Metal building permits in Austin and Travis County, and the line that changes the answer

Three offices, three answers, and the line that decides is a city limit. The switch above prints Austin's answer and unincorporated Travis County's in each office's own words, and the table at the foot of the page does the same for all six counties. What the three have in common is how little they share. Austin reads a commercial metal building against an adopted building code on a published review clock. Unincorporated Travis County issues one development permit that takes in the drive and the septic system as well as the structure, and the county office that reads a commercial building's plans is the Fire Marshal, not a building department. Ten miles north, unincorporated Williamson County lists no building permit at all, and the county document a shop owner comes away with is a $25 floodplain check.

Three answers for one steel building, a few miles apart. The table lays the three side by side, each cell from the office's own page. Travis County and Williamson County each carry the full record on their own pages, and the sequence from raw lot to finished building is laid out on Building a metal building in the Austin area.

SourcesCity of Austin Development Services, commercial plan review, read 2026-09-20; City of Austin Development Services, commercial building plan review and inspection permit fees (FY 2025-26) and the commercial building application checklist, read 2026-09-20; City of Austin Development Services, building technical codes, read 2026-09-20; Travis County TNR Development Services, Commercial Site Plan, read 2026-09-20; Travis County Fire Marshal, permits and plan reviews, and Travis County Code Chapter 201, read 2026-09-20; The source was read and does not list this.Williamson County, frequently asked questions, infrastructure and developers, read 2026-09-20; Williamson County, floodplain management, and the Certificate of Compliance form, read 2026-09-20; Williamson County Fire Marshal, construction permits, and the Williamson County Fire Code, second edition, read 2026-09-20.

A Texas county has no general building code. Local Government Code Chapter 233, read in full, gives a county no general building code, building permit or building inspection authority over a commercial building. Subchapter C is a fire code only, for counties over 250,000 in population or adjacent to one, and Subchapter F reaches only new single-family houses and duplexes in a county that opts in. That is why Williamson County's pages can say what they say, and why Travis County's commercial review runs through its Fire Marshal rather than a building department.

The fire code is a county's one route to a commercial building. Section 233.062 limits it to three kinds of building in the unincorporated area, a commercial establishment, a public building and a multifamily dwelling of four or more units, and requires it to conform to the International Fire Code or the NFPA Uniform Fire Code as each existed on May 1, 2005, or a later edition the court adopts. Where a county has adopted one, 233.063 requires a county building permit before a covered building is constructed or substantially improved, the commissioners court issues or denies the permit within 30 days, and no action within 30 days counts as approval, and 233.064 bars occupancy until a certificate of compliance is issued.

Travis County's 30-day clock and Certificate of Compliance and Williamson County's 2018 International Fire Code both trace to that subchapter. The residential subchapter, 233.151 to 233.157, is the one Williamson County's FAQ says it has not adopted; it would reach only new single-family houses and duplexes and bars a county fee. Whether a metal building lands under a county fire code turns on one question: is it a commercial establishment, a public building or a multifamily dwelling of four or more units? Nothing else in the chapter reaches it.

SourcesThe statute was read in full and grants no such authority.Texas Legislature Online, Local Government Code Chapter 233, county regulation of housing and other structures, read 2026-09-20; The source was read and does not list this.Williamson County, frequently asked questions, infrastructure and developers, read 2026-09-20.

The site plan first, then the building. A site plan, a site plan correction or a site plan exemption has to be in place before a commercial building permit application, and the two are reviewed together only with an approved concurrent review request. Under Land Development Code 25-5-2(D), as codified through Ordinance 20260521-050 effective June 1, 2026, a site plan is not required for construction up to 1,000 square feet with limits of construction up to 3,000 square feet, provided no tree over eight inches is removed, the work is outside the 100-year floodplain and it is not a new drive-in lane. An approved site plan expires three years after approval unless active building permits exist for all proposed structures, or ongoing construction activity that needs no building permit keeps it alive; a one-time one-year administrative extension is available, and anything past that goes to the Land Use Commission.

