The City of San Elizario issues its own building permits inside the city limits, through City Hall at 12710 Church St. (915-974-7037). Its Building Code Ordinance makes it unlawful to build a home or commercial building, or to do electrical, plumbing or mechanical work, without a City permit. A new house costs $0.40 per square foot of covered roof for the permit plus $0.10 per square foot for plan review, and that fee already covers the electrical, mechanical and plumbing work.
What requires a permit in San Elizario?
Ordinance 1515.03, the City’s Building Code Ordinance, requires a permit before anyone builds a residential or non-residential building or structure, or performs electrical, plumbing or mechanical work inside the city. It also makes it unlawful to alter, demolish, move or remodel a structure, grade or fill land, or build a swimming pool or septic system other than as the ordinance allows.
City permit
- New homes and two-family dwellings
- Additions, remodels, finish-outs, major repairs and garage enclosures
- Storage buildings
- Pools, hot tubs, spas, decks, balconies, rock walls and fences
- Manufactured and modular home move-ins
- Demolition and moving a building
- Commercial and multi-family buildings
- Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work
Extra approvals
- Floodplain Development Permit in a special flood hazard area
- Certificate of Appropriateness for building, altering or demolishing in the Historic Overlay District
- Contractor and business registration with the City
Who handles permitting in San Elizario?
San Elizario became a city in 2013 and permits construction inside its own limits; the Building Code Ordinance applies only within the incorporated boundary. The ordinances give the Building Official and Building Inspector the review and inspection role, and the City publishes its contractor, business and other application forms on its Code Enforcement page for filing at City Hall. Payments for registrations are taken by check or money order made out to the City of San Elizario. Land outside the city limits is unincorporated El Paso County.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| City Hall | 12710 Church St. (P.O. Box 1723), San Elizario, TX 79849 |
| Phone and email | 915-974-7037; info@cityofsanelizario.com |
| Hours | Monday to Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
| Floodplain Administrator | The Mayor or the Mayor’s appointee |
| Historic district review | Board of Review (same membership as the Planning and Zoning Commission) |
The City’s list of helpful numbers also gives El Paso County Emergency Services District No. 2 (16001 Socorro Rd., Fabens; 915-851-0304; inspections@epcountyesd2.org).
San Elizario permit fees (Ordinance 1903.05.02)
Ordinance 1903.05.02, passed on November 26, 2019, sets the building permit fees. For one- and two-family homes the fee covers the permit, inspections and plan review, including electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, and is charged on the covered-roof area.
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| New home: building permit | $0.40 per sq ft of covered roof |
| New home: plan review | $0.10 per sq ft of covered roof |
| Addition of 400 sq ft or more | $0.40 per sq ft of covered roof |
| Addition under 400 sq ft | $225 |
| Storage building of 260 sq ft or more (new or altered) | $0.40 per sq ft of covered roof |
| Storage building under 260 sq ft | $104 |
| Manufactured or modular home move-in (permit, inspections, plan review) | $450 |
| Pools, spas, decks, balconies, rock walls, fences and other work outside the home fee | $75 for one inspection, $150 for two, $225 for three |
| Residential demolition or moving | $100 |
| Waiver or variance request | $500 |
| Replacement permit | $25 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →For example, a house with 2,000 sq ft under roof pays $800 for the permit and $200 for plan review. Starting work before the permit is issued doubles the fee.
| Value of construction | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1 to $10,000 | $160 |
| $10,001 to $25,000 | $200 for the first $10,000 plus $16 per extra $1,000 |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | $450 for the first $25,000 plus $12 per extra $1,000 |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $725 for the first $50,000 plus $8 per extra $1,000 |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $1,100 for the first $100,000 plus $7 per extra $1,000 |
| $500,001 to $1,000,000 | $3,525 for the first $500,000 plus $6 per extra $1,000 |
| Over $1,000,000 | $6,125 for the first $1,000,000 plus $4 per extra $1,000 |
The commercial fee includes the permit, inspections and plan review; a commercial demolition permit costs $200.
Contractors and trade work
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work on a new home is covered by the home’s building permit fee, but every contractor must be registered with the City. The Business Registration Ordinance, as amended in January 2023, covers anyone who contracts to build, install or repair buildings, roofs, fire protection, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems in the city.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →- Fee: $75 to register and $75 to renew each year ($125 once a violation notice has been issued). The registration year runs from January 1 to December 31, and the first year is prorated.
