Dallas vs Plano Permit Fees (2026)

How Each City Structures Its Fees

Both DFW cities price new homes per square foot and neither adds a state levy, but the balance between the permit line and the plan-review line is reversed. Dallas charges a low building permit and a plan review with a $577 minimum; Plano charges a higher square-foot permit and a small flat plan review. For pools, fences and demolition, Plano publishes flat fees while Dallas runs them through its valuation tables.

Worked Examples

New home, permit plus plan review (all in)

Dallas: building permit (Table A-I) + $15 technology fee + plan review at the greater of $0.046/sq ft or $577, as printed. At 1,500 sq ft that is $818.54 + $15 + $577; at 2,500 sq ft, $992.50 + $15 + $577 (the $577 minimum applies at both sizes). Dallas's July 1, 2025 schedule prints residential plan review as $0.046 per sq ft or $577, whichever is greater - ten times lower per square foot than the prior schedule's $0.46 - so confirm the rate with Dallas Development Services. Plano: $0.48/sq ft permit + $80 plan review + $75 plumbing certificate. Plano is lower at both sizes because Dallas's $577 plan-review minimum outweighs Plano's $155 in review and plumbing-certificate fees. Note: on the building permit alone (before plan review), the two cross near 2,230 sq ft - below that Plano's permit is lower, above it Dallas's is.

Flat-fee projects

Plano publishes flat fees for pools, re-roofs, solar and demolition; Dallas does not print standalone figures for pools, re-roofs or solar, pricing them through its square-foot or valuation tables. We do not invent a flat Dallas figure where the schedule does not publish one.

How to Read the Difference

• New construction: Plano is lower all-in at common home sizes ($1,355 vs $1,584.50 at 2,500 sq ft) because Dallas's plan review carries a $577 minimum against Plano's $80. Dallas's building permit alone is competitive - and edges ahead above about 2,230 sq ft - but plan review tips the total to Plano.
• Demolition: Plano wins with a flat $100 against Dallas's $205 + $0.21 per square foot (about $520 for a 1,500 sq ft house).
• Pools, re-roofs, solar: Plano publishes clean flat fees ($300 pool, $75 re-roof, $150 solar); Dallas routes these through its tables, so the figure depends on the project and is harder to predict.
• Small remodels: Dallas's flat $181 single-family alteration is simple and cheap; Plano charges $0.48/sq ft ($40 minimum) plus a $45 plan review. The cheaper option depends on the remodel's footage.

Practitioner Insight

These two DFW cities make opposite bets on where to put the cost. Dallas advertises a low building permit but recovers more through a plan review with a $577 minimum, so on a typical home the plan-review line adds more than half again to the building permit. Plano front-loads the permit at a flat $0.48 per square foot but keeps plan review to a small $80 fee, which is why Plano's all-in number is lower at the home sizes most buyers build. The other practical difference is predictability: Plano's flat fees for pools, fences, solar and demolition make a backyard project easy to budget, while in Dallas those run through valuation or square-foot tables and need a quick call to the Building Inspection Division. As always, the utility, impact and zoning charges that sit outside the permit are frequently larger than the permit itself on new construction in both cities.

Dallas vs Plano Permit FAQ

Is a building permit cheaper in Dallas or Plano?

For a new home at common sizes, Plano is lower all-in - about $1,355 versus $1,585 in Dallas for a 2,500 sq ft house - because Dallas's residential plan review carries a $577 minimum. On the building permit alone the two cross near 2,230 sq ft.

Which city is cheaper for a pool or demolition permit?

Plano. Its in-ground pool permit is a flat $300 and a residential demolition is a flat $100. Dallas does not publish a flat pool figure (it runs through the tables) and charges $205 + $0.21 per square foot for demolition.

Do Dallas or Plano charge a state permit levy?

No. Texas has no statewide percentage levy. Dallas adds a $15 technology fee per document (and a 10% surcharge only in planned-development areas); Plano adds a $10 Day Laborer Fee to specific permits such as pools and fences. Neither adds a general percentage levy.

Why is Dallas's permit lower but its total higher?

Dallas keeps its building-permit line low under Table A-I, but its residential plan review is printed as the greater of $0.046 per square foot or $577, so on a 2,500 sq ft home the plan review alone is $577 (2,500 x $0.046 is only $115). The prior schedule printed $0.46 per square foot, so confirm the current rate with Dallas Development Services. Plano's plan review is a flat $80, so even though its permit is higher, its all-in total is lower at these sizes.

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