The Houston permit office is a zoo. A bunch of people running you around different departments all telling you different things but accomplishing next to nothing. Next time I go I am recording my conversations with them for proof. It's amazing how after 3.5 hours this morning things still aren't clear. They aren't rude people and some of them pretty cool, just a lot of different answers and suggestions by various people all contradicting. Bottom line: for my 6 x 6 extension, I have to pay to have blueprints for my entire house done. And now I'm not even allowed to just remove the 6 x 6 piece without a permit since it is already there. And then they couldn't tell me for certain if the blueprints require an engineering seal. If I have an architect create them without it they "might" pass depending on the permit person. For a city with no zooming and trashed neighborhoods everywhere this is becoming a joke. Texas is not as free as we like to think, even private property.

You have my email address. Please send me a run down of what you did, who you spoke to, and what you were told. If there is a specific issue with process to address, that can happen, but first and foremost I want to help you get what you need to make your project happen.

RTT is good people.

I made some calls this morning and no, there is probably not a reason for you to produce sealed engineering or architectural drawings for the scope of work. If you see this before you see my email, call me and I'll put you in touch with someone who will get you on the right track. The tentative determination on the sealed drawings issue was made by the head of Code Enforcement.

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RTT is good people.

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Good with flood rules too.

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The Houston permit office is a zoo. A bunch of people running you around different departments all telling you different things but accomplishing next to nothing. Next time I go I am recording my conversations with them for proof. It's amazing how after 3.5 hours this morning things still aren't clear. They aren't rude people and some of them pretty cool, just a lot of different answers and suggestions by various people all contradicting. Bottom line: for my 6 x 6 extension, I have to pay to have blueprints for my entire house done. And now I'm not even allowed to just remove the 6 x 6 piece without a permit since it is already there. And then they couldn't tell me for certain if the blueprints require an engineering seal. If I have an architect create them without it they "might" pass depending on the permit person. For a city with no zooming and trashed neighborhoods everywhere this is becoming a joke. Texas is not as free as we like to think, even private property.

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As a consulting engineer that does work for COH, I find it extremely frustrating myself. They treat the City's own projects exactly the same as any residential or commercial project. The process is not clear or linear and it seems impossible to anticipate the steps and what you might have to deal with. I know of no "list" of what, in particular, the reviewers want to see or review when checking the plans. The problem is compounded when the PWE guys that negotiate engineering scopes/fees won't pay for the time and don't understand the process. When you have projects get held up for 6 months for no other reason than the COH's own permitting, nobody looks good.

I haven't dealt with RTT yet, but if it weren't for the outreach here on TexAgs, I'd probably say some of the meanest, nastiest, rage-filled things about the place. Bottomline is that there needs to be better coordination and instruction between all of the various departments there. It is not easy for someone with no experience with COH permitting to do anything there.

Perhaps there's also a business venture for someone that can actually learn the system and help get people through it.

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Perhaps there's also a business venture for someone that can actually learn the system and help get people through it.

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They call themselves "expediters" or "permit consultants."

Since the first day I started in my current position more than 6 years ago I have held true to one guiding concept: We are here to help you make your project successful.

I've also been through the process for my own projects. It really changes the perspective.

I'd love to get a better feel for who those guys may be and what their service costs would be. Especially if they help MWBE.

Your posts are what tells me that people are really trying to do a good job over there. Again, the problem is that it still seems more like a collection of individuals (departments, etc) rather than a cohesive, comprehensive starting line that allows for a single point of review. I find it hard to tell whether you need a particular permit or review to start with, then hard to tell what is needed to make the application "right" --and what the reviewers may be looking for and WHY. A single, comprehensive "step by step" guide and flowchart would be very helpful. It would also be nice if the process was streamlined for doing COH's own projects (public works/infrastructure).

It takes 4 weeks to get back plans when they are dropped off, and we haven't known when we send the plans off if we've properly anticipated everyone reviewer's needs. It's just a beat down.

Some conversations about some things are best had not here.

Fair enough. Email sent.

I finally got my permit for the structural but now have to get it for the plumbing and electrical.