Then the plan review. From July 15, 2026 the target review times are seven business days for new construction up to 10,000 square feet, 10 business days from 10,001 to 25,000 and 20 business days over 25,000, with five for small projects and minor revisions. Plans for work in a building or portion of a building over 5,000 square feet have to be sealed by a professional engineer under Building Criteria Manual 1.8.0, new construction lists structural plans with a site-specific geotechnical report, a statement of special inspections is required on every project, and the TDLR registration confirmation is part of the application. The FY 2025-26 commercial plan review fee schedule starts at a base of $2,949.82 up to 1,500 square feet and steps up by square footage, plus a $176.76 application processing fee and a $250 fire building permit review; the plan review fee is paid at submittal and is non-refundable, and trade permit fees are paid at issuance.

What Austin does not exempt matters for a shop. On commercial property, among the exempt structures are a one-story detached tool or storage shed, playhouse or shade cloth structure of no more than 120 square feet outside a flood hazard area, a shade cloth structure for nursery or agricultural purposes without service systems and no size cap, fences up to seven feet, retaining walls up to four feet that support no surcharge, and water tanks up to 5,000 gallons. The list names no detached garage, workshop or carport exemption. A shop or garage on a house lot inside the city goes to the Residential Plan Review Division under the 2024 International Residential Code, with a 10 business day target for new construction from July 1, 2026 and a plan review fee starting at an $896.50 base plus a $106.72 application processing fee; a residential detached accessory structure is exempt only at one story, 200 square feet or less and 15 feet or less in height, with no plumbing and outside a flood hazard area. Read that 10-day target with care: no row on the residential timeline page is written for a detached garage, workshop or carport. What each building brings to the review is on the commercial metal buildings and metal shops and workshops pages.

SourcesCity of Austin Development Services, site plans, exemptions and corrections, and Land Development Code 25-5-2 on Municode (Supp. No. 174), read 2026-09-20; City of Austin Development Services, commercial plan review, read 2026-09-20; City of Austin Development Services, commercial building plan review and inspection permit fees (FY 2025-26) and the commercial building application checklist, read 2026-09-20; City of Austin Development Services, building technical codes, read 2026-09-20; City of Austin Development Services, work exempt from building permits, read 2026-09-20; City of Austin Development Services, residential plan review, and the residential building plan review and inspection permit fees (FY 2025-26), read 2026-09-20.

One county file covers more than the building. The way Travis County defines development pulls the driveway, the right-of-way work and the septic system in alongside the structure, so a shop outside the cities is one permit with several desks behind it. The commercial version is the one a metal building files, and two of its line items catch people out: the construction cost estimate goes in under seal, and the site plan is sealed by a Texas-licensed engineer. A pre-construction meeting then decides which inspections the job gets. A non-habitable accessory building on a house lot takes the residential version and names its International Residential Code year instead. The county row in the table at the foot of this page prints that record in the county's own words.

What the county pages leave out matters as much: they state no building code edition for the development permit and describe no structural plan review by the development office. The Fire Marshal's review in the next section is where a commercial building's plans are read against a code; either way the drawings carry a Texas professional engineer's seal, and what changes at the city line is which office reads them.

The FY2026 fee schedule, effective January 1, 2026, prices a non-residential development permit at $137 per application plus $1.99 per $1,000 of construction valuation outside the Austin extraterritorial jurisdiction, or $66 plus $1.99 per $1,000 inside it. On October 1, 2026 those rise to $158 plus $2.29 per $1,000, or $76 inside the ETJ, with a new $15 IT service fee per application.

SourcesTravis County TNR Development Services, Commercial Site Plan, read 2026-09-20; Travis County TNR, FY2026 and FY2027 development related fee schedules, read 2026-09-20.

