Did you receive a permit, license or registration non-compliance letter? Click here for our FAQ.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , C.B.O., CASp, Senior Assistant Director - Building Official
This page is managed by CACD for questions about the publications on this page, please email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
.
- Permit Applications
- Guidelines & Handouts
- Plan Review Guidelines & Handouts
- Houston Amendments & Code Related Documents
- Energy Code Related Amendments
- Previous Printings of Code Amendments
- Drawings
- Inspection Handouts & Guidelines
- Miscellaneous Forms & Documents
- Special Notices & Announcements
- Solicitudes y Guias (Spanish Publications)
|
|
||
| Building Demolition Guideline(Commercial & Residential) | 1075 | |
| Fee Schedule (Commercial & Residential) | ||
| Top 10 Things To Know About Permitting | ||
| Advance Pay Account (APA) Guideline |
1051 | |
| Authorization Form For Advance Pay Accounts (APA) | 1052 | |
| Residential Standby Generators | 1060 | |
| Residential Solar Panel Permit and Inspection Guide | 1198 | |
| Name/Address Change Request Guideline | 1211 | |
| Name/Address Change Request Form | 1212 | |
Plan Review Forms & Guidelines
PLAN REVIEW FORMS
| FORM NO. | DOCUMENT NAME |
| Residential | |
| 1059 | Residential Repair Spec List |
| 1207 | Calculation of Impervious Percentage - A tool to assist in determining the amount of impervious area as a percentage on lots 15,000 square feet or less. |
| 1246 | 2009 Residential Energy Conservation Form |
| 1259 | 10% Prescriptive Option Package Form - Supplemental Page to the 2009 Residential Energy Code Form |
| Commercial | |
| 1112 | Commercial Repair Check list |
| Deferred Submittal Request Form | |
| HFD Owner's Statement of Intended Use - Required for High-Pile Storage and Hazardous Materials |
|
| Both | |
| 1094 | Grading Permits Worksheet (Commercial and Residential) |
| 1202 | Airport Land Use - Sound Attenuation Form |
FIRE PROTECTION REVIEW FORMS
| FORM NO. | DOCUMENT NAME |
| 1047 | Fire Protection & Signaling System Plan Review Application - This form is to be completed when submitting plans for fire alarms, fire sprinklers, and underground fire lines. |
| 1046 | Low Voltage Wiring Application (Fire Alarm) |
PLAN REVIEW GUIDELINES
| FORM NO. | DOCUMENT NAME |
|
Residential
|
|
| 1050 | Residential One Stop Guidelines - Plan review requirements |
| 1058 | Residential Repair Guideline |
| 1132 | Residential Checklist - For New Single Family Residences |
| Residential Permitting 101 (Presentation August 28, 2007) | |
| 1060 | Residential Standby Generators |
| 1198 | Residential Solar Panel Permit and Inspection Guide |
| 1191 | Master Plan Procedures - "Repeat Homes" |
| 1130 | Private Subdivision Site Improvement |
| Commercial | |
| Commercial Permitting 101(presentation May 31, 2007) | |
| Commercial Permitting 101(Q & A) | |
| 1105 | Prerequisites (Commercial) - Simple list of items required for commercial plan review. *Revised April 2012 |
| 1083 | Commercial Plan Review Submittal Guide |
| Flow Chart -A flow chart illustration of how plans are routed in the various departments. |
|
| 1106 | Convert Residence to Commercial |
| Quick Start 1 (Commercial) - The quick start plan review process for certain projects. | |
| LEED Incentive Program (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ) | |
| 1251 | Procedures for Paid Plan Reviews - New |
| 1041 | ETJ-OCL Plan Review Handout |
| Both | |
| 1110 | Design Criteria COH Building Code |
| Foundation Elevation Plan Review Requirements – (Revised September 24, 2012) - Guideline and example drawing for plan review requirements for foundation elevation and drainage. | |
Houston Amendments & Code Related Documents
CURRENT CODE AMENDMENTS
|
CONSTRUCTION CODE
|
EFFECTIVE DATE |
| Building | |
| 2006 IBC Houston Amendments | 12/31/2010 |
| Residential | |
| 2006 IRC Houston Amendments | 12/31/2010 |
| Electrical | |
| 2011 NEC Houston Amendments - Revised (Changes Effective 04/29/2013) | 09/01/2011 |
| Mechanical | |
| 2006 UMC Houston Amendments | 12/31/2010 |
| Plumbing | |
| 2006 UPC Houston Amendments | 12/31/2010 |
| Fire | |
| 2006 International Fire Code | 12/31/2010 |
| Code Word |
|
| 2006 Code Words |
top of the page
CODE RELATED MATERIAL
| FORM NO. | DOCUMENT NAME |
| 1199 | List of the Current Adopted Codes |
| 1204 | Code Adoption History for Houston Codes |
RESIDENTIAL ENERGY CODE AMENDMENTS AND RELATED MATERIAL
| FORM NO. | DOCUMENT NAME |
|
Code Amendments
|
|
