Basement permit in Houston, TX

We couldn't confirm this from Houston's code.

Rather than guess, here is the exact section to read and who to call. A rule appears on this site only when the ordinance states it plainly.

Read the city code

Contact the Houston building department

Nearby cities, same job

Rules stop at the city line. If your lot is near a boundary, or you work across several towns, this is where they differ.

City	Distance	Permit?	Where the line falls
Houston	—	—	No size threshold in the code
Austin	146 mi	Yes	No size threshold in the code
San Antonio	190 mi	Yes	No size threshold in the code
Memphis	485 mi	Yes	No size threshold in the code
Germantown	491 mi	Yes	No size threshold in the code
Jackson	556 mi	Yes	No size threshold in the code

See every Texas city on basement work

Other work in Houston

Questions people ask

I already built it without a permit. What now?

Houston can issue a stop-work order and require you to apply after the fact, sometimes with an extra fee. Work that was covered up may have to be opened for inspection. Full walkthrough here.

Does unpermitted work cause problems when selling the house?

Often, yes. A buyer's inspector or the title company may flag it, and lenders can balk at financing a home with open or missing permits. What to do about it.