Snyder, Texas Building Permit Guide

Inside Snyder city limits, building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and irrigation permits come from the City’s Planning & Development Services at 1925 24th Street (325-573-4959); completed PDF applications are emailed to planning@snydertx.gov, and contractors must be registered first. A home is charged $0.10 per square foot (minimum $40) under the June 2022 fee ordinance, and inspections asked for before 2 p.m. are usually made the next business day.

What needs a permit in Snyder?

The City publishes a separate application for each kind of work, and its fee ordinance prices each one:

The electrical code exempts minor work such as repairing switches, replacing fuses or changing lamp sockets and receptacles. A building in a mapped special flood hazard area needs a building permit before any construction or fill begins.

Who issues building permits in Snyder?

Planning & Development Services issues building and trade permits, registers contractors, inspects work and enforces zoning inside the city. Its Code Enforcement Officer / Building Inspector also administers the City’s flood damage prevention rules. Certificates of occupancy are issued after a walkthrough with the Building Official and the Fire Marshal.

The City’s subdivision ordinance reaches into its extraterritorial jurisdiction: land there may not be divided into lots without a plat approved by the planning commission and city council. Outside the city, Scurry County has no building permit office; septic systems go to the Scurry County Health Unit (325-573-3508). TCEQ excludes the City of Snyder from the county’s septic program, so a septic system inside the city limits is permitted by TCEQ’s Region 3 office in Abilene (325-698-9674).

Contractor registration and applications

Every contractor who does permitted work in the city registers with Planning & Development Services before a permit can be approved. The registration form covers building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and irrigation contractors and goes in with a legible driver’s licence, state and contractor licences and insurance certificates, in person, by mail or by email. It can be sent with the first permit application. Owners working on their own homestead do not register.

Contractors can pay permit fees online after setting up an account on the City’s payments portal under Building & Fire Projects, using the same email as on the registration; the City then links the account to the registration.

A homeowner may take out an electrical permit only for work at their own homestead, or at a single-family house they are building or renovating and will claim as a homestead, and must show the inspector they know the electrical code. All the work must be their own, unless a licensed master electrician helps, and the City will not issue another homeowner electrical permit at a different address within two years. Otherwise electrical permits go to a master electrician holding an electrical contractor licence.

Snyder permit fees

Ordinance 2116, adopted on June 20, 2022, sets the fees, and the City’s 2023 application forms carry the same figures. Fees are paid before the permit is issued.

Mechanical and plumbing permits carry a late fee of double the permit fee, and the electrical code charges twice the base permit price for wiring started before a permit. Services the City performs outside the city limits cost 1.5 times the listed rate.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire permits

Each trade permit starts with a $25 permit fee, and items are added from the schedule:

A utility may not connect power to a new building until the City’s electrical inspector clears the wiring. Water and sewer taps are separate: in 2022 a 1-inch water tap was $1,100 with a 3/4-inch meter or $1,200 with a 1-inch meter, and a 4- to 6-inch sewer tap for new construction $1,200, with extra charges for longer or deeper taps. A licensed contractor pulls the plumbing, irrigation or fire permit that goes with a tap.

The Fire Department charges for fire inspection permits: $20 to open the permit, annual facility inspections from $20 (up to 6,000 sq ft) to $120 (over 24,000 sq ft), $75 for a new fire alarm system, $100 for a new suppression system and $25 for each failed re-inspection.

What to submit

• The building permit application, with project value, heated and cooled square footage and total square footage, a site plot plan showing north, and the contractor details for each trade
• Two copies of the construction plans and specifications
• Answers on whether the lot is in a FEMA flood hazard area or a fire zone; in a flood hazard area, the elevation of the lowest floor
• A signed statement that an asbestos survey was done for renovation or demolition, or that one does not apply
• For commercial work, the occupancy group, construction type, occupant load, sprinkler status and the TDLR accessibility project number

The City’s plot plan diagrams show the usual residential setbacks: 25 feet at the front, 20 feet at the rear, and 8, 6 or 5 feet at the sides in the R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts. Its footing and slab sheet asks for at least 3/8-inch rebar on an 18-inch grid and a 12-inch-wide footing.