| Revised Amendments to the 2009 IECC - Effective February 1, 2013 | |
| Forms | |
| 1050 | 2009 Residential Energy Conservation Form |
| 1259 | 10% Prescriptive Option Package Form - Supplemental Page to the 2009 Residential Energy Code Form |
| Energy Compliance Information Certificate - At the request of several of the builders in the Houston Area, we have created an Energy Compliance Sticker to be Printed and permanently attached inside the electrical panel as per Section 401.3 of the Houston Energy Code. This sticker can be printed on Avery® Labels 6876. Note: If preferred, a builder can use their own compliance sticker. | |
| Independent Third Party Energy Technicians | |
| 1216 | Independent Third-Party Technician Registration Form |
| 1217 | Registration Guideline for Independent Third-Party Energy Technicians |
| List of Registered Independent Third-Party Energy Technicians | |
COMMERCIAL ENERGY CODE AMENDMENTS AND RELATED MATERIAL
| FORM NO. | DOCUMENT NAME |
|
Code Amendments
|
|
| 2009 IECC Houston Amendments - Effective September 2, 2011 | |
| Errata 2009 IECC Houston Amendments | |
| ASHRAE 90.1-2007 Houston Amendments - Effective September 2, 2011 | |
| Forms | |
| 1190 | Commissioning in Plans Guideline |
| Important Note regarding the Commercial Energy Code Form: | |
| Currently, our office is working on the 2011 Commercial Energy Conservation Code Form and will be available online soon. In the interim, ComCheck will be accepted to demonstrate compliance. | |
| For projects under review for the 2008 Commercial Energy Conservation Code, please request the 2008 Commercial Energy Conservation Code Form via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | |
|
|
||
| Amendments to the 2009 IECC - Effective January 6, 2012 | ||
|
PAST CODE AMENDMENTS
|
||
| Note: These code amendments are only for reference. Please refer to the section called Houston Amendments for the current codes. | ||
|
|
||
| Building | ||
| 2003 IBC Houston Amendments - 3rd Printing | ||
| 2003 IBC Houston Amendments - 2nd Printing | ||
| 2003 International Building Code - Original Publication (01/06/06) | ||
| Residential | ||
| 2000 International Residential Code | ||
| Appendix M to the 2000 IRC Amendments - Additional appendix effective Feb 1, 2009 applicable to structures regulated by the Residential Code. Contains sound attenuation provisions when required by the airport land use ordinance. | ||
| Amendments to Chapter 11 on Energy Efficiency of the 2000 IRC - Original Publication (01/01/09) | ||
| Amendments to the 2006 IECC - Original Publication (01/01/09) | ||
| Mechanical | ||
| 2000 Uniform Mechanical Code | ||
| Plumbing | ||
| 2000 Uniform Plumbing Code | ||
| Fire | ||
| 2000 International Fire Code | ||
| Electrical | ||
| 2008 NEC Houston Amendments - 3rd Printing |
||
| 2008 NEC Amendments - 2nd Printing | ||
| 2008 NEC Amendments - Original Publication (09/01/08) | ||
| Energy | ||
| Residential | ||
| Amendments to the 2006 IECC - 2nd Printing (09/30/09) | ||
| Commercial | ||
| Houston Commercial Energy Conservation Code - 4th Printing (12/31/10) | ||
| Third Printing of the Houston Commercial Energy Conservation Code - (09/30/09) Includes the supplemental adopted changes to the code after the original publication. | ||
| Second Printing of the Houston Commercial Energy Conservation Code - (04/03/09) Includes the supplemental adopted changes to the code after the original publication. | ||
| Commercial Energy Conservation Code - Original Publication (01/01/08) | ||
| Additional Code Changes | ||
| Errata to the Houston Codes (Updated 03/26/03) |
1192
|
|
| Supplemental Code Amendments Adopted August 2006 - Additional code changes approved by Council on August 23, 2006 which affect the Building, Mechanical, Plumbing and Residential Codes. | ||
| Appendix N to the 2003 IBC Amendments - Additional appendix effective Feb 1, 2009 applicable to structures regulated by the Building Code. Contains sound attenuation provisions when required by the airport land use ordinance. | ||
| Additional Code Changes to the 2003 IBC - Effective September 4, 2009 | ||
| Additional Code Changes to the 2008 NEC - Effective September 4, 2009. | ||
| Additional Code Changes to the 2000 UPC - Effective September 4, 2009. | ||
ENGINEERING DRAWINGS
These drawings are common engineered details that typically would require a consumer to hire an engineer to draw the plan in order to be submitted to the City of Houston. As an additional service, the following drawings were designed by a department engineer and approved by the City Engineer for the public's use.
