Articles

The Houston Permitting Center has announced changes for its payment platform, Paymentus, that will take effect July 1, 2023. These changes will ensure smoother transactions to improve our customer service.    Paymentus transactions made online through iPermits, or in-person, will be subject to a…
The ProjectDox 9.2 upgrade, initially planned for May 30, 2023, has been postponed and tentatively rescheduled to June 20, 2023.  The training sessions will also be rescheduled. This decision has been made due to unexpected network issues that need to be resolved to ensure a smooth and seamless…
Building Code Enforcement recently moved more staff from the Permits team out to the permit counter on the 1st floor. As a result, walk-in services for Traffic moved to the 2nd floor, and for Floodplain Management Office to the 3rd floor. Occupancy Inspections will no longer screen customers at the…
Over the next few weeks, the second floor of the Houston Permitting Center will be under construction. During this time, most staff from the Office of the City Engineer (OCE) will be working at alternate locations. We recommend reaching your assigned reviewer via email.  The OCE plan distribution…
The Houston Permitting Center is excited to announce that digital wallet payment options are coming soon for online and in-person payment transactions. A digital wallet is a contactless payment method that allows you to store payment options like a credit or debit card on a smartphone or smartwatch…
The Houston Permitting Center will be closed for the following holidays during the summer: Memorial Day: Monday, May 29, 2023 Juneteenth: Monday, June 19, 2023 Independence Day: Tuesday, July 4, 2023 Labor Day: Monday, September 4, 2023  Please visit the City Holiday Schedule for a complete…
Status as of Mar. 29, 2023: As of 8 am, the iPermits portal server is back online. Users can now access the page. The inspection scheduling phone line and online inspection scheduling service are now available.  Status as of Mar. 28, 2023: As of 2 pm, online payment is still unavailable, however…
The 2015 IBC Houston Amendments and 2020 NEC Administrative Code Provisions have been updated to reflect recent ordinance changes to the residential buffering standards and donation stations. Please replace any previously saved files with the updated amendments.  On Jan. 25, 2023, City Council…
Effective April 1, 2023, iPermits will require all users to update their passwords every 270 days. New passwords must be between 8-12 characters and contain a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.   City staff will no longer be able to reset passwords for…
The Open Records team will begin using Microsoft Bookings for scheduling viewing and pick-up appointments, effective Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Appointments are still available on Wednesdays only.  The new system provides an easier experience for customers to manage their appointment and sends…
Update: As of Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, the system issue has been resolved.  As of 2 pm on Jan. 31, 2023, the address validation system went down. We are working with IT and the Planning Department for a resolution. At this time, building permit applications that require address validation cannot be…
Starting Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, the Office of the City Engineer's Construction Services team will no longer schedule same-day inspections for sidewalks and driveways via the phone line. Instead, inspection requests will be scheduled for the next business day. Customers can choose a morning or…
As a reminder, the previous GIMS system has been retired and replaced with GeoLink Hub. The Street Cut Permit System and Moblity Permit System have been moved to GeoLink Hub. Previously registered GIMS users were transferred to the new system, including user names, passwords, and permit history. …
Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, the Office of the City Engineer's Stormwater Drainage group will move to Microsoft Bookings for appointment scheduling. Online appointments will be available to discuss plan comments for Stormwater quality permits, public right-of-way (ROW) projects and BCE (…
The Office of the City Engineer will change the Storm Drainage group's walk-in service from in-person to virtual in an attempt to increase the use of the service by customers. Beginning on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, a walk-in review can be requested by emailing [email protected] Include…
The 2015 Code Words were recently updated to include a new Code Word. 2015-P12 provides policies for the use of ProVent and SoVent plumbing systems. Please replace any previously saved files.
The 2015 Code Words were recently updated on Dec. 9, 2022 with the following changes: B34 – This new code word provides policy and guidelines for relocated/moved buildings. R04 – This code word was updated to include clarification on fire separation and rating requirements for residential stairs…
UPDATE: As of 7:30 pm, all network services have been restored.  As of 4 pm, the network is running on a backup system. Some groups may experience latency issues or intermittent outages. At approximately 1:30 pm today (Dec. 6), the network went out at the building. IT is still assessing the issue…
On Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, the Houston Permitting Center will switch online payment portals from PayConnexion to Paymentus. To facilitate the switch, online payments through credit/debit card and e-check will be suspended beginning at 8 pm on Jan. 30 until midnight on Feb. 1. During this time,…
Effective Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, private detention, restrictor design, and calculations must be provided on plans submitted through Building Code Enforcement's private plan review process in lieu of a separate plan submission through the Office of City Engineer. When submitting storm drawings to…