Design and Permitting Support in Texas

Texas communities and county areas

These named areas are part of our statewide coverage. The list mixes cities, communities and counties; it does not assign their permitting jurisdiction or imply an office in each place. Confirm the actual parcel or route with the responsible local authority.

• A–G

  Abilene, Alvin, Amarillo, Angleton, Arlington, Atascocita, Austin, Austin County, Bastrop, Baytown, Beaumont, Bellaire, Brazoria County, Brenham, Brookshire, Brownsville, Bryan, Buda, Bunker Hill Village, Carrollton, Cedar Park, Chambers County, Clear Lake Shores, Cleveland, Clute, College Station, Conroe, Corpus Christi, Cypress, Dallas, Dayton, Deer Park, Denison, Denton, Dickinson, Edinburg, El Paso, Fort Bend County, Fort Worth, Freeport, Friendswood, Frisco, Fulshear, Galveston, Galveston County, Garland, Georgetown, Grand Prairie.

• H–M

  Harlingen, Hedwig Village, Hilshire Village, Hockley, Humble, Hunters Creek Village, Huntsville, Iowa Colony, Irving, Jersey Village, Katy, Kemah, Killeen, Kingwood, Kyle, La Marque, La Porte, Lake Jackson, Laredo, League City, Leander, Lewisville, Liberty, Liberty County, Longview, Lubbock, Lufkin, Magnolia, Manvel, Matagorda County, McAllen, McKinney, Mesquite, Midland, Mission, Missouri City, Mont Belvieu, Montgomery, Montgomery County.

• N–R

  Nacogdoches, New Braunfels, New Caney, Oak Ridge North, Odessa, Orange, Pasadena, Pearland, Pflugerville, Piney Point Village, Plano, Port Arthur, Porter, Prairie View, Richardson, Richmond, Rosenberg, Round Rock.

• S–Z

  San Angelo, San Antonio, San Jacinto County, San Marcos, Santa Fe, Seabrook, Sealy, Shenandoah, Sherman, Simonton, South Padre Island, Southside Place, Splendora, Spring, Spring Valley Village, Stafford, Sugar Land, Temple, Texarkana, Texas City, The Woodlands, Tomball, Tyler, Victoria, Waco, Walker County, Waller, Waller County, Webster, West University Place, Weston Lakes, Wharton County, Wichita Falls, Willis.

Establish the reviewing authority

Use the parcel or mapped route, intended operation and scope of work to identify the offices involved.

• Texas TDLR Architectural Barriers and TABS

  TDLR's Architectural Barriers program is a separate accessibility pathway from the local building permit. Its current notice requires TABS owner information to match the entity holding title in the appraisal records. Registration, design coordination and the applicable review or inspection responsibilities should be identified explicitly.

• Prepare the building and use information

  Verify the municipality or unincorporated county location, legal owner, intended use and construction scope. Ask the responsible team to assess accessibility registration/review, local site and building approvals, and floodplain or operational reviews that apply to the actual property.

• Verify boundaries before choosing a portal

  Find the parcel on the relevant local government map. Confirm municipal or county jurisdiction with its planning or permitting office. For a route, mark each change of road, property and asset ownership. A postal city, online map pin or nearby project is only a starting clue. Confirm the actual authority before submitting.

Coordinate roadway and utility permissions

A public road approval, utility-owner acceptance and permission to enter private property solve different parts of the route.

• TxDOT Right of Way Utility and Leasing Information System

  TxDOT's RULIS supports utility permitting and leasing. TxDOT requires the utility company's representative to submit permit applications and final location as-builts; utility consultants may prepare and coordinate documents but may not submit permits in RULIS. A drawing package does not grant access to unrelated property or poles.

• Prepare the route and applicant information

  Identify the utility owner, authorized submitting role, district, state-road limits and crossing details. Track city streets, county roads, railroad crossings, pole attachments and private easements separately from the TxDOT record.

• Identify each crossing and access owner

  Mark poles, railroads, waterways, building entrances and private easements that affect the proposed work. Have the responsible survey, engineering, environmental and property-rights parties resolve their assigned questions. Preserve the distinction between a drawing approval, an access agreement and authorization to start construction.

Coordinate Texas accessibility and site interfaces

Local building review, state programs and roadway permissions have different scopes.

• Establish architectural-barrier responsibilities

  Use TDLR’s Architectural Barriers guidance to determine the project’s registration, review and inspection path with the responsible parties. Confirm the owner and project information used in the Texas Architectural Barriers System and the Registered Accessibility Specialist assignment. Keep this work coordinated with local approval and the broader accessibility design responsibilities.

• Screen construction stormwater requirements

  Use TCEQ’s construction stormwater guidance to screen the actual land-disturbance scope and any larger common development plan. Have the responsible civil and environmental team establish the applicable coverage, pollution-prevention documents and site obligations. A local building permit does not by itself close this separate question.

Turn the scope into an approval and handoff plan

Not every project needs every review. Record the reason each pathway applies, or the authority's determination that it does not.

• Screen site and operating requirements

  Ask the relevant local offices about land use, site development, drainage and floodplain conditions. Food service, care, assembly, pools, storage and other operations can introduce health, fire or licensing questions. Share the actual operating description, equipment and occupants so these are evaluated alongside the plans.

• Assign production and professional decisions

  True North can coordinate the agreed drawings, applications, comment register and project records. The responsible professionals retain technical design, survey and signature duties. Owners authorize decisions and access. Contractors retain their construction responsibilities. Define these roles in the proposal, including field information and any partner construction scope.

• Track issuance, inspections and final records

  Keep a register with authority, scope, application number, plan revision, next action, responsible party and expiration or release condition. Include required inspections, restoration, specialty acceptance and owner records. Fees and timing depend on the actual scope and external decisions; an uploaded package is not a permit or a guaranteed start date.

Choose the agency and authorized portal role

Start with the verified parcel or route and the specific approval needed. An agency portal manages its own process; using it does not replace other permits or grant special access.

• TDLR and TABS

  The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) administers the Architectural Barriers program. The Texas Architectural Barriers online System (TABS) supports its project registration and records. Use the current TDLR guidance with the owner and responsible accessibility specialist to establish the actual project obligations. Registration, professional review, inspection and local building approval remain distinct steps.

• TxDOT RULIS preparation and submission

  The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) uses the Right of Way Utility and Leasing Information System (RULIS) for utility permitting and leasing. Its published policy distinguishes preparation by consultants from submission: utility consultants may not submit permits in RULIS, and a utility-company representative must submit the application and final location as-builts. Confirm the appropriate district and utility representative, then coordinate the exhibits, applicant data and review responses without sharing credentials or claiming a consultant submission privilege.

• Utility application portals

  Utility application portals belong to the relevant service or asset provider and can address connections, capacity, attachments or other owner processes. Identify that provider from the actual service territory and asset records before choosing a portal. Bring the service address, load or network scope, equipment/site information and authorized customer contact. Record provider acceptance separately from building permits, property access and construction authorization.

Before you begin

Common questions