Fees, valuation & enforcement
Permit fees are a project input. Enforcement exposure is a project risk. Use the official schedule where available, then confirm valuation, trade permits, plan review, and inspection charges with the Authority Having Jurisdiction.
Official fee pathway
The final charge may depend on declared construction value, occupancy classification, square footage, plan review, state surcharges, trade permits, technology fees, and inspection activity. Do not use a neighboring city’s fee table as a substitute for this jurisdiction.
Fee desk contact
County Engineering: 254-757-5028; mapping: 254-757-5067; OSSF Program: 254-299-2473
Ask the counter to confirm current charges before submitting a project with multiple trades or a change of use.
Financial exposure
Plan for building, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire, energy, zoning, septic, right-of-way, or other reviews that the project scope triggers. The lowest initial permit fee is not always the lowest project cost.
Enforcement exposure
When work begins without authorization, the agency may halt the site, require corrective plans, impose additional fees, withhold inspection release, or require concealed work to be exposed for review.
Closeout exposure
A missing final inspection or certificate can complicate occupancy, refinancing, sale, insurance, and utility connection. Preserve the approved plans and signed inspection record through closeout.
Professional field note
Even when a cosmetic or minor project does not require a building permit, zoning, floodplain, shoreline, historic, utility, fire, or right-of-way controls may still apply. Confirm the full jurisdictional picture before work starts.
Source trail
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
McLennan County Engineer's Office and Waco-McLennan County Public Health District OSSF Program is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
No verified online portal was located in the reviewed public materials. Contact County Engineering: 254-757-5028; mapping: 254-757-5067; OSSF Program: 254-299-2473 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
The OSSF permitting authority must approve or deny a complete application and planning materials within 30 days. The county residential program is notice-and-third-party-inspection based rather than prior plan approval. The floodplain form requires the foundation elevation certificate within 10 business days after foundation completion; the county publishes no standard flood-permit review duration. Floodplain appeals must be filed within 15 days, and Commissioners Court must decide within 30 days after the hearing.
For covered unincorporated residential construction, notify the County Engineer of the location, expected completion date, and IRC edition; obtain three inspections at different construction phases from qualified independent inspectors and submit their compliance notices to both the county and the client. For floodplain work, submit the current county permit form with plans and certifications; provide an elevation certificate within 10 business days after foundation completion. For OSSF work, submit the Health District packet with ownership, survey/plat or recorded exemption affidavit, site/soil evaluation, design, floodplain permit, and any aerobic affidavit/maintenance contract; call 254-299-2473 for required inspections and do not cover the system before approval.
In unincorporated McLennan County, new residential structures and improvements that increase an existing residence's square footage or value by more than 50 percent must comply with the International Residential Code applicable in the county seat; Waco adopted the 2024 IRC effective January 1, 2026. The county requires notice and three independent phase inspections but has no prior residential approval or inspection authority. All unincorporated development must comply with the Flood Damage Prevention Order; structures in special flood hazard areas are generally elevated one foot above BFE and residential, commercial, and outbuilding encroachments are prohibited in the regulatory floodway. The Health District enforces Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapter 285 for OSSF countywide. The county residential-code notice/inspection law does not apply to manufactured or modular housing built off-site, and its penalties do not apply to an individual acting as their own contractor who intends to occupy the residence as their primary home. It targets new residences and improvements increasing square footage or value by more than 50 percent, so ordinary cosmetic work is outside that county notice program. Floodplain review and OSSF permits remain separate. A project outside the 100-year floodplain receives an exemption determination from the flood order; listed historic structures and certain health/safety-only improvements are excluded from the order's substantial-improvement calculation.
Why permit costs vary
Building departments commonly calculate charges from valuation, occupancy, floor area, project type, plan review effort, trade scope, state surcharges, and inspection activity. A remodel that appears small on paper may still trigger structural, energy, fire, or utility review. Ask the permit counter which disciplines apply before you finalize the construction budget.
The same discipline applies to enforcement. Correcting unpermitted work after finishes are installed can require demolition, revised plans, additional inspections, and schedule disruption. Authorization is usually the less expensive project-management decision.