Building Division

News & Updates

Policy Changes for Residential Accessory Structure Permits: For residential accessory structures less than 200 square feet, engineering is no longer required. The following guidelines are acceptable. However, to insure the structure, the applicant is required to retain a Texas Department of Insurance Windstorm certified professional engineer. The City of Galveston does not require a permit for residential storage buildings less than 50 square feet.

Policy Changes for Right of Way Construction Permits: Effective April 1, 2019, right of way permits will be issued through Development Services. They may be applied for in person or online. Plans must be submitted electronically for review and should typically be reviewed within five working days. This will not affect new construction as the right of way permits will be a part of the review of new projects and are to be included in the building permit. For right of way permits issued after April 1, 2019 that require sidewalk and drive-approach inspections, the inspections will be scheduled through and performed by the Building Division. Click here to view the full press release.

Energy Code Compliance Notice: Effective December 1, 2018, the City of Galveston anticipates adopting the 2018 IRC and the 2018 IECC second quarter of 2019, along with the remaining 2018 International Codes. Until that date of adoption, and in order to better serve the residential development community, we are providing a State Energy Systems Laboratory recognized compliance path and certification forms to be completed for all single family and low-rise multifamily construction projects submitted on or after December 1, 2018. The city will continue to perform energy related inspections for construction after December 1st only for construction permitted prior to the date. Click here to view the full press release.

Inspections

To request an inspection, please call (409) 797-3666 with the property address, type of inspection and permit number. Inspections requested before 7:00AM will be put on the schedule for the same day. Any inspection request received after 7:00AM will automatically be scheduled for the following day.

  • All inspections will only be available online or via the aforementioned phone number. 
  • For new residential construction and additions, all construction trades are required to be complete and scheduled simultaneously for rough-in and final inspections.

Please be aware that permits and an address must be visible from the street for all inspections. Additionally, an approved set of plans is required on all job sites for inspections.

Permitting & Plan Review

The Building Division does not accept applications via email. You may submit an application in person or online through our e-permitting website.

When in doubt, check with the Building Division at (409) 797-3660. Construction without a permit will result in double or triple permit fees, and may result in corrective action through Municipal Court.

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Contractor Registration

To register with the City of Galveston, you will need the following:

  • $200 registration fee and $25 annual fee.
  • Insurance and bonding information must be current.
  • Liability insurance with a $300,000 minimum showing the City of Galveston as an additional insured and certificate holder.
  • Surety bonds with a $25,000 minimum. Bonds must be original. Building and electrical contractors are required to have a surety bond with the obligee being "City of Galveston or assignee." HVAC contractors do not require a surety bond to register with the City of Galveston.
  • Energy technicians are required to register with the City of Galveston. There is a separate application which can be found below.

Applications:

Please be aware that it is your responsibility, as the contractor, to call for required inspections.

Engineers

Engineering is required on all structural projects within the City of Galveston. While we recommend that you use someone from Galveston County due to their familiarity with the area, you are free to use whomever you want.

FEMA

Windstorm

Building Board of Adjustments & Appeals

The City of Galveston's Building Board of Adjustments and Appeals meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 9:00AM in City Council Chambers. The public and building contractors are invited to attend and participate. In order to have your plea heard, you will need to submit a completed application to the Development Services Department. For more information, email David Ewald or call (409) 797-3620.

Pre-Development Meetings

Pre-development meetings take place every other Friday at 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00AM by appointment. At the meeting, you will be provided general information regarding the City of Galveston’s development process, contact information, applicable codes, applications, and fees. The staff members present will review the project and provide preliminary comments. To schedule a meeting, please fill out the meeting request form and contact Karen White at (409) 797-3608 or kwhite@galvestontx.gov.