Building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits inside La Marque city limits are issued by the City’s Development Services Department at 1130 1st Street, and applications, plans and payments go through the online La Marque Permits Portal. Since February 10, 2025 the City has enforced the 2024 International codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code, and new homes must be designed for wind speeds of at least 138 mph.
What requires a permit in La Marque?
La Marque narrows the exemptions in the 2024 codes. Its local amendments require a building permit for every accessory structure (no 120 or 200 sq ft shed exemption), for sidewalks and driveways, and for commercial fences.
Permit required
- New homes and commercial buildings, additions and alterations
- Accessory structures of any size, including sheds and playhouses
- Driveways and sidewalks
- Fences on commercial property
- Electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, gas tests and backflow inspections
- Signs and moving a building
- Bulkheads along the water
- Civil (site) work and work in the public right-of-way
No building permit
- Uncovered residential decks and patios that are not concrete and are not connected to an exterior doorway
Placing a recreational vehicle or manufactured home as temporary housing after a disaster also needs City approval; it may stay on the damaged home’s lot for up to 18 months.
Who issues permits in La Marque?
Development Services handles building permits and inspections, planning and zoning, development review, code compliance and fire, electrical, mechanical and plumbing plan review for property inside the city limits.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | City of La Marque Development Services |
| Office | 1130 1st Street, La Marque, TX 77568 |
| Phone | 409-938-9204; portal help 409-938-9284 ext. 294 |
| permits@cityoflamarque.gov | |
| Office hours | Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m.–noon |
| Permitting and inspection hours | Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; Friday 7:30–11:30 a.m. |
| Apply | La Marque Permits Portal (OpenGov) |
La Marque Permits Portal: record types and registration
Create a profile on the portal, choose the department and permit type, and start the application; drafts can be saved and finished later. The portal emails the applicant when a plan review, permit or certificate of occupancy is issued. Record types open to the public include:
- Development Services: Residential Building Permit, Commercial Building Permit, Accessory Structures, Electrical Permit, Mechanical Permit, Plumbing Permit, Gas Test, Service/Backflow Inspection, Sign Permit, Building Relocation Permit, Civil Permit Application, Address Assignment, Conditional Use Permit and Contractor Registration
- Public Works: Right of Way Construction
- Code Enforcement: Rental Registration
Contractor registration: every mechanical, plumbing, electrical and general contractor registers with the City before working. Mechanical contractors show a state mechanical licence, plumbers a plumber’s licence and electricians a master electrician’s licence; general contractors need no licence but must file proof of workers’ compensation, public liability ($50,000 per accident, $100,000 per person) and property damage ($10,000 per accident, $100,000 aggregate) insurance before a building permit is issued. The code excuses plumbers and electricians licensed under Texas Occupations Code chapter 1301 from the annual fee.
La Marque permit fees
The City’s Schedule of Fees is Appendix A of the Code of Ordinances. It sets the trade, fire, subdivision and zoning fees below; it does not include a building permit fee table by valuation or floor area.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical, plumbing permit minimum | $25 |
| Mechanical permit | $20 for work up to $1,000, rising to $85 at $10,000, then $5 per additional $1,000 |
| Trade re-inspection | $25 first, $50 second, $100 third and later |
| After-hours trade inspection | $100 per request |
| Electrical or mechanical contractor registration | $65 first year, $25 each year after |
| Fire Marshal plan review | $60 (sprinkler system $150, fire alarm $70) |
| Fire re-inspection | $60 |
| Subdivision plat filing | $200 per plat plus $8 per lot |
| Rezoning, up to 25 acres | $400 plus $50 per type of rezoning |
| Zoning letter / certificate of compliance | $25 |
| Rental registration | $50 per dwelling or unit, yearly |
New development also pays water and wastewater impact fees. They are collected when the building permit or the utility connection is applied for, whichever comes first.
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits in La Marque
Each trade has its own portal record, filed by the registered contractor. Typical unit charges in the fee schedule:
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical outlet (light, switch or receptacle) | $0.50 each |
| Temporary pole | $25 |
| Meter loop and service | $0.10 per amp |
| Plumbing fixture | $3 each |
| Water heater | $5 |
| Gas test | $7 |
| Backflow assembly installation or test | $20 residential, $50 commercial |
A building with plumbing must connect to the public sewer; a private septic system is allowed only where no sewer line runs within 1,000 feet of the property, and never for land being subdivided. Where one is allowed, it is permitted by the Galveston County Health District, TCEQ’s septic agent for the whole county.
How to get a building permit in La Marque
Use the City’s GIS zoning map (City Council adopted a new zoning map on June 21, 2021) and check whether the lot is in a mapped flood hazard area.
Each contractor files Contractor Registration in the portal with licence and insurance proof.
Residential or Commercial Building Permit, Accessory Structures, or a trade permit, plus a Civil Permit or Right of Way Construction record for site work.
Building, fire and trade reviewers work from the portal; homes must be designed for wind speeds of at least 138 mph.
The portal emails the permit when it is issued; impact fees are due at this stage for new development.
Request inspections within the permitting and inspection hours until the final and certificate of occupancy.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections in La Marque
Development Services inspects building and trade work Monday to Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Trade re-inspections cost $25, $50 and then $100, and inspections requested after hours cost $100 each. Work that continues after a stop work order, or any other violation of the construction codes, can be fined up to $2,000 per day.
Bulkheads have their own inspection points: the code official inspects during installation of the sheet piling, filter cloth, tie rods and anchors, and backfill, and work covered before an inspection must be uncovered at the contractor’s expense.
Local La Marque rules to plan for
- Floodplain: a floodplain development permit is required in flood hazard areas, and the code enforcement officer is the floodplain administrator. New and substantially improved homes must have the lowest floor at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation, certified by an engineer, architect or surveyor.
- Wind: the City’s amendment to the residential code sets a design wind speed of no less than 138 mph, or higher if state law requires it.
- Bulkheads: waterfront commercial and residential developments must bulkhead the full shoreline; a licensed professional engineer designs it, the code official approves the plans first, and sheet piling goes at least half its length below the mud line.
- Rental homes: owners register each rental with Code Compliance every year ($50 per unit) and certify working smoke detectors.
- ETJ: the City’s subdivision rules recognize its extraterritorial jurisdiction but do not override Galveston County’s own regulations there.
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
La Marque official permit resources
- La Marque Development Services
- La Marque Permits Portal (OpenGov)
- Schedule of Fees and Charges (Appendix A)
- Chapter 14, Construction Codes and local amendments
- Chapter 32, Flood Damage Prevention
- Zoning in La Marque
La Marque permit FAQ
Who issues building permits in La Marque?
The City of La Marque Development Services Department, 1130 1st Street, through the online La Marque Permits Portal.
Do I need a permit for a shed in La Marque?
Yes. La Marque removed the code exemption for small sheds, so every accessory structure needs a building permit, as do driveways and sidewalks.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Do I need a permit for a fence?
Fences on commercial property need a building permit. For homes, the City did not remove the residential code’s exemption for fences up to 7 feet high.
What building codes does La Marque use?
The 2024 International Building, Residential, Energy, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, Plumbing, Property Maintenance, Existing Building, Private Sewage Disposal and Swimming Pool and Spa codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code, effective February 10, 2025.
When are inspections done?
Monday to Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. After-hours trade inspections cost $100.
How high must a new home be in a flood zone?
The lowest floor must be at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation, with a professional’s elevation certification.
Do contractors have to register?
Yes, all general, mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractors register through the portal before working, with proof of their state licence; general contractors file insurance certificates instead.
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More Texas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about La Marque permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.