I have learned one thing from this entire process: the permit office is a big scam and 95% based upon generating money/playing bully, 5% on safety. I was giving them the benefit of the doubt until yesterday.

The guy RTT directed me to helped me get my structural permit (of course it took two trips downtown) but I thought he was helping me with everything (plumbing, electrical and maybe reduce the fines.) But any questions related to these he pretty rudely said that's not my problem you have to talk to such and such or investigations.

So I went to investigations and met with a guy who pretended like he was a powerful FBI agent interrogating me about the pictures the inspector took and telling me how important it is to have a licensed electrician pull a permit if you CHANGE A LIGHT FIXTURE or a licensed plumber pull a permit to change a SHOWER VALVE. Then he proceeded to show me a picture of him with a search warrant cutting locks into someone house because they have so much power.

I have a $275 fine for the structural work, hit we with a $275 fine because they have a picture of the shower valve being replaced and then tried to hit me with another $275 fine because of a picture shower a shower light fixture disconnected (wires were capped) for the new shower tile job. I fought the electrical and won. Of course they acted like they were doing me the biggest favor in the world by knocking off one of my three $275 fines.

Then of course I am not allowed to just get the electrical permit for the shower light fixture, I have to have a licensed electrician go downtown to pull it and do the work which will be about $500 for roughly 15 minutes of physical work.

So as the homeowner I tried to get a plumbing permit myself but their records are apparently are slow to update and still show the previous owner on file (been 2 months). They wouldn't take anything i could show them on my phone so now I have to go all the way back (hour away) just to show them a deed that I am the owner.

Then when I went to pay for the structural permit and my $275 structural fine (which they call "inspector fee", they of course add a $28 processing fee.

I feel like I have been scammed and violated so bad regarding my private property. Now I have to let three different inspectors come inside twice. And of course it will all be on THEIR time frame when they want to come.

Don't blame the City because you bootlegged a bunch of work and your contractor walked an inspector through the place to show him all the bootleg work.

I'm glad I spent time trying to help you sort things out. Being trashed on is an excellent reward for having done so.

Because it's always the city's fault.

Sounds like you are pissed that you got caught trying to cut corners. Just pay the fines, hire an electrician, and move on.


Sounds like a lot of this heartache could have been avoided if you had looked up the codes prior to starting work.

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Sounds like you are pissed that you got caught trying to cut corners. Just pay the fines, hire an electrician, and move on.


Sounds like a lot of this heartache could have been avoided if you had looked up the codes prior to starting work.

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If it were me, the contractor would be eating the cost of the penalties or I'd be hiring someone new and taking the contractor to small claims.

It wasn't a bash at you, the guy you referred me to (M.J.) definitly helped a ton and got my issue of the structural resolved which was a major relief. I just don't get why it is called "residential one stop" if they aren't willing to help you get permits for everything.

The "bootleg" is pretty irrelevant with the exception of the fines. If I did everything permit wise up front, they would still tell me I need a licensed electrical to replace a shower light, a plumbing permit for the shower valve and toilet, and the structural for the addition. It would still require several trips downtown with lots of run around. It would still require three different inspectors to come in my house multiple times.

And I would guess 98% of people do not get permits to have a shower light replaced, especially when a licensed electrician is required for something a 15 year old could do (two wires).

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Sounds like you are pissed that you got caught trying to cut corners. Just pay the fines, hire an electrician, and move on.


Sounds like a lot of this heartache could have been avoided if you had looked up the codes prior to starting work.

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If it were me, the contractor would be eating the cost of the penalties or I'd be hiring someone new and taking the contractor to small claims.

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Absolutely this.

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It wasn't a bash at you, the guy you referred me to (M.J.) definitly helped a ton and got my issue of the structural resolved which was a major relief. I just don't get why it is called "residential one stop" if they aren't willing to help you get permits for everything.

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Residential One Stop is for plan reviews.

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The "bootleg" is pretty irrelevant with the exception of the fines. If I did everything permit wise up front, they would still tell me I need a licensed electrical to replace a shower light, a plumbing permit for the shower valve and toilet, and the structural for the addition. It would still require several trips downtown with lots of run around.

