Melissa, Texas Building Permit Guide

Building, trade and fence permits inside Melissa city limits are issued by the City’s Development & Neighborhood Services Department and applied for online in the Camino portal. Bureau Veritas reviews the plans and inspects the work under contract. A new single-family home pays $1,428.70 for the first 1,500 sq ft plus $0.64 per additional sq ft, with no plan review fee, and residential permits take up to 7 to 10 working days.

What requires a permit in Melissa?

The City’s rule is broad: nobody may erect, enlarge, alter, repair, replace, convert, demolish or occupy a building, or install building service equipment, without a permit from the Permit Department. The fee schedule and application forms name these permit types:

Each permit has to be posted where it can be seen from the front property line until the final inspection or Certificate of Occupancy.

Melissa building department: who handles permitting

Development & Neighborhood Services runs planning, zoning and permitting for the City. Permit staff take applications and fees, while the City contracts Bureau Veritas, an outside consultant, for residential and commercial plan review and building inspections. The City permits only inside its limits: Collin County states that land in a city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction stays under county permitting, and county applicants there need an ETJ Verification form signed by the city.

Camino accounts, contractor registration and forms

Residential and commercial permits are filed in the Camino portal: create an account with your name and email, register as a contractor by uploading your licences and insurance, then start the application. Building permits can be paid by cash, check, money order or card through the portal; card payments carry a 3% processing fee.

Registration costs $100 and runs for the calendar year, January to December, with no proration. It is required before a permit is issued to anyone doing licensed plumbing, electrical, mechanical, irrigation or private sewage work, and for debris haulers including reroofing contractors. The residential checklist also lists general contractors and backflow testers. Owners working on their own primary residence are exempt.

Forms the City posts with the permit pages:

• Residential Building Permit Application, covering new homes, remodels and additions, trade work, fences, accessory buildings, irrigation and pools, with the energy provider and every subcontractor named.
• Commercial Permit Application and the Commercial New / Remodel Plan Review Checklist.
• Certificate of Occupancy Application, with a site plan and the fee.
• Fire Alarm / Fire Sprinkler Application, also used for underground fire lines, hoods and fuel tanks.
• Request for Variance Application.
• Permit to Construct Sidewalk, Driveway, Culvert Facilities on City Right of Way and the Tree Removal Permit.

Melissa permit cost

Fees are set in Appendix A of the Code of Ordinances, last amended by Ordinance 2025-45 on August 26, 2025. Homes are charged by square footage; commercial buildings and most other structures use a valuation table.

For example, a house counted at 2,500 sq ft pays $1,428.70 plus 1,000 × $0.64, or $2,068.70, with no plan review fee. Small jobs on the valuation table start at $23.50 for work up to $500. Inspections outside business hours are $47 per hour with a two-hour minimum, and a meeting with the Development Review Committee costs $320.

The City’s older Building Permits Information sheet, revised in 2016 and still linked from the permit pages, prints lower fees (for example a $75 Certificate of Occupancy) and the 2015 codes. The 2025 fee appendix and the 2021 codes are the current ones. Impact fees for roadways, water and wastewater are separate and are covered under local details below.

Melissa trade permits

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits come from the same Camino portal. A residential trade permit is a flat $90; commercial trade permits are priced on the valuation table. Only a contractor registered with the City for that trade, or an owner working on their own primary residence, can pull one. The adopted trade codes are the 2021 International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code.

Fire protection work goes through the Fire Marshal’s Office. Fire alarm and sprinkler applications and plans must be emailed to fireinspections@cityofmelissa.com, and paper copies are not accepted. Fire plan review costs $460 for buildings up to 50,000 sq ft and $1,230 above that; tests are $240 per alarm panel or sprinkler riser and $160 per commercial hood.

Plans and documents Melissa asks for

Drawings marked “not for construction” or “for pricing only” are refused. The City says residential permits can take up to 7 to 10 working days and commercial permits up to 14; Bureau Veritas contacts the applicant if the plans need changes.

Melissa permit application: how to apply step by step

Inspections in Melissa

The general contractor requests inspections from Bureau Veritas at 817-335-8111 (toll free 877-837-8775), or by fax. Requests made by 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, are inspected the next business day. Field inspectors can be reached by cell phone; the Bureau Veritas office gives out the assigned inspector’s number.

A form survey sealed by a Texas surveyor must be on site for the plumbing rough inspection, and every site needs a portable toilet. Energy inspections are done by third-party inspectors holding ICC, HERS or BPI credentials who have registered with the City, and the building final is not approved until their paperwork is on site. Before a Certificate of Occupancy, the City checks for GFI outlets in bathrooms and at kitchen counters, smoke detectors in bedrooms and the halls leading to them, and an asphalt or concrete driveway.

Local details for building in Melissa

Impact fees: new roadway, water and wastewater impact fees adopted by Ordinance 2025-44 took effect on March 31, 2026. They are collected at 100% of the assessed maximum per service unit, normally when the building permit application is made. For a project estimate, email development@cityofmelissa.com.

Accessory buildings: detached buildings go in the rear yard, at least 15 ft from the house and 5 ft from side and rear lot lines (10 ft from a side street), and never in a utility easement. HOA approval does not replace the City’s rules; the stricter requirement applies.

Driveways and the right-of-way: a sidewalk, driveway or culvert in the City right-of-way needs its own $150 permit, and a driveway onto a state highway needs a TxDOT permit. Other right-of-way construction is charged 1% of the construction contract value.

Rental properties: apartment buildings, duplexes, non-platted townhomes and build-to-rent communities with two or more units must register with the City, and units three years or older are inspected every year by the City’s partner SAFEbuilt.

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

Official Melissa permit resources

• Melissa Residential Permits
• Melissa Commercial Permits
• Melissa Inspections
• Bureau Veritas contact information for Melissa
• New Residential Plan Review Checklist
• Residential Energy Inspection Process
• Fire Alarm / Fire Sprinkler Application
• Appendix A: Melissa Fee Schedule
• Chapter 3: Building and Construction
• Melissa Impact Fees
• Engineering Standards & Development Tools
• Accessory Building & Outbuilding FAQs
• Camino permitting portal for Melissa

Frequently asked questions

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

$1,428.70 covers the first 1,500 sq ft, and each extra square foot up to 10,000 adds $0.64. Plan review is waived for one- and two-family homes, but impact fees are charged on top.

Who does plan review and inspections for Melissa?

Bureau Veritas, under contract with the City. Plan review status: 469-241-1834. Inspection requests: 817-335-8111.

How long does a Melissa building permit take?

Up to 7 to 10 working days for residential permits and up to 14 working days for commercial permits, according to the City’s permit pages.

Do I need a permit for a fence or a new roof in Melissa?

Yes. Residential fence and reroof permits are $90 each, and the roofing contractor must be registered with the City.

Do I need a permit for a shed in Melissa?

A detached accessory building is permitted on the valuation table. The City treats buildings over 120 sq ft without a bath or kitchen as accessory buildings, and they must sit in the rear yard 15 ft from the house.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Melissa?

Yes. Owners doing work on their own primary residence are exempt from contractor registration; everyone else in the licensed trades must register for $100 a year.

Does Melissa issue permits in its ETJ?

No. Collin County handles permitting outside city limits, including the ETJ, and asks for an ETJ Verification form signed by the city.

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