the Building Official the job is ready for final inspection, quoting the permit number and address, and the inspector tries to inspect within 24 hours, excluding weekends and holidays. Faulty electrical work must be corrected, or correction started, within 48 hours of notice, and the $43.75 re-inspection fee is paid before the re-inspection.

On residential jobs where the code does not describe the inspections, the Building Official can require them, and each extra inspection costs $43.75.

Local Groves rules that affect a project

Floodplain: the Building Official acts as floodplain administrator. New homes and substantial improvements in a special flood hazard area must have the lowest floor at or above the base flood elevation, certified by an engineer, architect or land surveyor, and the elevation certificate goes in with the permit.

Sewer lines: the building sewer must be Schedule 40 PVC DWV pipe with solvent-weld joints, starting 2 feet from the building.

Screening walls: where the code requires a screening fence, it must be masonry or another permanent material, 6 to 8 feet high, and finished within 30 days after the permitted improvements.

Zoning: rezoning goes to the Planning and Zoning Commission and variances to the Zoning Board of Appeals, both on City application forms.

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

Groves permit search and official resources

• Groves Permits & Inspections
• GovWell permit applications and payments
• GovWell contractor registration
• New Construction Checklist
• Contractors Bond Form
• Groves Code of Ordinances (Chapters 28–33)

Groves permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Groves?

The City’s Permits & Inspections office in the Public Works Department, at 4925 McKinley. The Building Official is George Wheeler (409-960-5707).

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

$568.75 plus $0.53 per square foot under roof, plus a plan review fee of $0.27 per square foot. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are extra.

Do I need a permit for a roof or fence in Groves?

Yes. A roof permit is $175 and a fence permit $70.

Can I apply on paper?

No. Applications and payments are made only in the City’s GovWell portal.

Can a homeowner do their own plumbing or electrical work?

Yes, on a home they own and live in as a homestead. Otherwise plumbing permits go to licensed master plumbers and electrical work to registered licensed electricians.

What happens if I start work without a permit?

The permit fee is doubled and an administrative fee of $175 or $875 is added, depending on the permit’s value.

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