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Tradesman can normally obtain permits online without ever walking into the building. They have accounts specifically for that purpose.

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It would still require three different inspectors to come in my house multiple times.

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They are TRADE inspectors. A plumbing inspector is trained to inspect plumbing; and electrical inspector is trained to inspect electrical, etc. The applicant (you or your contractor) schedules the inspections.

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And I would guess 98% of people do not get permits to have a shower light replaced, especially when a licensed electrician is required for something a 15 year old could do (two wires).

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That's probably true. Maybe not 98%, but still a high percentage. Then again, those people also aren't giving an inspector a guided tour of their house like your contractor did.


I've been a customer multiple times, and when you don't do this stuff everyday, it's complicated. I have had my own share of difficulties with the process, and one of the things I have brought up to leadership is that sometimes Code Enforcement staff take for granted that most of the people they work with on a daily basis are in the business. That makes it more difficult for them when they are dealing with homeowners who might be pulling their very first permit ever. They aren't always patient or understanding when they find themselves spending more time or explaining things more than they are used to.

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Sounds like you are pissed that you got caught trying to cut corners. Just pay the fines, hire an electrician, and move on.


Sounds like a lot of this heartache could have been avoided if you had looked up the codes prior to starting work.

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If it were me, the contractor would be eating the cost of the penalties or I'd be hiring someone new and taking the contractor to small claims.

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Absolutely, unless his contractor discussed this with him first. (2 separate prices, choose one)

Am I wrong in thinking that there isn't a penalty for a contractor who is on a job with no permits, the fines go to the homeowner?

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Sounds like you are pissed that you got caught trying to cut corners. Just pay the fines, hire an electrician, and move on.


Sounds like a lot of this heartache could have been avoided if you had looked up the codes prior to starting work.

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If it were me, the contractor would be eating the cost of the penalties or I'd be hiring someone new and taking the contractor to small claims.

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Absolutely, unless his contractor discussed this with him first. (2 separate prices, choose one)

Am I wrong in thinking that there isn't a penalty for a contractor who is on a job with no permits, the fines go to the homeowner?

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Penalties are the responsibility of the property owner.

This is just becoming a joke. So yesterday they told me all I had to do was come back with the deed showing I am the owner of the property since HCAD Is not current. I went through a lot of trouble today to get the deed. Took the afternoon off Work and drove to the permit office to purchase the permit. Met with another guy in investigations for plumbing. Extremely rude guy that wanted nothing to do with helping. Right when you walk in to investigations they treat you like a criminal no matter how nice you are. I showed him the deed that I own the place and my drivers license proving it was me and he said since my drivers license does not match the address there is nothing I can do and that I must hire a master plumber. Well I can't live at the property until the remodel is done so why would I update my address on drivers license since I can't live there yet? Plus they made no mention of this before. My contractor is needing to do the work tomorrow and I am about to be without a place to live.

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This is just becoming a joke. So yesterday they told me all I had to do was come back with the deed showing I am the owner of the property since HCAD Is not current. I went through a lot of trouble today to get the deed. Took the afternoon off Work and drove to the permit office to purchase the permit. Met with another guy in investigations for plumbing. Extremely rude guy that wanted nothing to do with helping. Right when you walk in to investigations they treat you like a criminal no matter how nice you are. I showed him the deed that I own the place and my drivers license proving it was me and he said since my drivers license does not match the address there is nothing I can do and that I must hire a master plumber. Well I can't live at the property until the remodel is done so why would I update my address on drivers license since I can't live there yet? Plus they made no mention of this before. My contractor is needing to do the work tomorrow and I am about to be without a place to live.

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Care to provide a name?

Your contractor is absolutely no help it sounds like. I'd fire him.

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And I would guess 98% of people do not get permits to have a shower light replaced, especially when a licensed electrician is required for something a 15 year old could do (two wires).

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I've been called an ******* before, and I'm probably being one now, but if you connect it correctly, it's three wires.

There are good guys and *******s in any industry, and the same holds true for a building department, inspectors,etc. It sucks that you're having to deal with the latter, and I hope you can get it resolved quickly. With that said, when a contractor has a line item in their price for permits, it ain't for a sheet protector and some tape to hang it up with.

