Permits

NEW LOOK For the Payment Portal in Accela:

To enhance the customer experience, beginning January 12, 2024, the Development Services Department’s online permitting system, Accela Citizen Access (ACA), will accept ALL forms of payment online.  This includes credit cardschecks, and debit cards.

This means that the payment portal in ACA will have a different appearance, however, all customer payment details will continue to remain secure and confidential. 

*Some users may have to disable Microsoft Office pop-up blocker*

CFW Permit Assist Tool-Now integrated with Accela

**NEW** You can now access both self-service programs, Permit Assist and Accela, with a single log-in to provide a seamless customer experience. Moreover, any information you enter into Permit Assist will automatically fill in Accela when you are ready to apply for your permit. **NEW**

Click on an image below to see what permits are needed for your project, an estimated cost for those permits, and if the project is allowed (according to the zoning district).

Residential Permit Guide

Residential Permit Guide

Scope your residential project, see which permits you need and what they will cost.

Commercial Permit Guide

Commercial Permit Guide

Scope your commercial project, see which permits you need and what they will cost.

Zoning Check Summary

Zoning Check  Summary

Learn where your business is allowed.

For homeowners and contractors working on residential projects.

Information for contractors/developers working on projects.

For those needing an accelerated timeline to get a building permit.

When inspections are needed, how they are scheduled, & by whom.

 

 

Click the image below to view all permitting activity in the City of Fort Worth

CoFW Permit Activity

 

Which Permits can be applied for online?

The following permits may be applied for online:

What codes has the City of Fort Worth adopted?

The City of Fort Worth adopted the 2021 ICC (International Code Council) Codes to be effective on April 1, 2022 with the exception of the International Energy Conservation Code. The 2020 NEC (National Electric Code) was effective January 1, 2020 and the 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code effective September 1, 2020.

We will retain the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code.

The International Code Council, or ICC, is an organization that develops codes and standards for the building and construction industries. The I-Codes developed by ICC are a set of comprehensive building safety and fire prevention codes designed to set minimum standards for safe construction of homes, schools and commercial buildings. Building code are adopted by municipalities and used by architects, builders, engineers, designers, constructors, and regulators in order to construct safe and healthy structures. NEC is the safety standard used by most states, municipalities and cities for electrical installations.

Where can I find the local amendments?

The locally adopted amendments can be found at the link below.

Permitting Options

X-Team

For an additional fee, the Expedited Plan Review Team will allow developers and others seeking a building permit to schedule a meeting with a plan review team and their design professionals within two weeks of submitting plans. The plans will be reviewed with the design professionals present, giving them the opportunity to make any necessary corrections on the spot and potentially have a permit issued in one sitting. Contact the X-Team for additional information.

Standard Plan Review

City plan review staff members review building permit applications in the order in which they have been submitted. These applications have all required submittal elements. Our goal is to provide you with a full set of comments on your application is 7 business days, this timeframe can vary based on the volume of work in the plans examiners queue.

Simultaneous Construction Plan and Plat Review

Our current process requires that the plat be completed and recorded at the County prior to submittal of any building permit application. Having the plat finalized means that when the site plans are initially reviewed easements, floodplains, right of way dedications, property lines and any other encumbrances to the property are firmly set. City staff can review a building permit application with a proposed plat after the final plat application has been submitted to the City. Reviewing plans prior to plat recording will mean that adjustments to the construction plans may need to be made.  When reviewing construction plans with a proposed plat staff has identified five divisions that will need to review the same permit information twice, once with the proposed plat and a second time with the finalized plat. This double-touch of the plans will necessitate an additional fee for building plan submittal prior to plat recording. These permit applications are reviewed in the order in which they have been submitted.  No building permits will be issued until the final plat is recorded at the County.

Third Party Plan Review

Private companies(PDF, 246KB) authorized to perform select building plan review and/or inspection tasks. City staff members perform all reviews other than building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and energy. Examples of city staff review include zoning, fire, water, stormwater, health, etc...

Where can I apply for New Licensing and License Renewals?

Licensing and Renewals

You may apply for and renew all of the licensing below with the Development Support staff.

  • Building Registration
  • Electrical Registration
  • Mechanical Registration
  • Parkway Registration
  • Plumbing Registration
  • Sign Erector Registration

Application for New or Renewal of Contractor Registration(PDF, 536KB)

 

Development

  • Commercial Building-New, Addition and Remodel (PB)
  • Commercial Accessory Building- New, Addition and Remodel (PB)
  • Change of Use and Certificates of Occupancy (PO)
  • Residential Building- New, Addition and Remodel (PB)
  • Signs (PS)
  • Structure Moving and Razing (PV)
  • Door to Door Permits (DTD)
  • Neighborhood Empowerment Zone Applications (NEZ)

 

 

Trade

  • Electrical
  • Mechanical
  • Plumbing
  • Plumbing Backflow

 

Planning

  • Concept Plan
  • Final Plat
  • Final Short Plat
  • Preliminary Plat
  • HCLC
  • Multi-Family Development
  • Urban Forestry
  • Zoning Change
  • Zoning Change Site Plan

Street

  • Network Node Permit
  • Street Use Franchise Utility Permit
  • Street Use Parkway Permit
  • Transport Facility Permit

Infrastructure

  • CFW Developer Project Proposal Tool
  • Change Order
  • Community Facilities Agreement (CFA) Application
  • Infrastructure Plan Review Center (IPRC) Application
  • IPRC Amendment
  • IPRC Disapproval or Conditional Approval Application
  • IPRC Easement Permit
  • IPRC Pre-Submittal Conference Request Form