Stephenville, Texas Building Permit Guide

Inside Stephenville city limits, permits come from the City’s Development Services Department at City Hall, 298 W. Washington Street; applications go to the Permit Technician through the City’s iWorQ portal or by email to permits@stephenvilletx.gov (254-918-1224). The building permit is a combination permit, and a new house is charged $464 per dwelling unit plus $0.42 per square foot, with plan review billed separately, under the FY 2025–2026 fee schedule.

What requires a permit in Stephenville?

The City’s permitting page lists the work it permits:

The City suggests calling the Building Official before starting work if you are unsure whether a permit is needed. Development in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area needs a floodplain development permit as well as the building permit.

Who handles permitting in Stephenville?

Development Services, led by Director Steve Killen, covers permitting, the Building Official, planning and zoning, and code enforcement. Robert Turk is the Building Official and reviews plans for code compliance. The permit office handles applications, fees, contractor registration and inspection requests; the Building Inspector is not booked directly. The Fire Marshal inspects businesses and issues the load and occupancy before a certificate of occupancy. Outside the city limits, Erath County handles septic and floodplain permits. TCEQ lists the County as its septic agent for unincorporated land only, so a septic system inside Stephenville is permitted by TCEQ’s Region 4 office in Fort Worth (817-588-5800).

Applications, forms and contractor registration

Applications can be submitted online in iWorQ or emailed to the Permit Technician. The Building Official reviews the plans; if they comply, a fee is assessed and a payment link is emailed, and the permit is issued once every review is approved and the fee is paid. The building permit covers the whole job except signs and the separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits.

Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, irrigation, backflow and sign contractors must register with the City before pulling permits. Registration is free and does not expire; send the form with copies of the state licence, driver’s licence and insurance (irrigators also send a gauge calibration), plus a signed letter naming anyone else allowed to pull permits. On a new home, the master electrician, master plumber and mechanical licence holder each sign a contractor acknowledgement in the residential application.

The City’s forms page has separate applications for residential and commercial building permits (December 2024 editions), accessory buildings, trades, pools and spas, demolition, house moving, grading and excavation, irrigation, floodplain development, signs, food service, certificates of occupancy and emergency plumbing inspections.

Stephenville permit fees (FY 2025–2026)

Fees come from the adopted FY 2025–2026 fee schedule in the City’s FY 2026 operating budget. Plan review is charged on top of the building permit.

Plan review for a 2,000 sq ft single-family house, for example, is $809 plus 500 x $0.36, or $989. Commercial and multi-family plan review is valued separately, from $52 for jobs up to $10,000 to $400 plus $3 per $1,000 for jobs between $100,001 and $500,000. Inspections outside normal hours cost $52 an hour, and any permit fee is doubled if work starts before the permit is issued.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits

Trade permits are separate from the combination building permit and are filed on the City’s trades application by a registered contractor. The City Code makes it unlawful for an unregistered mechanical, plumbing or electrical contractor to work in Stephenville.

EV charging stations use the trades application with a site plan and a diagram of the electrical line. Irrigation and fire sprinkler systems connected to City water need a backflow prevention device, and under the City’s backflow program the device must be tested every year by a licensed tester. Fire alarm and sprinkler plans for commercial buildings are reviewed under a separate fire code plan review fee, from $210 for systems valued up to $6,250.

What to submit and review time

The residential application lists what to include, scaled to the size of the project:

A minimum 48-hour review period starts at 9:00 a.m. on the day after the application is received. Commercial applicants must also have zoning and a filed plat in place, a parking plan and a landscaping plan.

How to get a building permit in Stephenville

Stephenville inspections

Inspection requests go through the permit office, by iWorQ, email or 254-918-1224, not to the Building Inspector directly. The City says most inspections can be done the same day they are requested; its contractor registration form asks for phone requests 24 hours ahead. The Building Inspector tells you roughly how many inspections the project will need, and new structures need two copies of the form board survey before the foundation inspection. The demolition application lapses if work is not started within 180 days or stops for 180 days.

A business needs a certificate of occupancy before opening. The application costs $100, due when it is submitted, and leads to building and fire inspections; the CO is issued once the Fire Marshal has issued the load and occupancy. A second or later CO re-inspection costs $50. Food businesses must install a grease trap and need a separate food service permit, and signs and wastewater discharge may need their own permits.

Local Stephenville rules to plan around

Plats: under the City’s Subdivision Ordinance, new construction in the city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction needs an approved development or final plat. Erath County’s 2024 subdivision regulations name the County as the review authority for plats in the Stephenville ETJ under an interlocal agreement.

Floodplain: the City’s flood maps are based on the Flood Insurance Study dated November 16, 2011. Any development in a Special Flood Hazard Area, including fill or grading, needs a $100 floodplain development permit, often an elevation certificate, and a compliance certificate before the building is used.

Demolition and asbestos: an asbestos survey under the Texas and federal asbestos rules is required before a renovation or demolition permit is issued, utilities must be disconnected first, and debris must go to an approved facility outside the city limits.

Pools: the pool application asks for a site plan or survey, the barrier fence, the electrical and plumbing contractor acknowledgement, and an engineer’s design for commercial pools; drainage to the sanitary sewer must be P-trapped.

Codes: the City Code adopts the 2015 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Energy Conservation, Fire and Existing Building Codes (Ordinance 2019-O-01).

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 Stephenville permit resources

• Stephenville Permitting (FAQ and contacts)
• iWorQ permit application portal
• iWorQ inspection requests
• Forms, Permits & Applications
• Adopted Fee Schedule FY 2025–2026 (PDF)
• Residential building permit application (PDF)
• Commercial building permit application (PDF)
• Contractor registration form (PDF)
• Certificate of occupancy application (PDF)
• Floodplain development permit application (PDF)
• Backflow Prevention Program
• Stephenville Land Use and Zoning code

Stephenville permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Stephenville?

The City’s Development Services Department for property inside city limits; Robert Turk is the Building Official (254-918-1214), and the permit office is at 254-918-1224.

How much is a building permit for a new house in Stephenville?

$464 per dwelling unit plus $0.42 per square foot, plus single-family plan review starting at $809 and a $181 fire code review.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for a storage building under 200 sq ft. Larger accessory buildings cost $100 up to 300 sq ft plus $0.25 per sq ft above that.

How long does plan review take?

The residential application sets a minimum 48-hour review period starting at 9:00 a.m. the day after the City receives it.

Do contractors have to register?

Yes for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, irrigation, backflow and sign contractors. Registration is free and does not expire.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Through the iWorQ inspection portal, by email or at 254-918-1224. Most inspections are completed the same day they are requested.

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