Nacogdoches, Texas Building Permit Guide

Building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and sign permits inside Nacogdoches city limits come from the City’s Inspection Services office (936-559-2551), led by Certified Building Official Donald Shoemaker. Applications can be filed online through MGO Connect or with the paper forms the City posts, and contractors need a $25 City licence first. The permit fee follows a valuation table ($470 for a $100,000 job), and the City asks you to allow 10 business days for plan review.

What requires a permit in Nacogdoches?

Inspection Services processes these permits and reviews, according to the City’s building permit packet:

The fee schedule carries its own $25 permits for fences, accessory and portable buildings and carports. Plans are reviewed before a permit is issued for any new home, addition, remodel, accessory structure or deck.

Nacogdoches building department: who handles permitting

Inspection Services is the City’s building safety department, run by the Building Official, and also covers health, environmental and fire safety codes. Inside city limits it issues building and trade permits and inspects the work. Planning & Zoning handles zoning, and the Engineering Department reviews site, drainage and driveway plans and assigns new addresses. The City’s planning and subdivision rules reach into its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), but the City’s pages describe building permits only for property inside the limits; land outside the city is in Nacogdoches County.

Nacogdoches applications, forms and contractor licences

The City’s Online Permitting link opens its MGO Connect portal, where applications can be started online. The Forms and Applications page also posts the Building Permit Application and Building Permit Packet, the Residential and Commercial Plans Submittal lists, fee sheets for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, a Sign Permit Application, a Health Permit Application for food businesses and a Water & Sewer Utility Info Form. Two state flowcharts posted with them show when a Texas architect or engineer must design the project.

Contractor licence: no permit is issued until the contractor holds a City of Nacogdoches contractor or builder licence. It costs $25 a year, runs to October 1, and needs a $5,000 licence and permit bond made out to the City. The City licence does not cover electrical, plumbing or mechanical work, which needs the appropriate state licence. The residential submittal sheet adds that a homestead exemption applies to the licence requirement.

A permit expires if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days; it can be extended once if you ask in writing before it lapses, and a renewal costs the full original fee.

Nacogdoches permit costs

Fees come from the Master Fee Schedule in Appendix A of the Code of Ordinances, which sets residential building permits by square footage and commercial permits by valuation. The Building Permit Fees sheet prints the valuation table:

The older Building Permit Fees sheet still says commercial plan checking is half the permit fee; the Master Fee Schedule in the Code of Ordinances sets it at 100%, so a $100,000 commercial job carries $470 for the permit and another $470 for plan review. Fire alarm and kitchen hood permits are $40 each, fire sprinklers are charged by valuation, and installing or removing a storage tank costs $100.

Nacogdoches trade permits

Inspection Services issues electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits under the 2023 National Electrical Code and the 2024 plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas codes. Each trade fee is a base fee plus a charge for every item installed:

Each trade also charges $25 per re-inspection and doubles the fee for work started without a permit. The Fire Marshal’s Office, part of Nacogdoches Fire & Rescue at 212 E. Pilar Street, enforces the fire code.

Plans Nacogdoches asks for

Construction drawings must be at least 18 by 24 inches and are submitted in duplicate. The City asks you to allow 10 business days for review, longer for unusual designs or incomplete sets.

In a mapped flood hazard area, the finished floor must be at least 1 foot above the 100-year flood elevation.

How to get a Nacogdoches permit: 6 steps

Inspections in Nacogdoches

Call Inspection Services at 936-559-2551 with the permit number, address, company name and the inspection needed. The building permit packet says requests made before 3:00 p.m. are generally done the same day, later ones may slip to the next day, and inspections after hours or on weekends carry extra fees. Driveway forms must be inspected before concrete is poured: call Inspection Services for a house, or Engineering at 936-559-2521 for a commercial driveway, at least 24 hours ahead.

The job card lists the inspections your project needs. For a new house they typically run: setbacks once forms are set, plumbing rough-in, footings and foundation, driveway, sewer and water lines, rough electrical, mechanical and plumbing top-out, framing, insulation and final. After the final passes, the inspection card is signed and the Certificate of Occupancy can be picked up from Inspection Services.

Under the City’s 2025 amendments, a $25 re-inspection fee can be charged if the work is not ready, the address or permit card is not posted, approved plans are missing, the building is locked, the site is red-tagged twice for the same item or a red tag is removed, or erosion, trash or tree protection is not maintained. It must be paid before any further inspection on that site.

Local Nacogdoches details

Pre-development meetings: held on Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. and Thursdays at 9:00 or 10:00 a.m., with staff from several departments, after you submit the online request form with your site plans. Confirmations follow by email or phone within 1–2 business days.

Historic districts: the City’s request form asks whether a site is in the Downtown, Sterne-Hoya, Virginia Avenue, Washington or Zion Hill historic district, and the City has a Historic Landmark Preservation Committee.

Floodplain: the floodplain ordinance bans structures in the floodway and requires buildings in the floodplain to sit 1 foot above the base flood elevation.

Zoning: most zoning applications require a meeting with owners of property within 500 feet. HUD-code manufactured homes are currently allowed only in manufactured home parks approved by Specific Use Permit in the R-4 and B-2 districts, and the City was reviewing that rule in 2026 ahead of new state rules.

Code changes: the City’s amendments delete the residential sprinkler requirement for one- and two-family homes and bar any opening from a private garage directly into a bedroom.

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

Nacogdoches permit search and official resources

• Nacogdoches Inspection Services and adopted codes
• Nacogdoches permit forms and applications
• Nacogdoches online permitting (MGO Connect)
• Master Fee Schedule, Code of Ordinances Appendix A
• Building Permit Fees valuation table
• Residential Plans Submittal
• Commercial Plans Submittal
• Building Permit Packet
• Ordinance 2049-07-25, local code amendments
• Pre-Development Meeting request

Frequently asked questions

How much is a building permit in Nacogdoches?

It follows the City’s valuation table: $25 for the first $1,000, $270 at $50,000 and $470 at $100,000. Residential plan review is free; commercial plan review adds 100% of the permit fee.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed in Nacogdoches?

The City’s fee schedule lists a $25 fence permit, residential or commercial, and a $25 permit for an accessory or portable building. Inspection Services also processes deck permits.

How long does plan review take?

The City asks you to allow 10 business days for residential and commercial plans; incomplete or unusual plans take longer.

Do contractors need a City licence?

Yes. A City contractor licence costs $25 a year with a $5,000 bond, and electrical, plumbing and mechanical work also needs a state licence.

What codes does Nacogdoches use?

The 2024 International Codes, including the building, residential, energy, fire, fuel gas, mechanical, plumbing and property maintenance codes, and the 2023 National Electrical Code, with local amendments, since November 1, 2025.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call Inspection Services at 936-559-2551 with your permit number, address, company name and inspection type.

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