Yes, if it is a commercial establishment, a public building or a multifamily building of more than three units in the unincorporated county. Travis County Code Chapter 201, the county fire code adopted under Local Government Code Chapter 233, Subchapter C, requires plan review and a Fire Marshal building permit before construction or substantial improvement of any of those. The chapter was replaced effective January 1, 2026 and adopts the 2021 International Fire Code with local amendments; it adopts the International Building Code by reference and makes the Fire Marshal the county fire code official and building code official.

Not every metal building is a commercial establishment. The chapter's definition excludes private garages, carports, sheds and agricultural buildings. Which side a given building falls on is the Fire Marshal's call, (512) 854-4621.

Permit fees are tiered by construction value, from $790 under $200,000 to $10,900 plus $0.50 per $1,000 at $5,000,000 or more, with value taken from an ICC valuation table. The Commissioners Court issues or denies the permit within 30 days of the application and fee, a building is deemed approved if nothing happens in 30 days, the final inspection begins within two business days of a written request, and a Certificate of Compliance is required before a facility opens to the public. Plans go in as digital 24 by 36 PDFs stamped by a Texas licensed engineer through tcfmopermits.com with a TNR development permit application number, so the development permit application comes first.

SourceTravis County Fire Marshal, permits and plan reviews, and Travis County Code Chapter 201, read 2026-09-20.

The county's own pages list none, and what they offer in its place is a floodplain check. The question routes to the County Engineer's Road and Bridge Division, whose Certificate of Compliance speaks to whether the lot is in a floodplain and to nothing about the structure, and the county adds that nothing else is wanted from that office unless a driveway is going in. The county row at the foot of this page prints the rest in its own words, and the list is long: no zoning, no certificate of occupancy, no adopted residential code standards, no building permits, almost no site plan review. What stays at county level is the health district, the Fire Marshal and the floodplain.

Read that as exactly what it is: none of the County Engineer, FAQ, floodplain, Road and Bridge or Development Services pages read on 2026-09-20 lists a building code for a commercial or accessory structure, a building permit fee, or a plan review timeline. That is a county site not listing a building permit, not a statement that nothing applies. The same FAQ sends the reader to the city where the lot sits in one or in its extraterritorial jurisdiction, and names emergency services districts, TCEQ and the health district as other bodies that may require a permit.

Inside a city the city applies and the county answer does not. The county office is the County Engineer, Road and Bridge Division, 3151 SE Inner Loop, Georgetown, (512) 943-3330.

SourceThe source was read and does not list this.Williamson County, frequently asked questions, infrastructure and developers, read 2026-09-20.

Two things. First, the Certificate of Compliance: required for all structures or other developments outside a floodplain in the unincorporated county, it verifies that no 100-year floodplain exists at the proposed development, is applied for online at MyGovernmentOnline and carries a $25 non-refundable fee, with construction authorized only after county approval. Neither the floodplain page nor the form limits it to homes: the form is titled Construction/Development and draws no residential or commercial line. A Floodplain Development Permit takes its place where a regulated floodplain is within or adjacent to the development.

Second, the Fire Marshal. Unincorporated Williamson County has used the 2018 International Fire Code, local amendments and the Williamson County Fire Code since November 2020, under Local Government Code 233.061. The code applies to all new construction or substantial improvement of public buildings, commercial establishments and multi-family dwellings of four or more units, and requires a permit before construction starts. The Fire Marshal reviews plans for commercial construction, fire alarms and fire protection systems through a non-structural architectural plan review, a fire protection plan review, permitting and inspections. Note the word non-structural: the one county-level plan review a commercial metal building gets here is a fire code review, not a structural one.

Plan review for a new building is $125 per 1,000 square feet of structure, rounded up, doubled for work without a permit. A building may not be occupied until the Fire Marshal issues a conditional or partial Certificate of Compliance. The pages state no plan review turnaround in days, permits are valid 180 days, and the Fire Marshal has no jurisdiction inside incorporated cities. The office is at 3189 SE Inner Loop, Georgetown, (512) 943-3831.