And +1 or however many for hanging this on your contractor. In some cases it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Building and trade permits ain't one of those.

This sounds like an all around mess of a situation, and i will add another vote to this should have been discussed up front with the contractor, and if not then it should be pinned on them. that being said though, i did a rather extensive remodel 2 years back and did all of the work and permitting myself (minus the electrical of course) and with the proper research and planning up front it really wasn't all that bad. i was in the permitting office about 2.5 hours and walked out with all of my necessary permits in hand. it was a very bureaucratic process but if you do your homework before hand and read their procedures and codes ahead of time, it can be navigated with relative easy and some patience. if i had gone in not knowing my stuff though i probably would have gotten lost and walked out missing things.

I should have mentioned I fired my first contractor about 2 weeks ago (about 3 weeks too late). My new contractor is much much better, has a real crew and seems to be a good/smart worker. I've contemplated trying to file a small claims against him but not sure I would have anything since nothing in our contract mentioned permits. He did mess up a lot of work and I had to have the shower tile and cement board completely torn out again because of their crappy work.

This is becoming a remodel from hell. I truly regret buying this place now after dealing with that contractor and the city.

So I went back in the permit office and talked to someone else and was told by the senior plumber guy that address must match, HCAD must be updated and show homestead exemption, and I must do the work myself. My opinion is they don't like homeowners touching anything nor do they like the law so they want to find a way to make you hire a licensed plumber. I would at this point but I'm running out of money on top of the $275 fine. ($400 total now just for the plumbing permit).

Then one of the guys there told me they were non-profit. I wanted to laugh but just said "oh I didn't know that".

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My opinion is they don't like homeowners touching anything nor do they like the law so they want to find a way to make you hire a licensed plumber.

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The unfortunate fact of most laws and rules is that they target the lowest common denominator. Part of your having to prove you are you in your house is all the other unlicensed yokels with a pickup trying to get away with a permit for "their" own home.

The requirement for a homeowner permit is your DL must match the property and it must have a residential homestead.

My PERSONAL OPINION is that property owners should be given more leniency to pull permits and perform work on property they own, even if they don't live in it. I believe it would cut down on the amount of bootleg and dangerous work that gets done.

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The requirement for a homeowner permit is your DL must match the property and it must have a residential homestead.

My PERSONAL OPINION is that property owners should be given more leniency to pull permits and perform work on property they own, even if they don't live in it. I believe it would cut down on the amount of bootleg and dangerous work that gets done.

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Is that requirement in the city ordinance or is it an administrative decision?

So a homeowner is not able to do work on their own home if they own a separate home? That is ridiculous.

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Round Rock and I believe Austin have the same rule. I can't pull a homeowners permit on my rent house. It blows but it is what it is.

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The requirement for a homeowner permit is your DL must match the property and it must have a residential homestead.

My PERSONAL OPINION is that property owners should be given more leniency to pull permits and perform work on property they own, even if they don't live in it. I believe it would cut down on the amount of bootleg and dangerous work that gets done.

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Is that requirement in the city ordinance or is it an administrative decision?

So a homeowner is not able to do work on their own home if they own a separate home? That is ridiculous.

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I don't recall where exactly it is, but it's the one way the city can for sure verify the person is doing the work where they live.

A homeowner can do the work in the home in which they live. If they own a rental property, they would have to hire someone to pull the permit and do the work. That's the part I take personal issue with. If the city wants people to maintain their property, they should make it easier to do.

Don't have any experience with COH but homeowners don't play the "game" with the inspectors. Contractors have to keep the inspector on the good side or they can stall that project and future projects indefinitely. Just a cost of doing business

This is probably more of a lawyer type question but I read through my original contract and it states "Plumbing needs to be done according to code". I should have covered myself MUCH better with something like "plumbing must be done by a licensed plumber and with permits", but do you think this would help me out in small claims or be irrelevant? Do you know if the Houston code itself states anywhere that a permit but be done before the work is performed, or is the code strictly about how the plumbing must be physically installed?