Seabrook, Texas Building Permit Guide

Inside Seabrook city limits, permits come from the City’s Building Department at the Public Works Complex, 1100 Red Bluff Road (281-291-5669), and applications and plans are emailed to permits@seabrooktx.gov. New construction, additions and pools are charged $0.50 per square foot, with plan review at half that amount on projects over 300 sq ft, and residential plan review takes about 7 to 10 business days.

What requires a permit in Seabrook?

The City expects a building permit for most construction, and leaves out only cosmetic and non-structural jobs such as painting, tile, carpet, cabinets and like-for-like fixture swaps. Its list of work that needs a permit includes:

All development in the floodplain, including fill, grading and paving, needs a permit under Chapter 38 of the City code.

Who issues building permits in Seabrook?

The Building Department, part of Community Development, reviews plans, issues building and trade permits and inspects the work. Nick Kondejewski is the Building Official and also the Floodplain Administrator. Commercial plans also go to the City Planner, and subdivision and infrastructure rules are handled by the City Engineer. The City suggests checking the Harris County Appraisal District map to make sure a property is inside Seabrook before applying.

Todville, Red Bluff and Repsdorph Roads are Harris County rights-of-way: utility work in them needs a County Approval Certificate, and culverts or driveways need a Harris County Engineering permit (713-274-3920).

Contractor registration and homeowner permits

Every contractor working in Seabrook registers with the Building Department before work starts. Registration is free. The package is the Contractor Registration Application, colour copies of the licence holder’s driver’s licence and state licence, and a certificate of insurance naming the City as certificate holder, with at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate, sent straight from the insurer. The owner or license holder can register in person at the Public Works Complex or by email, or send a letter of release on company letterhead listing who may pull permits under the licence.

Homeowners with a homestead exemption on the property can do most construction and some repairs themselves, but new construction, additions and plumbing, electrical or HVAC alterations may need a licensed professional; the Building Department says which. The building application is Form 100, and separate forms cover electrical (with a TCI release form), plumbing, mechanical, fire alarm and sprinkler, signs, certificates of occupancy, mobile food vendors and pipelines.

Seabrook permit fees

Fees come from the City’s Master Fee Schedule (Ordinance 2023-30, effective October 1, 2023). Staff calculate them during review, and you pay online or in person by cash, check, MasterCard or Visa, not by phone.

For 2,000 sq ft of new construction, that is $1,000 for the permit and $500 for plan review, before trade permits and impact fees. When commercial trade work is valued at $25,000 or more, an extra inspection fee equal to the permit fee total is added.

Impact fees: a new home pays a $250 parks impact fee per living unit, and water and wastewater impact fees of $2,910 and $2,813 for a standard 5/8 x 3/4-inch meter, rising with meter size. They are collected when the plat is recorded or construction permits are issued.

Trade and fire permits

Each trade permit has a $75 base fee. Typical additions: an electrical meter loop $25 and $5 to $15 per circuit; plumbing $10 per fixture, $20 for a sewer and $25 per water heater; HVAC $35 for a unit under 5 tons or $10 per ton above that; irrigation $0.50 per head and $10 per zone valve. Fire alarm and sprinkler permits also start at $75, with device charges from $5 each.

A pool needs building, plumbing and electrical permits, and the City will not approve it until all the trade permits are in. A standby generator needs building, electrical and plumbing permits plus a transfer switch approval letter from CenterPoint, and may not sit in front of the house or in a utility easement. Solar systems need building and electrical permits, PE-sealed plans meeting the 150 mph wind speed, and no equipment below the home’s finished floor.