SourcesWilliamson County, floodplain management, and the Certificate of Compliance form, read 2026-09-20; Williamson County Fire Marshal, construction permits, and the Williamson County Fire Code, second edition, read 2026-09-20.

Then the county permits the building, not the city. Austin states that it does not issue relocation or new construction permits in its extraterritorial jurisdiction and directs those applicants to the county, whether Travis, Williamson, Hays or Bastrop. The city describes the ETJ as unincorporated land within five miles of the city boundary that is not inside another city, where it has no traditional zoning authority and does not regulate land use. Standalone trade permits for utility connections are still needed when an ETJ property is served by Austin Water or Austin Energy, and Austin's tree ordinance does not apply in the ETJ.

One county fee changes at that line: Travis County prices a non-residential development permit at $66 plus $1.99 per $1,000 of valuation inside the Austin ETJ against $137 plus $1.99 outside it.

The statute is narrower than most people expect. Local Government Code 212.049 says the development plat subchapter does not authorize a municipality to require building permits or enforce its building code in its extraterritorial jurisdiction. Section 212.046 bars a municipality, a county or any other governmental official from issuing a building permit or other development permit on land subject to that subchapter until a development plat is filed with and approved by the municipality, and 212.041 applies the subchapter only in a municipality that has chosen it by ordinance.

SourcesCity of Austin Development Services, relocation permit, and City of Austin Planning, jurisdictional matters, read 2026-09-20; City of Austin Development Services, city arborist, and the tree review and inspection fees (FY 2025-26), read 2026-09-20; Texas Legislature Online, Local Government Code Chapter 212, municipal regulation of subdivisions and property development, read 2026-09-20; Travis County TNR, FY2026 and FY2027 development related fee schedules, read 2026-09-20.

Yes, and it is the one review the two counties share. In Travis County the floodplain permit and the development permit are the same chapter: Travis County Code Chapter 464 requires a development permit before any construction or development in the unincorporated county, an A permit as the basic development permit and a B permit as the Special Flood Hazard Area development permit, both applied for through the Floodplain Administrator with scaled plans showing the structures, the floodplain location and lowest floor elevations. The county has floodplain jurisdiction only outside city limits, the Administrator may issue stop work orders, and a violation is a Class C misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500 per day.

In Williamson County, where a property is within or adjacent to a 100-year floodplain, structures have to be elevated at least one foot above base flood elevation and a Floodplain Development Permit has to be issued by the County Engineer's Office, the Floodplain Administrator, before construction. The application carries a $75 fee that does not itself authorize construction, requires a signed and sealed FEMA elevation certificate after the slab and again at completion, and the permit expires one year from issue. A new commercial, industrial or other non-residential structure in the special flood hazard area has to have its lowest floor at least one foot above base flood level or be floodproofed with an engineer's or architect's certification; a violation is a Class C misdemeanor with fines up to $500 per day.

SourcesTravis County TNR, floodplain maps, and Travis County Code Chapter 464, read 2026-09-20; Williamson County, floodplain management, and the Flood Damage Prevention Order, read 2026-09-20.

Bastrop, Caldwell, Lee and Burnet each answer the same question differently, and none of them borrows the Travis or Williamson answer. One reading each here, from the county's own page.

• Bastrop County requires a development permit for any external development in the unincorporated area, in three classes by floodplain status, and says it does not issue building permits or certificates of occupancy and has no county building code for any use other than single-family homes and duplexes, commercial included. A commercial development files a civil plan set stamped by a Texas-licensed professional engineer and a drainage report; the county lists no fire marshal, no fire code and no fire code permit.

• Caldwell County requires a Commercial Site Construction Permit with engineer-certified drawings before land clearing or construction, with a 30 business day technical review after intake, adopts no building code, and excludes one- to three-family residences with their garages, sheds and barns. A county fire code based on the 2024 International Fire Code took effect August 13, 2026 and requires a permit before a commercial establishment, a list that includes warehouses, is built in the unincorporated county.

