The City of Nederland Inspection Department, headed by Building Official Jacob Pitts, reviews plans, issues building, plumbing, gas, electrical and mechanical permits and inspects the work inside city limits (409-723-1502). Applications are moving to the GovWell portal. A new house costs $30 plus $0.54 per square foot of living area, every builder posts a $15,000 City bond, and both homes and commercial buildings must be engineered for 120 mph winds.
What requires a permit in Nederland?
The Inspection Department lists these projects as needing a permit inside the city:
Permit required
- New homes and commercial buildings, additions and remodels
- Carports, patio covers, porches, decks and sunrooms
- Storage buildings of 120 sq ft or more; garages, shops, cabanas and outdoor kitchens
- Driveways, parking areas and extensions
- New roofs and roof repairs, foundation repairs
- Fences
- Moving or demolishing a building
- Air conditioning and water heater replacements
- Electrical and gas utility reconnections
- In-ground pools, and above-ground pools depending on depth and size
- Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work, and fill
No permit
- Portable sheds up to 120 sq ft that are not on a concrete slab or foundation
- Fences under 3½ feet tall
- Painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets and counter tops
- Repairs to existing interior or exterior veneer, short of replacing it
- Prefabricated above-ground pools under 24 inches deep and 5,000 gallons
The exemptions come from the City’s own amendment to the building code and are narrower than the model code: a fence 3½ feet or taller, or any shed on a slab, needs a permit.
Nederland building department: who handles permitting
The Inspection Department handles plan review, building and trade permits, inspections, platting and zoning administration, street addressing and floodplain administration for the City. It works from the D. Bob Henson Building. Commercial permits also need sign-off from the City Engineer and the Fire Marshal before they are issued. Unincorporated land around the city is in Jefferson County.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Inspection Department |
| Building Official | Jacob Pitts |
| Phone | 409-723-1502 (also the inspection line); fax 409-727-8620 |
| Office | D. Bob Henson Building, 1903 Atlanta Ave, Nederland, TX 77627 |
| P.O. Box 967, Nederland, TX 77627 | |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:00–11:00 a.m. and 12:30–4:00 p.m. |
| City Engineer / Fire Marshal | 409-723-1565 / 409-723-1535 |
| Water and sewer taps | Public Works, 409-723-1541 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Nederland applications, bonds and licences
The City is moving applications onto GovWell: register your company in the portal, then fill out the permit application there. The Ordinances & Permits page also posts the City’s Building Contractor’s Bond form, the Engineer’s Affidavit for windstorm compliance, a blank Storm Water Permit Application and the state flowchart for when a commercial project needs an architect or engineer.
Contractor bond: anyone contracting to build or repair a structure that needs a permit must deposit a $15,000 bond with the City on the City’s form. An owner doing work on the home they occupy as a homestead does not need the bond. Residential foundation repair may only be done by a contractor licensed and bonded with the City.
Subcontractors: before trade permits are issued, the City asks for these documents:
- Air conditioning: state licence and insurance of $100,000 for residential or $300,000 for commercial work.
- Electrical: master and journeyman state licences, the state electrical contractor licence and insurance of $300,000/$600,000/$300,000. Electrical permits are issued only to master electricians or master sign electricians, or an agent they name by affidavit.
- Plumbing: a copy of the licence and either a $300,000 insurance certificate or a $2,000 bond.
Permits that are not started within 180 days, or are stopped for 180 days, become void.
Nederland permit costs and fees
Fees are written into Chapter 18 of the Code of Ordinances, in the City’s amendments to each code. Homes are charged a $30 issuance fee plus a rate per square foot; commercial work uses a valuation table.
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| New single-family home, duplex or townhome; addition | $30 plus $0.54 per sq ft of living area |
| Garage, shop, cabana, sunroom or storage building over 400 sq ft | $30 plus $0.26 per sq ft |
| Remodel that strips walls to the framing | $30 plus $0.08 per sq ft of the rooms involved |
| Carport, patio cover or porch | $30 plus $0.08 per sq ft |
| Window or fireplace replacement (no remodel) | $30 plus $2 per window |
| Asphalt or metal roof replacement | $30 plus $2 per roofing square |
| Portable storage building 120–400 sq ft, gazebo, deck, driveway, fence, above-ground pool | $30 |
| In-ground pool or spa | $30 plus $0.02 per gallon |
| Manufactured home | $100 |
| Foundation repair | $20 |
| Moving or demolishing a building | $50 |
| Extra inspection the Building Official requires | $10 each |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →For example, a house with 2,000 sq ft of living area pays $30 plus $1,080, or $1,110, before trade permits.
Commercial and other non-residential work: a $20 issuance fee and a $10 inspection fee are added to a valuation-based fee. Valuation is set from the City’s square-foot construction cost table by occupancy and construction type.
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $999.99 | $10 |
| $1,000–$49,999.99 | $15.75 for the first $1,000 plus $5.25 per extra $1,000 |
| $50,000–$99,999.99 | $273 for the first $50,000 plus $4.20 per extra $1,000 |
| $100,000–$499,999.99 | $483 for the first $100,000 plus $3.15 per extra $1,000 |
| $500,000 and up | $1,743 for the first $500,000 plus $2.10 per extra $1,000 |
| Plan check, valuation over $100,000 | Half the building permit fee |
Nederland electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits
Each trade is a separate permit from the Inspection Department, priced item by item in Chapter 18:
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical issuance | $15 |
| Electrical service up to 200 A / over 200 A | $11 / $25 |
| Each outlet, switch, receptacle or fixture | $0.50 |
| Temporary pole or service change | $10 each |
| Electrical re-inspection | $20 |
| Plumbing issuance and inspection | $15 plus $10 |
| Toilet, tub, sink, shower or other fixture | $3 each |
| Water heater or sewer line | $5.75 each |
| Lawn sprinkler system | $25 |
| Gas issuance; appliances | $15; $3–$5.25 each |
| Mechanical issuance and each inspection | $15 plus $10 |
| Mechanical system valuation | $10 for the first $1,000 plus $2 per extra $1,000 |
Plumbing re-inspections are $15. Electrical inspections requested before 8:00 a.m., after 5:00 p.m., or on weekends and holidays cost $55 each, and gas overtime inspections are also $55.
