Building Permits

City Hall Roundup: Dallas to Invest $154M in Streets, Sidewalks, Alleys, And Bridges Outside Bond Allocations 

By April Towery / March 3, 2024 /

Dallas continues to chip away at infrastructure needs, allocating $154 million this fiscal year to streets, sidewalks, alleys, and bridges.  The Dallas Infrastructure Management Plan, now in its sixth year, evaluates maintenance needs for infrastructure projects outside of the bond program.  During a Feb. 21 briefing, staff from the Dallas Public Works Department reviewed the…

Read More

Dallas Building Permit Fee Hikes Postponed Again to March 27 

By April Towery / January 25, 2024 /

The cost of building a home in Dallas will likely increase this year as the city reviews the Dallas building permit fee schedule for the first time since 2015 — but it won’t happen until March 27 at the earliest.  The Dallas Development Services Department collects about $28 million in revenue each year, but has…

Read More

New Laws Effective Jan. 1 Include HOA Fines, Building Permit Fees, and Tax Appraisal Databases

By April Towery / January 3, 2024 /

Tighter guardrails for homeowners’ associations, periodic reauthorization of municipal building permit fees, and the creation and maintenance of tax appraisal databases for each jurisdiction are among the new laws that became effective Jan. 1.  While the Texas Legislature doesn’t return to session until January 2025, that doesn’t mean lawmakers get to take a year off.…

Read More

Builder Permit Fee Increases Delayed as Stakeholders Push Back on Development Services Department Inefficiencies

By April Towery / December 16, 2023 /

Dallas Development Services is looking to increase the builder permit fee in an effort to recoup a $22 million departmental deficit.  The department collects about $28 million in revenue each year, but has an operating cost of about $50 million, Development Services Director Andrew Espinoza told the Dallas City Council’s Economic Development Committee on Dec.…

Read More

Dallas City Council Wants Commercial Building Permits to Start at ‘Yes’ to Avoid Third-Party Review

By April Towery / September 19, 2023 /

In the wake of new legislation that allows builders to hire their own third-party reviewer if permits aren’t issued within 45 days, the Dallas City Council’s Economic Development Committee told the Development Services Department last week to continue prioritizing faster service, particularly for commercial permits.  In a Sept. 6 committee meeting, District 1 Councilman Chad…

Read More