• Lee County requires a Development Permit for all development in the unincorporated county, commercial projects included, for any individual structure larger than 100 square feet, tied to floodplain compliance, and its Development Services page does not mention an adopted building code, structural plan review or inspections, a fire code or a fire marshal.

• Burnet County runs a fixed order: a 911 address, then the building permit, then the septic permit. The permit is $25 as a Class A outside any flood hazard area, or $400 as a Class B inside one, where the packet adds a site plan showing the flood zone and either a surveyor's elevation certificate or an engineer's letter. The page states no building code and describes neither plan review nor a structural inspection.

SourcesBastrop County Development Services, and the Development Services application fees, read 2026-09-20; Caldwell County Development Ordinance, revised February 14, 2023, and the subdivision and development fee schedule, read 2026-09-20; Caldwell County Fire Code adopted August 13, 2026, and the order adopting it, read 2026-09-20; Lee County Development Services Department, read 2026-09-20; Burnet County, on-site sewage facilities and development permits, read 2026-09-20.

Five state rules ride on top of the local answer, whichever office permits the building.

• The $50,000 line. TDLR says a project whose total estimated cost is under $50,000 is not submitted for registration or plan review, yet the Texas Accessibility Standards still apply to it, and a project of $50,000 or more submits a full set of construction documents under Administrative Rule 68.50. A local permit official may not accept a permit application for a building subject to that line unless registration with the department is verified. The full rule is on TDLR registration for metal buildings over $50,000.

• The engineer's seal. Occupations Code 1001.056 exempts from engineering licensing the plans for a building of no more than one story, not more than 5,000 square feet, with no clear span between supports greater than 24 feet on the narrow side; where such a building has unsupported spans over 24 feet, only the trusses, beams or other roof supporting members have to be engineered or pre-engineered. A private dwelling and a garage pertinent to it, and a private building used exclusively for farm, ranch or agricultural purposes, are exempt too. Above those limits a Texas professional engineer seals the sheets.

• Stormwater by acreage. TCEQ regulates construction under general permit TXR150000 by acreage: five or more acres disturbed, or part of a larger common plan of development or sale that will, is a large construction activity; at least one but less than five acres is a small one; under one acre and not part of a larger common plan disturbing one or more acres is not regulated by the permit.

• The Edwards Aquifer contributing zone. TCEQ names Williamson, Travis and Hays among the eight counties its Edwards Aquifer Protection Program reaches, handled by the Austin Regional Office at (512) 339-2929, and says that before building on the recharge, transition or contributing zones the plan has to be reviewed and approved by the program first. Which zone a parcel sits in is whatever TCEQ's official maps show; the plan type and the review clock are on the Edwards Aquifer contributing zone guide.

• The septic permit. TCEQ says a permit is required to construct, install, alter, extend or repair an on-site sewage facility, that local permitting programs can be stricter than the state minimums, and that the permitting authority has to approve or deny the application within 30 days of receipt. Which office holds that authority in each of the six counties, and who has to design the system, is on septic, water and electric for a shop or warehouse.

SourcesTexas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Architectural Barriers frequently asked questions, read 2026-09-20; Texas Legislature Online, Government Code Chapter 469, elimination of architectural barriers, read 2026-09-20; Texas Legislature Online, Occupations Code Chapter 1001, engineers, read 2026-09-20; Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, stormwater general permit for construction activities (TXR150000), read 2026-09-20; Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Edwards Aquifer Protection Program, read 2026-09-20; Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, getting a permit for an OSSF such as a septic system, read 2026-09-20.

Because Texas issues no such license. No state license exists in Texas for anyone who builds a house or works as a general contractor; the Department of Licensing and Regulation's list of 41 regulated industries has no program for either, and the Texas Residential Construction Commission's Act expired September 1, 2009. That is why the word on this site is independent, and why the permit path above, not a license number, is the record of which office had the lot.

SourceTexas Department of Licensing and Regulation, regulated industries, and the Sunset Advisory Commission on the Texas Residential Construction Commission, read 2026-09-20.