What to submit
New home
- Building Contractor’s Bond on the City form
- Completed permit application
- Two full plan sets: floor plans, elevations, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and structural
- Plot plan and site survey with legal description, sealed by a licensed land surveyor
- Drainage plan showing roof and surface water reaching the City system without running onto neighbours
- Passed, signed third-party REScheck energy certificate
- Engineer’s 120 mph wind load calculations
- Storm water application and the TCEQ Notice of Intent
- Water and sewer tap application to Public Works
New commercial
- Everything on the residential list
- TDLR accessibility registration for projects valued at $50,000 or more
- Asbestos survey before renovating or demolishing a public or commercial building
- Passed, signed COMcheck
- Fire Department master key lockbox application
- Plot plan with parking spaces and construction type
- Approval from the City Engineer and the Fire Marshal
A registered design professional must seal plans for buildings of 5,000 sq ft or more or three or more storeys; homes under three storeys are excepted. Every site plan must be drawn from a boundary survey and show easements, setbacks and drainage, and any structure later found in an easement, alley or setback must be removed.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Nederland permit application: how to apply
Confirm the zoning and whether the lot is in a mapped flood hazard area, which changes the floor height.
File the $15,000 contractor bond, register the company in GovWell and gather the subcontractors’ licences and insurance.
Have an engineer prepare the 120 mph windstorm design and, for a home, a REScheck from a third-party energy rater.
Submit the application, two plan sets and survey, and send the water and sewer tap application to Public Works.
Before work starts, provide a portable toilet, a trash container and visible address numbers, plus silt fencing, a rock entrance and the posted storm water permit where storm water rules apply.
Phone 409-723-1502 for every stage through the final building inspection.
Inspections in Nederland
Schedule inspections by calling the Inspection Department at 409-723-1502. The City requires these inspections:
- Plumbing: rough-in, sewer and water service lines, top-out and rough gas piping, final plumbing and gas.
- Building: foundation, framing and final.
- Electrical: temporary pole, rough-in and final.
- HVAC: rough-in and final.
- Insulation: wall insulation, then final ceiling insulation.
- Storm water: ongoing until the final building inspection.
The engineer’s framing inspection document for windstorm compliance must reach the City before you ask for the City framing inspection. The City’s inspection notice says not to cover any pipe until a green inspection tag is on it, and to call top-out, rough gas, framing and rough electrical together where possible; its stated timing is that calls before 9:00 a.m. are usually inspected that morning and calls before 2:00 p.m. that day, with no inspections before 9:00 a.m., after 4:00 p.m., or on weekends and holidays. Re-inspection fees must be paid before further inspections.
Temporary electrical service for a building under construction is released only on a signed request from the owner and general contractor, and lasts up to 3 months.
Local Nederland details
Floodplain: the Inspection Department is also the City’s floodplain administrator. New buildings and substantial improvements in a mapped flood hazard area must have the lowest floor 18 inches above base flood elevation, shown on two elevation certificates by a licensed surveyor.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Storm water: construction sites of 5 acres or more, or within a larger project of that size, need a City storm water permit as well as the TCEQ Notice of Intent.
Plats and appeals: the five-member Planning and Zoning Commission advises City Council on rezonings, Specific Use Permits and new plats, while the Building Official can approve amending plats and replats creating four or fewer lots if all ordinances are met. Variances and appeals of the Building Official’s decisions go to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Industrialized (modular) homes: they must meet the same permit rules as other houses, sit on a permanent foundation, and be valued at least at the median of homes within 500 feet.
Codes: the Code of Ordinances adopts the 2012 International Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas and Energy Conservation Codes, the 2011 National Electrical Code and the 2009 Property Maintenance Code. The department’s Zoning Planning Information page still lists older editions, but the City’s 2016 adoption ordinances and its 2026 windstorm affidavit both use the 2012 codes.
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
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Nederland permit search and official resources
- Nederland Inspection Department
- Services and permits required
- New construction requirements
- Required inspections
- Ordinances, bond form and permit documents
- GovWell permit portal
- Code of Ordinances Chapter 18, buildings and fees
- Flood management information
- Zoning and planning information
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Nederland?
The City’s Inspection Department, led by Building Official Jacob Pitts, issues building and trade permits and inspects work inside city limits.
How much is a building permit for a new house in Nederland?
$30 plus $0.54 per square foot of living area, so $1,110 for 2,000 sq ft, with trade permits extra.
Do I need a permit for a fence, roof or shed?
Yes for a re-roof ($30 plus $2 per square), a fence 3½ feet or taller ($30) and any shed of 120 sq ft or more or on a slab. Portable sheds under 120 sq ft without a slab are exempt.
Can a homeowner pull a permit without the contractor bond?
Yes. The $15,000 bond does not apply to an owner working on the home they live in as their homestead. Electrical permits still go only to master electricians.
What codes does Nederland use?
The 2012 International Codes and the 2011 National Electrical Code, with local amendments in Chapter 18 of the Code of Ordinances.
How high must a new house be built in a flood zone?
The lowest floor must be 18 inches above base flood elevation, proven with two elevation certificates.
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More Texas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Nederland permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.