In Hereford, the City’s Building & Zoning Department at City Hall, 224 N. Lee Avenue (806-363-7100), reviews plans, issues building permits and inspects all construction inside city limits. A new house is charged $0.20 per square foot under roof, and electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits each carry a $25 issuing fee plus small unit charges set in the City Code.
What requires a building permit in Hereford?
Building & Zoning enforces the City’s building codes on new buildings and on the rehabilitation, alteration and enlargement of existing ones. The permits named in the City’s fee schedules are:
Building work
- New houses (charged by square footage under roof)
- New commercial buildings (charged by valuation)
- Remodels and additions
- Residential and commercial re-roofs
- Demolition: a permit is required, with no fee
- Swimming pools and spas more than 18 inches deep, permanent or temporary
Trades and site work
- Electrical work, including new or changed meter loops
- Plumbing, water heaters, sewer lines and lawn sprinkler systems
- Gas piping
- Heating, air-conditioning, duct systems and commercial kitchen hoods
- Fire code construction permits
- Development in a special flood hazard area
The same office also issues garage sale and itinerant vendor permits. Mobile homes moved into the city, or moved to a new lot inside it, must be skirted with weather-resistant material secured against wind.
Who issues permits in Hereford?
Building & Zoning is the only permit office for property inside Hereford city limits. Anselmo Ramirez is the Chief Building Official. Under the City Code the building official reports to the City Manager, approves or refuses building permits and certificates of occupancy, and interprets the zoning ordinance. A decision can be appealed in writing within 15 days: zoning questions go to the Board of Adjustment and all other rulings to the City Commission.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Office | Details |
|---|---|
| Building & Zoning | City Hall, 224 N. Lee Avenue, Hereford, TX 79045; 806-363-7100; Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Fire prevention (plan review and inspections) | Hereford Volunteer Fire Department, 215 N. Miles; 806-363-7114 |
| Food establishment permits | City food safety program, 806-363-7103 |
| Floodplain development permits | The City Manager, who is the designated floodplain administrator |
Hereford is the only incorporated town in Deaf Smith County. Land outside the city limits is unincorporated county, and the City’s pages do not describe any permit role for the City there.
How Hereford permits are filed
Hereford has no online permit portal: applications are made with Building & Zoning at City Hall, and the City’s online payment site handles only utility bills. A food business also needs the City’s Food Establishment Permit Application, which is posted on the Food Safety page.
Electricians must register with the City. Anyone in the electrical business in Hereford needs a state electrical licence and a City registration certificate, and no electrical permit is issued until the certificate is in place and its fee is paid. The certificate expires on the same day as the state licence and can be renewed in the 30 days before that date once the state licence is renewed. Electrical work must be done by, or under, a master electrician licensed as an electrical contractor with a bond on file with the City electrical inspector.
Homeowners may do the electrical work in a single-family house they live in or will move into when it is finished, with help only from family members in the household, and the work must still meet the electrical code.
Hereford building permit fees
Building fees are set in the City Code’s amendments to the 2018 International Residential and Building Codes (Ordinance 05.10.21, adopted May 10, 2021). Homes are charged by area; commercial work is charged on its total valuation.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| New house | $0.20 per sq ft under roof |
| Commercial, valuation up to $1,000 | $20 |
| Commercial, $1,001–$50,000 | $20 for the first $1,000, plus $2 per extra $1,000 |
| Commercial, $50,001–$100,000 | $118 for the first $50,000, plus $1.75 per extra $1,000 |
| Commercial, $100,001–$500,000 | $205.50 for the first $100,000, plus $1.50 per extra $1,000 |
| Commercial, over $500,000 | $805.50 for the first $500,000, plus $1 per extra $1,000 |
| Remodel (minimum) | $50 |
| Residential re-roof (minimum) | $25 |
| Commercial re-roof (minimum) | $50 |
| Swimming pool or spa | $25 |
| Fire code construction permit | $25 each (operational permits are free) |
| Demolition | No fee, but a permit is required |
| Re-inspection, or an inspection not listed elsewhere | $25 |
A 2,000 sq ft house is $400 for the building permit. A commercial job valued at $250,000 is $430.50 ($205.50 plus 150 × $1.50). Trade permits are extra.
A new water connection is tapped by the City after you apply to the water superintendent: the tapping charge is $900 for a 3/4-inch meter and $1,100 for a 1-inch meter, and larger meters are billed at time and materials.
Electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical permits in Hereford
Building & Zoning issues the trade permits too. Each is a $25 permit fee plus the unit charges below.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical permit | $25 |
| Meter loop, new or changed | $5 |
| Outlets, fixtures, switches or receptacles | $0.50 each for the first 5, then $0.25 each |
| Range, dryer, water heater, space heater or dry-type transformer outlet | $2 each |
| Refrigerated air-conditioner (electrical) | $5 each |
| Electrical re-inspection after rejected work | $25 |
| Plumbing or gas permit | $25 |
| Plumbing fixture (or set on one trap) | $2 |
| Building sewer installed, replaced or repaired | $4 |
| Sewer tap | $10 |
| Water heater and/or vent | $4 |
| Gas piping, 1–5 outlets | $10 (6 or more outlets: $2 per outlet) |
| Water piping, or a lawn sprinkler system | $10 each |
| Mechanical permit | $25 |
| Residential heating and air unit | $25 for the first, $10 each additional |
| Commercial heating and air unit | $50 for the first, $10 each additional |
| Duct system, commercial hood or refrigeration unit | $25 each |
An electrician who does not correct defective work after notice from the inspector is refused further electrical permits until it is fixed. The Hereford Volunteer Fire Department carries out fire prevention plan reviews and inspections for the City.
How to get a building permit in Hereford
Confirm the address is inside Hereford city limits, and whether it lies in a mapped flood hazard area, before plans are finished.
Make sure the electrician has a current City registration certificate; without it no electrical permit can be issued.
Submit the application and plans to Building & Zoning at 224 N. Lee Avenue, Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The building official checks the plans against the 2018 codes, the City’s amendments and the zoning ordinance.
Pay the building fee and the electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, and arrange the water tap with the water superintendent.
Have each stage inspected by Building & Zoning before it is covered, through to the certificate of occupancy.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections and design values in Hereford
Building & Zoning inspects all permitted construction in the city, and the building official signs off certificates of occupancy. A repeat visit costs $25, and so does any inspection the fee schedule does not name.
The City’s residential code amendments set the design values plans are checked against: 20 psf ground snow load, 115 mph wind speed, seismic design category A, an 18-inch frost line and moderate-to-heavy termite risk. One- and two-family homes are exempt from fire sprinkler requirements. A building sewer must be at least 12 inches below grade, and 36 inches below finished grade where it meets a septic tank.
Local Hereford rules that affect a project
Sewer or septic: any improved lot within 300 feet of a City sewer main or lateral must connect to it. Lots farther away use a septic tank built to the City’s plumbing ordinance, permitted by Deaf Smith County, which TCEQ lists as its septic agent for the entire county. Outdoor toilets and cesspools are banned.
Flood hazard areas: the City Manager is the floodplain administrator, and development in a special flood hazard area needs a development permit. The application includes plans in duplicate, drawn to scale, showing existing and proposed structures and the elevation of the lowest floor; floodproofed non-residential buildings need an engineer’s or architect’s certificate.
Construction debris: the City landfill at N. Progressive Road and 15th Street is a Type IV site that takes construction and demolition waste. City residents show a current water bill, while businesses and out-of-city customers pay $10 per yard (806-363-7141).
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →House numbers and fences: every building must show its street number, at least 3 inches high, where it can be read from the street, and electrically charged fences are prohibited inside the city.
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
Hereford’s City Code adopts the 2018 International Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Energy Conservation, Existing Building and Fire Codes, the 2020 National Electrical Code and the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, each with local amendments.
Hereford official resources
- Hereford Building & Zoning
- Hereford Code of Ordinances (eCode360)
- Chapter 3, Building Regulations
- Residential code amendments and house permit fee
- Building code amendments and commercial fee table
- Electrical code and fees
- Electrician registration rules
- Plumbing code and fees
- Mechanical code and fees
- Floodplain development permit rules
- Water tap charges
- Hereford Fire Department
- Food Safety and food establishment permits
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Hereford permit FAQs
How much is a building permit for a new house in Hereford?
$0.20 per square foot under roof, so $400 for 2,000 sq ft. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are added at $25 each plus unit fees.
Who issues building permits in Hereford?
The City’s Building & Zoning Department at City Hall, 224 N. Lee Avenue (806-363-7100). It also inspects the work.
Can I apply for a Hereford permit online?
No. The City has no permit portal; applications are handled at City Hall, and its online payment site is for utility bills only.
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Hereford?
Yes. The City fee schedule sets a $25 minimum for a residential re-roof and $50 for a commercial one.
Can a homeowner do their own electrical work in Hereford?
Yes, in a single-family home they live in or will live in, with help only from family members in the household, and the work must meet the electrical code.
Does a swimming pool need a permit in Hereford?
Yes, for pools and spas deeper than 18 inches. The permit fee is $25.
What building codes does Hereford use?
The 2018 International codes, the 2020 National Electrical Code and the 2021 pool and spa code, adopted with local amendments.
Simplify Hereford 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.
Ready to break ground in Hereford sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Hereford permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Texas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Hereford permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.