Articles

Winter Storm Uri raised many concerns from the community and businesses that experienced burst pipes that damaged homes and businesses. The City's adopted Building Codes have required that pipes subject to freezing temperatures are protected. P2603.5 has been in effect since the adoption of the…
Open Record Request Process: As a reminder, the Open Records section accepts public information requests online at www.houstontx.gov/publicinformation through a system called GovQA. Any written requests for open records (electronic, mail, fax) will be accepted. All requests will be submitted in…
Effective immediately, a Deed Restriction Declaration will no longer be required when submitting an Application for Occupancy Compliance Inspection except for Live/Work and Residential Facility occupancies. Two versions of the application have been created and can be found on our website:  …
All valid applications accepted as administratively complete prior to the close of business Wednesday, June 30, 2021 will be processed under the current impact fee rate. Impact fees for applications accepted thereafter will be assessed at: Wastewater          $1,621.63 per service unit Water…
The Declarations in Support of Application for Building Permit (For Individual Owners & For Corporate Owners) have been revised. Please replace all existing documents. However, please note that we will continue to accept previous versions of the declarations until June 30, 2021. The updated…
Effective immediately, the enforcement of article 210.8.F. of the national electrical code, with regard to G.F.C.I. on outdoor outlets, will no longer be a requirement. The new official date of adoption will be Jan. 1, 2023. This was approved by the State of Texas electrical safety and licensing…
Effectively immediately, the Independent Third-Party Energy Technician Registration Form CE-1216 has been updated to reflect the new requirement that all Energy Technicians must be ICC certified and registered with the City of Houston to conduct this type of work. Previously Energy Technicians were…
Effective Monday, April 5 occupancy inspections will no longer accept applications for Certificates of Occupancy in person. All applications must be emailed to [email protected]. This change was made to equalize processing times for all customers. For more information click here…
COMcheck is a nationally recognized software program to show compliance for International Energy Code Compliance for commercial building projects. Since 2016, a COMcheck report has been required on all commercial plan reviews. However, reports submitted are frequently incomplete. Beginning April…
Effective April 5, 2021, customers will no longer need to pick up a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) for apartment buildings. Instead, Occupancy Inspections will email it to the applicant on file. The certificates have been redesigned to be printed on plain paper and feature a QR code.    Last…
Effective April 5, 2021, Building Code Enforcement will require a deed restriction declaration form according to Section 10-3 of the Houston Code of Ordinances. A declaration form is required for all building permit applications except for the: Demolition of a building Repair of a building if the…
Effective April 15, 2021, Building Code Enforcement will require a complete scope of work statements on the cover page of plans. This will apply to all plan submittals including, but not limited to, single-family homes, remodels, additions, commercial buildings, parking lots, driveways, build-outs…
As the City recovers from the Winter Storm Uri, we would like to share the following guidelines for repairs to homes and commercial buildings. Pipe Repairs Pipe repairs will require a permit and inspection to ensure the health and safety of the citizens of Houston. The Plumbing Inspections …
The purpose of this notice is to advise the public of proposed amendments to the City of Houston Construction Code and to provide the public with an opportunity to submit a public comment on the matter during the public comment period.   Model codes to be amended Select the links below to…
The Office of the City Engineer's Traffic group has developed two guides to assist engineering design consultants in developing a traffic impact analysis (TIA).    A design consultant should follow the TIA Scoping Meeting - Typical Meeting Agenda when scheduling a TIA scoping meeting. Meeting…
Houston Public Works has revised storm detention requirements in Chapter 9 of the 2020 Infrastructure Design Manual. Plans submitted after March 31, 2021, for initial review for projects in the public or private sector must comply with the new standards.  These changes were driven by Harris County…
In remember of the late Martin Luther King, Jr., our offices will be closed on Monday, January 18, 2021. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at 8AM. To make any payments through iPermits, click here. 
HPW IT, HITS and  Accuvoice will be conducting maintenance on our CISCO Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Saturday, January 16 at 8AM – 10AM to migrate our database. During this time, customers will be unable to access the system due to testing. However, customers can schedule inspections via online…
In accordance with City policy, most permit, license, and registration fees will increase by 0.276392% on January 1, 2021. This percentage is based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The new minimum fee for most Building Code Enforcement permits will be $80.63 The new administrative fee will be…
The 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) was adopted by the State of Texas and became effective November 1, 2020.   The City of Houston has started reviewing electrical plans in compliance with the 2020 NEC. All permit applications submitted on or after the state-mandated effective date will be…