- Exempt from the fee: electricians licensed by the State, plumbers required by state law to obtain a permit, and non-profits; they still register.
- Documents: state contractor licence, El Paso County assumed name certificate, state sales tax number, the names and IDs of everyone authorised to pull permits, and a certificate of insurance for $1,000,000 in liability coverage naming the City as certificate holder.
The City’s contractor application form, dated 2015, still shows a $25 renewal; the 2023 ordinance sets renewals at $75.
How to get a building permit in San Elizario
Confirm the lot is inside the city limits, and whether it lies in the Historic Overlay District or a FEMA special flood hazard area.
File the contractor registration at City Hall with the licence, insurance and assumed name documents, paid by check or money order.
Meet the Board of Review before applying for a Certificate of Appropriateness, or file a Floodplain Development Permit with plans in duplicate.
The City’s website posts no building permit application form, so get it from City Hall; under Ordinance 1515.03 no permit is issued until the fees are paid.
Keep to the approved plans and the codes adopted by Ordinance 1515.03, and arrange the inspections covered by the fee.
Local San Elizario rules
Codes: Ordinance 1515.03 (February 10, 2015) adopted the 2009 International Residential Code with Appendix G, the 2009 International Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, Energy Conservation and Fuel Gas Codes, and the 2008 National Electrical Code. Violations can bring fines of up to $2,000, with each day counted as a separate offense.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Historic district: the Historic Preservation Ordinance (April 12, 2016) requires a Certificate of Appropriateness or Certificate of Demolition from the Board of Review before anyone builds, alters, removes or demolishes a building, object, site or landscape feature in the Historic Overlay District, or a permanent feature of a Texas Antiquities Landmark or National Register property. Since a July 15, 2019 amendment, minor items such as landscaping, new fencing other than chain-link, walkways and driveways, matching replacement doors, repainting in compatible colors and outdoor lighting can be approved administratively instead. Applicants must attend a Board meeting before applying and bring a description, photographs, elevations, material samples and color chips. The Mission Trail Historic District design guidelines apply inside the overlay.
Flood zones: under the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (January 10, 2017), building in a FEMA special flood hazard area needs a Floodplain Development Permit, with scaled plans in duplicate showing the lowest-floor elevation. New homes must have the lowest floor at or above the base flood elevation.
Manufactured homes: new mobile homes may not be placed in the city. Under Ordinance 2015.26, manufactured homes are allowed in the Manufactured Home Subdivision Districts, and an owner may replace a mobile or manufactured home once (more often only after a fire or natural disaster) with a manufactured home no more than 10 years old and at least as large. Unless a City fee schedule sets another amount, the replacement permit is $75, or $150 if the old home has already been removed, and installation must be finished within 90 days (one 90-day extension is possible). The application needs a site plan, a water connection fee receipt, and a wastewater connection fee receipt or a TCEQ statement authorizing a septic system.
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
Official San Elizario permit resources
- San Elizario Code Enforcement and City Hall forms
- San Elizario ordinances
- Ordinance 1515.03, Building Code Ordinance (PDF)
- Ordinance 1903.05.02, building permit fees (PDF)
- Business Registration Ordinance as amended 2023 (PDF)
- Contractor license registration application (PDF)
- Ordinance 1715.08, Flood Damage Prevention (PDF)
- Ordinance 1615.10, Historic Preservation (PDF)
- Manufactured housing ordinance amendment 2015.26 (PDF)
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →San Elizario permit FAQ
Who issues building permits in San Elizario?
The City of San Elizario, through City Hall at 12710 Church St. (915-974-7037), for property inside the city limits.
How much is a building permit for a new house in San Elizario?
$0.40 per square foot of covered roof plus $0.10 per square foot for plan review. A house with 2,000 sq ft under roof pays $1,000 in total, including trade work.
Do I need a permit for a shed?
Yes. A storage building under 260 sq ft costs $104; larger ones are $0.40 per square foot of covered roof.
Do contractors have to register?
Yes, every year. Registration is $75 and needs $1,000,000 of liability insurance; state-licensed electricians and plumbers are exempt from the fee.
Which building codes apply?
The 2009 International Codes and the 2008 National Electrical Code adopted by Ordinance 1515.03 in 2015.
Do I need approval to work on a building in the historic district?
Yes. Building, altering, moving or demolishing anything in the Historic Overlay District needs a Certificate of Appropriateness (or of Demolition) from the Board of Review first; some minor items can be approved by staff.
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More Texas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about San Elizario permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.