Santa Fe, Texas Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Santa Fe are issued by the Building and Permitting division of the City’s Community Services Department at City Hall, 12002 State Hwy. 6 (409-925-6412). Applications are uploaded as PDFs in the City’s iWorQ Citizen Portal or filed at City Hall, and the Building Official emails you when the permit is ready to pay. A new home costs $1.00 per square foot of living space and $0.50 for garage space, plus a 50% plan review fee, a $900 trade fee, a $300 park fee and a $100 application fee.

What requires a permit in Santa Fe?

The City’s permit FAQ lists new houses, garages, carports, barns, additions of any size and replacement mobile homes as needing a building permit, and its fee schedules add:

The City’s 2023 FAQ says structures under 200 sq ft do not need a building permit. Any development in a special flood hazard area needs a permit application.

Who handles permitting in Santa Fe?

Community Services handles zoning, building, code enforcement and certificates of occupancy inside the city limits, and its Building Official reviews every permit package. The Fire Marshal reviews fire protection plans, and the City’s Street Department handles driveway culverts. Santa Fe is in Galveston County; the City sends owners to the Galveston Central Appraisal District’s GIS map, with its “City Boundaries” layer, to confirm whether a lot is inside the city.

Applying through the Citizen Portal

In the portal, choose Apply, enter the property and contractor details, select the permit type and attach a signed application; every online application needs one. When the review is done you receive an email with the amount due, and you pay through the link with the permit number. Fees can also be paid at City Hall by cash, check or card, and must be paid before the permit is issued.

Trade permits: electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications are not approved until the building permit is issued, and no inspections take place without an issued building permit.

Homeowners: an owner may act as general contractor or as any subcontractor if the work is done personally on their own homestead, with a signed statement of compliance. Homeowners installing a generator also provide a homeowner affidavit and a GCAD letter showing ownership.

Home backup power: generator and solar permits need a CenterPoint approval letter, a site plan with setbacks, equipment specifications and the trade applications signed by the contractors doing the work.

Santa Fe permit fees (2025 schedules)

The residential and commercial fee schedules approved February 13, 2025 took effect March 1, 2025. Every permit carries a non-refundable $100 application fee.

For example, a home with 2,000 sq ft of living space and a 400 sq ft garage pays $2,200 in square-foot charges, $1,100 for plan review, $900 for trades, $300 for the park fee and $100 for the application: $4,600 in all.

Re-inspections cost $50, then $100, then $200 for each later failure; after-hours inspections are $100 an hour with a 2-hour minimum; a second plan resubmittal costs 50% of the original permit fee after a $100 first resubmittal; and changing contractors costs $30. Starting work before the permit is issued doubles the fees. Commercial permits use a valuation table (for example $475.50 for the first $100,000 plus $3.75 per $1,000 up to $500,000) plus plan review at 50%, and architects, demolition, general, engineering, pool and sign contractors register for $100 ($50 to renew).

What a new home application needs

Two copies of the plans are required; one stamped copy comes back and must stay on the job site. The City’s new home checklist asks for:

• Signed application
• Structural and foundation plans stamped by a windstorm engineer, and a WPI-1 from a windstorm-certified engineer
• Site plan or survey with setbacks, easements, utilities and any septic system
• Grading or drainage plan showing no harm to neighbouring lots
• Plumbing isometric, DWV and gas riser; electrical one-line diagram and load calculation; HVAC Manual J/S and duct layout
• REScheck energy report
• Septic approval letter from the Galveston County Health District if the house will not connect to the WCID 8 sewer system
• CenterPoint letter for a transfer switch, where used
• Elevation certificate in flood zone A or AE, at the start and end of the project

The lot must be on a recorded plat, or have existed in its current shape before November 13, 1997, and must have an address before a primary structure permit is issued. Only one electric meter is allowed per residential lot without the Building Official’s approval. Commercial projects add sprinkler and alarm drawings, an accessibility review over $50,000 and, for sites over 1 acre, a stormwater pollution prevention plan.

How to get a building permit in Santa Fe

Santa Fe inspections

Request inspections in the portal or by phone at 409-925-6412 by 4:00 p.m. Monday to Thursday, or 11:00 a.m. on Friday. Inspectors work from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except for emergencies, concrete pours or visits arranged with the inspector. All cover inspections (framing, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and gas) must be requested together, and so must all final inspections.

A stamped form survey showing the slab elevation is due before the slab inspection. Before the final certificate of occupancy, the Texas Department of Insurance must issue a WPI-8 windstorm certificate: the engineer files a WPI-1 before construction starts and a WPI-2 when the work is complete. The approved plans must be on site at every inspection.

Local Santa Fe rules

Slab height: the finished slab must be 12 inches above the nearest open-ditch road, 18 inches above a curb-and-gutter street, or 8 inches above a state highway; in a special flood hazard area it must be 12 inches above the base flood elevation.

Setbacks: the City’s FAQ puts accessory buildings 10 ft from the rear lot line in residential districts (5 ft where it backs onto an alley) and limits heights to 35 ft outside the HC and LM districts.

Codes: the building department page lists the 2018 International Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code, while the City’s 2025 home backup power page says it enforces the 2024 International Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code, so the Building Official can confirm which edition your plans must meet.

Job sites: since January 1, 2023 every site must have trash containment and a portable toilet, and the permit must be kept on site. Variance requests go to the Board of Adjustments on the first Monday of each month and must be filed at least 15 days ahead.

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 Santa Fe permit resources

• Santa Fe Building, Permitting & Codes
• Santa Fe iWorQ Citizen Portal
• Residential fee schedule, effective March 1, 2025
• Commercial fee schedule, effective March 1, 2025
• Checklist for residential new construction (PDF)
• New construction pre-requisite checklist (PDF)
• Residential development permit application (PDF)
• Permit frequently asked questions, 2023
• Generator and solar permit requirements (SB 1202)
• Culvert permit information

Santa Fe permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Santa Fe?

The City’s Community Services Department (Building and Permitting) at City Hall, 12002 State Hwy. 6 (409-925-6412).

How much is a building permit for a new house in Santa Fe?

$1.00 per sq ft of living space and $0.50 for the garage, plus 50% for plan review, $900 for trades, a $300 park fee and a $100 application fee: $4,600 for 2,000 sq ft with a 400 sq ft garage.

Can a homeowner pull a permit?

Yes, for work they do themselves on their own homestead, with a signed statement of compliance.

Do I need a permit for a new roof?

Yes. Roof, siding, window and exterior door replacement or repair is a $150 permit.

How high must a new slab be?

12 inches above an open-ditch road, 18 inches above a curbed street, 8 inches above a state highway, or 12 inches above base flood elevation in a flood zone.

When must inspections be requested?

By 4:00 p.m. Monday to Thursday or 11:00 a.m. on Friday, in the portal or by phone.

Do I need a windstorm certificate?

Yes. A TDI WPI-8 is required before the final certificate of occupancy.

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