Building a new home, adding a room, re-roofing, or finishing out a commercial space in McAllen? You will need a building permit before the work starts, and the process is more predictable than most people expect once you know what the city asks for. This guide walks through it using the city's own checklist and application, with the fee formula and the phone numbers you will actually use.
Two things up front. First, the fee figures below come from the city's permit checklist dated June 2022, which is the most recent version published; confirm the current schedule with the department before you budget to the dollar. Second, if you hire a general contractor, the contractor pulls the permit and schedules every inspection. Most of what follows is what they are doing on your behalf.
When You Need a Building Permit
The city's rule, in its own words: anyone who intends to "build, expand, modify, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building" applies first to the Building Permits and Inspections Department. In practice that covers:
- New construction: homes, commercial buildings, accessory structures
- Additions: rooms, garages, covered patios
- Structural changes: removing or modifying load-bearing walls, foundation work
- Electrical work: new circuits, panel upgrades, rewiring
- Plumbing work: new lines, rerouting, water heater replacement
- HVAC work: new systems, ductwork changes, equipment replacement
- Roofing: a full re-roof
- Demolition: tearing down all or part of a structure
When You Do Not Need One
The city's residential guide lists the work that does not need a permit: "painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, counter tops, similar finish work" and cosmetic changes. The rule of thumb holds: if you are not touching the structure, the footprint, or the electrical, plumbing, or mechanical systems, you probably do not need a permit. When you are not sure, one call to (956) 681-1300 settles it faster than guessing, and the cost of guessing wrong is described further down.
What a McAllen Permit Costs
From the city's Commercial and Residential Building Permit Checklist (revised June 2022):
| Project | Permit fee | Plan review |
|---|---|---|
| Residential: new construction, addition, remodel | $0.16 per sq ft, $48 minimum | No review fee |
| Commercial: new construction | $0.16 per sq ft, $48 minimum | 18% of the permit fee, $8.64 minimum |
| Commercial: remodel | 0.006 × construction cost, $48 minimum | 18% of the permit fee, $8.64 minimum |
| Reinspection after a failed inspection | $48 |
So a 2,000 sq ft addition or new house is about $320 in permit fees on that schedule, and a 5,000 sq ft commercial shell is about $800 plus $144 in plan review. Trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) and any park development fee shown on the application are separate. These are not the numbers people fear; the expensive part of a permit is the time, not the fee.
The Process, Step by Step
1. Make sure the lot has a recorded plat
The residential checklist says it plainly: "if plat is not recorded a building permit application cannot be submitted." On a lot in an established subdivision this is already done. On a piece of land that was split off a larger tract, it may not be, and platting goes through the Planning Department, (956) 681-1250, before anything else can happen. Ask about this first if the land is new to you.
2. Gather the documents
For a residential permit, the checklist asks for:
- A site plan showing the lot, existing and proposed structures, setbacks, and the driveway approach and width
- Floor plan (with stair detail if there is one), elevations, and a roof plan with drainage for flat roofs
- A professional engineer's design where required (foundations in South Texas soils almost always)
- A 2015 IECC energy compliance report (REScheck) and Manual J heating and cooling load calculations
- Whether the structure is in a flood plain, and whether a septic system exists or is proposed (Utility Department, (956) 681-1770)
- For a building built before 1978, the EPA lead RRP question
Commercial projects add a recorded plat or site plan approval, a full set of construction documents, an engineer's seal on anything over 5,000 sq ft, spans over 24 feet, or more than one story, an architect's seal over 20,000 sq ft, Texas Accessibility Standards registration on projects of $50,000 and up, a COMcheck energy report, an asbestos survey, and, for restaurants, kitchen hood and grease trap review.
3. Submit
Applications and documents can be sent electronically to BLDGPERMITS@MCALLEN.NET or filed through the city's online permit portal, or in person at 311 N. 15th Street. Plans should be legible, 8½ x 11 or 11 x 17 or PDF, and, the checklist notes, "no flipped plans."
4. Plan review
The department's residential guide says to "allow three business days for plan review once documents are complete." Commercial review takes longer and the city does not publish a fixed number. The single biggest cause of delay is an incomplete submittal: every missing item resets the clock. An application not pursued for 180 days is treated as abandoned, per the application form, so do not file and then wait to hire a contractor.
5. Permit issued, work starts
Post the permit at the job site. Inspectors look for it.
6. Inspections
Inspections are requested at (956) 681-1328 or through the online portal once the permit is issued, and the city's development guide notes that "if you request an inspection prior to 7:00 A.M., the inspection will be conducted that morning." Typical stages on a residential build:
- Foundation, after forms and steel are set, before the pour
- Framing, before walls are closed
- Rough-in electrical, plumbing and mechanical, before insulation
- Insulation, before drywall
- Final, everything complete
A failed inspection means correcting the issue and paying the $48 reinspection fee before the next one is scheduled. Covering work before it has been inspected means opening it back up.
7. Certificate of occupancy
After the final inspection passes, the city issues a certificate of occupancy for a new building or a final sign-off for a remodel. Keep it with the approved plans; you will want both when you sell or refinance.
Codes McAllen Builds To
Per the 2022 checklist: the 2018 International Residential, Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas and Fire Codes, the 2017 National Electrical Code, and the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code. If a contractor tells you McAllen "doesn't really check" one of these, that is a contractor to be careful with.
What About Mission, Edinburg and Pharr?
Each city has its own building department, fee schedule, forms and timeline. The steps are similar; the details are not. A contractor who works the whole Valley knows which city wants what. Our Texas building permit guide covers the statewide picture.
The Mistakes That Cost the Most
- Starting without a permit. Fines, a stop-work order, and in the worst case an order to tear out and redo the work. Unpermitted work also surfaces at resale, when the buyer's inspector or lender asks for the permit history.
- Skipping or covering an inspection. Drywall over an uninspected rough-in comes down. Concrete over an uninspected foundation is worse.
- Submitting incomplete plans. Three business days becomes three weeks when the file bounces twice.
- Assuming the lot is platted. See step one. This is the surprise that costs months, not weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to re-roof my house in McAllen?
A full re-roof is permitted work. A local roofer's 2026 guide puts the residential roofing permit at roughly $75 to $125, a figure the city itself does not publish, so ask when you apply. Our McAllen roof repair cost guide covers where the line between a repair and a permitted job falls.
Can I pull my own permit as a homeowner?
For work on your own home, generally yes, and you then take on the responsibility for inspections and code compliance yourself. Trade work (electrical, plumbing, HVAC) still has to be done by licensed trades. For anything beyond a small project, a licensed general contractor pulling the permit is the simpler path.
How long does the whole thing take?
For a residential project with a complete file: three business days of review, then the permit, then inspections that keep pace with the work. Commercial projects and anything needing platting or a variance take longer. The honest answer is that the permit itself is rarely what slows a McAllen project; an incomplete submittal or an unplatted lot is.
Where is the permit office?
Building Permits and Inspections, 311 N. 15th Street, McAllen, TX 78501. Phone (956) 681-1300, email devservices@mcallen.net, inspections (956) 681-1328.
Need Help With a McAllen Project?
At 365 Builders, we handle the permit and construction process for residential and commercial projects throughout McAllen, TX and across Texas. We've been serving the community since 2015, and we stand behind our work. If you are planning a build in McAllen, Mission, Edinburg, or anywhere in South Texas, tell us what you have in mind and we will tell you what the city will ask for before you spend a dollar on plans.
Explore our residential construction services, see what we do in McAllen, or browse all the areas we serve across Texas.
Call us at (956) 607-0470 or request a free quote to get started.