New home documents and plan review

Send one digital copy of everything with the Form 100 application. A new house needs:

• A legal property survey sealed by a surveyor, and a plot plan with setbacks, easements, meter, disconnect, mechanical equipment, paving and drainage arrows
• A FEMA Elevation Certificate based on the construction drawings
• A third-party REScheck or equivalent energy report under the 2021 IECC, with its checklist
• An electrical load analysis and one-line service diagram
• Architectural plans at 1/4 inch to 1 foot, with electrical, plumbing and gas layouts
• Foundation, framing and windstorm plans sealed by a Texas structural engineer on the TDI list for high-wind work, showing the finished floor (Zone AE) or lowest horizontal member (Zone VE)
• In a VE zone, the first half of the City’s V-Zone Certificate; a plat or replat if lots are being combined or split

Any structure over 300 sq ft that is built or modified needs an engineered windstorm design. Commercial applications add Texas Accessibility Standards proof for projects over $50,000 (the City will not accept the application without it), an asbestos survey for demolition or renovation, a dry floodproofing certificate where it applies, and Fire Marshal and Harris County Health approvals as needed. Projects with more than 30 large sheets also need one paper set of the approved plans.

Review takes about 7 to 10 business days for homes and minor projects and 14 to 21 business days for commercial work.

How to get a Seabrook permit

Seabrook inspections

Inspectors work Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A request received before 8:30 a.m. is inspected that day; later requests go to the next inspection day, and Friday requests after 8:30 a.m. go to Monday. Call 281-291-5669 or email with the address, permit number, inspection type and a contact, plus any lockbox code or morning or afternoon preference. Partial inspections can only be booked by phone with the inspector. Repairs needed to reconnect gas or power to an occupied home are inspected the same day; there are no evening or weekend inspections.

A new home typically has a T-pole, ground plumbing, water and sewer line, foundation or piling, windstorm, cover-up and frame, brick tie, flatwork, meter release and final inspections, with all trades checked together at cover and final. A closed form survey and an Elevation Certificate are due before the foundation inspection, and the engineer’s frame certification letter before cover. Before the final, send the final survey, a final Elevation Certificate with photos and the third-party energy letter.

Sites must have silt fencing, debris containment, a concrete washout and a portable toilet on site or within 150 feet. Re-inspections cost $75. A business must pass final inspections with both the Building Department and the Fire Marshal before it occupies a space.

Coastal rules in Seabrook

Floor height: the residential inspection procedures put the lowest habitable floor at least 18 inches above the base flood elevation listed for the project in AE and X zones, and the bottom of the lowest horizontal member 18 inches above it in V and VE zones. Repairs or improvements costing 50% or more of the building’s market value (structure only) are held to new-construction flood standards and need an Elevation Certificate.

Wind: the City’s 150 mph ultimate design wind speed applies to all new construction, additions and renovations citywide.

Pools: the pool shell must be at least 5 feet from any property line, and equipment and decking at least 24 inches; a pool within 5 feet of the house needs a stamped engineering letter.

Other rules: the City does not enforce deed restrictions, so HOA approval is a separate matter. Commercial sites may not work between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and construction garbage must be removed at least twice a week.

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

Seabrook official resources

• Seabrook Permits
• Seabrook Building Code
• Seabrook Inspections
• Seabrook Residential Construction
• Seabrook Commercial Construction
• Seabrook Floodplain Information
• Building and Development Permit Application, Form 100 (PDF)
• Standard Operating Procedures for Residential Inspections (PDF)
• Seabrook Master Fee Schedule
• Harris County Engineering Department

Seabrook permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Seabrook?

$0.50 per square foot for new construction, additions and pools, plus a plan review fee of half that amount when plans are needed for more than 300 sq ft. Roof, siding and similar repairs are a flat $150 for homes.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof or windows in Seabrook?

Yes. Roofs, roof repairs and window or door replacements are all on the City’s permit list. Roof work on a home is a flat $150, and the City’s application form lists window replacement under the same flat fee.

How long does plan review take?

About 7 to 10 business days for residential and miscellaneous projects and 14 to 21 business days for commercial projects.

Can I pull my own permit as a homeowner?

Owners with a homestead exemption on the property can do most construction and some repairs themselves; ask the Building Department about plumbing, electrical and HVAC work.

How high must a new house be built in Seabrook?

The City’s inspection procedures require the lowest habitable floor at least 18 inches above the listed base flood elevation, or the lowest horizontal member 18 inches above it in V zones.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 281-291-5669 or email the Building Department before 8:30 a.m. for a same-day inspection.

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