For a new commercial project, the City’s sequencing guide asks for a plat sealed by a registered surveyor when the land has not been platted, and holds a pre-construction meeting with the general contractor and subcontractors before permits are issued.

How to get a permit in Snyder

Inspections in Snyder

Request inspections through the online form or by email to planning@snydertx.gov, giving the permit number, address, type of inspection and preferred date. Requests in before 2 p.m. are typically scheduled for the next business day and later ones for the second business day; inspections run Monday to Friday, excluding City holidays. Every permit needs a final inspection.

An inspection can be failed, and a $30 re-inspection charged, for a wrong address, unfinished or inaccessible work, work that does not meet code, or missing permits. The application forms say a permit lapses if work does not start within six months or stops for six months; the older electrical article of the City code gives electrical permits only 90 days to start and 60 days of suspension.

Certificates of occupancy: a $75 CO inspection, paid with the application, is needed for a new commercial building, a new owner, tenant or use of an existing space, a remodel or expansion, or even a business name change. If the space will be altered, a building permit comes first. The CO is issued once every inspecting department has signed off and must be posted in plain view.

Local Snyder rules

Accessory buildings: they may sit in the rear yard but cover no more than 30% of it, stay 5 feet from side lot lines, and may be built on the rear line only where there is an alley; otherwise they keep 12.5 feet from it. A building within 10 feet of the house counts as part of the house.

Fences: the City’s fence diagram allows 18 inches on the front property line, up to 4 feet within the first 25 feet from the front line, and 6 feet beyond that and around the back yard.

Manufactured homes: a home placed on a lot outside a park needs at least four anchors, one at each corner, each rated for 2,800 pounds, skirting fixed with galvanized screws or bolts, and City water and sewer.

Right-of-way work: the permit needs a written description and drawings, the route through utility easements and a plan to protect sidewalks and other structures, with insurance and a bond on file. Give 24 hours’ notice before starting, and request City line locates through Texas811 48 hours ahead.

Water and sewer taps: mark the tap location with paint or a flag, wait for the Public Works estimate, pay at the Utility Department, then collect the tap permit from the Building Department.

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

Snyder official resources

• Snyder Building Inspections
• Snyder Adopted Building Codes
• Snyder Building Permits & Inspections
• Snyder Permit Applications & Forms
• Snyder Contractor Registration
• Snyder fee schedule, Ordinance 2116 (PDF)
• Snyder building permit application (PDF)
• Snyder certificate of occupancy guideline and application (PDF)
• Snyder online inspection request
• Snyder Code of Ordinances

Snyder permit FAQs

How much is a building permit for a house in Snyder?

$0.10 per square foot, with a $40 minimum, under the 2022 fee ordinance. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are charged separately, each starting at $25.

How do I apply for a permit in Snyder?

Download the application from the City’s Permit Applications & Forms page and email it with the plans to planning@snydertx.gov. Contractors must be registered with the City first.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Snyder?

Owners working on their own homestead do not need to register as contractors. For electrical work the City code allows a homeowner permit only at the owner’s homestead, or a house being built as one, and only one address every two years.

How fast are inspections?

Requests made before 2 p.m. are typically inspected the next business day; later requests go to the second business day.

How high can my fence be in Snyder?

The City’s diagram shows 18 inches on the front property line, 4 feet within 25 feet of it and 6 feet behind that point.

Does a new business need a certificate of occupancy?

Yes. A new owner, tenant, use or business name in an existing space needs a $75 CO inspection with the Building Official and Fire Marshal before opening.

Does Snyder issue permits outside city limits?

Its subdivision rules cover the extraterritorial jurisdiction, so plats there need City approval. Scurry County has no building permit office; outside the city, septic permits come from the county Health Unit.

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