DISCLAIMER –If these drawings are utilized, all details will need to be adhered to.
|
DRAWINGS NAME |
|
| 08R12 | Residential Block Foundations |
| 08R06 | One Story Garage Door Header |
| 09R06 | Residential Shear Wall for a One Story Garage. |
| 10R01 | Residential Steel Shade Structure |
| 08R05 | Post Foundation for Carports/Patios |
| 08R03-1 | Patio Cover (Attached) - 1 |
| 08R03-2 | Patio Cover (Attached) - 2 |
| 11-04-R | Residential 4' Wood Bulkhead |
| 12-02-R | Residential Beam Supporting a Roof |
| 11-01-R | Residential Elevated Deck |
| 10-08-R | Wood Shade Structure |
| 08C01 | Commercial Wood Stairs |
| 08C02 | Commercial Wood Guardrail |
| 09C02 | Commercial Steel Stairs |
| 09C01 | Commercial Steel Guardrail |
| 08C07-1 | Commercial Ramp & Landing - 1 |
| 08C07-2 | Commercial Ramp & Landing - 2 |
| 10-07-C | Commercial Wood Stairs with Landing |
| 09M08 | Short Retaining Wall |
| 11-02-M | Concrete Retaining Wall |
| 12-07-R | Flitch Plate Beam |
| 12-09-R | Anchoring of Masonry Veneer to Existing Exterior Walls |
EXAMPLE PLAN DRAWINGS
The following drawings are examples of typical construction and can be used as a reference.
NOTE: These are not engineered drawings.
TEMPLATE DRAWINGS - NEW
The following are fillable template drawings to assist in the preparation of plans for residential remodeling and addition projects.
Inspections Forms & Guidelines
LICENSE REGISTRATION FORMS
INSPECTION FORMS
|
DOCUMENTS NAME |
|
| 1054 | Reinspection Fee Form |
| 1055 | Structure Overtime Inspection Form |
| Energy Compliance Information Certificate - At the request of several of the builders in the Houston Area, we have created an Energy Compliance Sticker to be Printed and permanently attached inside the electrical panel as per Section 401.3 of the Houston Energy Code. This sticker can be printed on Avery® Labels 6876. Note: If preferred, a builder can use their own compliance sticker. |
CONTRACTORS' LISTS
|
DOCUMENTS NAME |
|
| List of Voluntary Registered Roofing Contractors | |
| List of Registered Independent Third-Party Energy Technicians | |
| List of Registered Fabricators | |
| List of Registered Special Inspectors |
INSPECTION GUIDELINES
|
DOCUMENTS NAME |
|
| Frequently Missed Inspection Items | |
| 1257 | Lock Out/Tag Out Procedure for TCI Releases |
MISCELLANEOUS FORMS
|
|
||
|
New Fees – Effective 01/01/2012 City Council approved an Ordinance 2011-1168 increasing several of the fees in the City Code, including the City of Houston Construction Code. To view the list of the new fees, please click here |
||
|
NEW Residential Energy Code - Effective 01/06/2012. City Council approved the adoption of the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code with Houston Amendments. The code will regulate one and two family dwellings and multi-family structures 3 stories in height or less. To access the amendments, please visit the Forms & Publications page. For more information or questions, please contact our office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
||
|
New Electrical Code - Effective 09/01/2011. On August 10, City Council approved the adoption of the 2011 National Electrical Code and local amendments. The new amendments are available at our Forms & Publications page. |
||
|
New Commercial Energy Codes - Effective 09/02/2011. In accordance with this provision and the rules thereto, the City has reviewed the codes and has proposed amendments for review by the Energy Systems Laboratory. For more information or questions, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
||
|
New Construction Codes–Effective 12/31/10. |
||
|
NEW Plan Review Prerequisite for Alcohol Related Businesses - Effective 06/01/2012 |
||
|
New Fees – Effective 12/31/10. |
||
|
Ordinance Requiring Apartment Registration. November 4, 2009. |
||
|
Phased Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential Structures. Effective October 1, 2009.All new constructions of single family and multi-family residences are required to achieve an additional 15% efficiency above the Houston Residential Energy Conservation Code. Click here |
||
| New IVR Phone Number (Effective April 11, 2011) | ||
| New Construction Codes (Effective December 31, 2010) | ||
| Deed Restriction Compliance Notice | 1085 | |
| Important Information Regarding Permit Fees (Effective December 31, 2010) | ||
|
Additional Adopted Code Changes (Effective September 4, 2009) - The new changes modify Appendix M of the Building Code, the definition of Fire Wall in the Electrical Code, and the section pertaining to lint traps in the Plumbing Code. |
|
|
| Modified Sidewalk requirements in the Houston Building Code (Effective Immediately) | ||
|
New Storm Detention Requirements for Single Family Residences (Effective August1, 2009) |
||
| New Ordinance Affecting Irrigators (July1, 2009) | ||
| Airport Compatible Land Use Ordinance (Effective February 1, 2009) The City of Houston Adopted regulations to ensure compatible land use around Houston's three airports. | ||
| Residential Energy Code (Effective January 1, 2009) - This code regulates one and two family dwellings and multi-family structures3 stories in heights or less. | ||
| Electrical Service Panel and Meter Locations update | ||
| Gas Shut Off Devices - Flyer in PDF | ||
| Important Notice Regarding Storm Damage Repair Work (October 2008) | ||
