Building, Permitting & Codes

BUILDING DEPARTMENT

The Building and Permitting Department ensures the health, safety, and well-being of all people who live, work, or visit the city by ensuring compliance with adopted codes and city ordinances.

The Building Official will review your permit package and you will be notified when the permit is ready for payment. You will also receive a notice of any comments that need to be addressed via email. You may submit your applications on our online permit portal by uploading PDF DOCS, or by visiting City Hall (Each permit shall include a permit application and any plans or relevant permit documents). All permit fees are due before permit issuance either by cash, check, or credit card.

Please note:

Permits are processed daily Monday-Thursday 7:30a.m.-4:00p.m. and Friday 7:30-11:00a.m.
All inspection requests are to be scheduled through the portal by 4;00p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11:00a.m. on Fridays
Inspections take place from 10:30am to 4:30pm, unless it is an emergency, a concrete pour, or previously arranged with an inspector
You may contact the Permit Department at permits@santafetx.gov

Effective immediately: all Cover Inspections, framing, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and gas, shall be requested at the same time, not as individual inspections.

Effective immediately: all Final Inspections, framing, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and gas, shall be requested at the same time, not as individual inspections.

ONLINE PERMITTING AND PAYMENT SYSTEM

Follow these steps to register your project with our Citizen Portal:

Please visit our Citizen Portal to search for existing permits, inspection requests, and apply for residential & commercial permits.

1. Click Apply

2. Enter the project property information

3. Enter your contractor information

4. Select type of permit

5. Enter job site information, owner information & contractor information (each online permit application needs a signed application attached)

To submit a payment for your permit:

1. You will receive an email stating your permit is ready for payment.

2. Click on the link provided; it will take you to Payments

3. Click on the GREEN CONTINUE button.

4. Enter the payment amount indicated in your email, the permit number and finally enter your credit card information

PRE-DEVELOPMENT MEETINGS

The City of Santa Fe has weekly pre-development meetings reserved for commercial and other large-scale development projects on Tuesday mornings at 9:15 a.m., 10:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.. These 45 minute meetings are a venue for developers to introduce their projects to the City and ask any questions they may have about development in Santa Fe.

Please call our office by the close of business on the Thursday before your desired meeting to reserve one of these times.

If you have questions about smaller projects or anything to do with a building/trade permit or the permitting process, our Building Official will be available Monday - Thursday 8:30a.m. - 10:30a.m. and 4:30p.m. - 5:30p.m.. Please feel free to come by and ask for the Building Official during those times.

ADOPTED BUILDING CODES AND ORDINANCES

The City of Santa Fe has developed a Code of Ordinances and a Zoning Code to ensure that development and construction occurs in a responsible and safe manner. These codes have been adopted our City Council and are required to be followed.

In order to protect the general health, safety and welfare of the public, the City of Santa Fe has adopted the following Codes that will govern the design, construction and maintenance of structures and properties within our jurisdiction:

2018 International Building Code;
2018 International Residential Code;
2018 International Fuel Gas Code;
2018 International Mechanical Code;
2018 International Plumbing Code;
2018 Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners Law/ Rules;
2018 International Energy Code;
2018 International Property Maintenance Code;
2020 National Electrical Code, NFPA; and
2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code

Are you in the city limits of Santa Fe?

To verify if a property lies within the Santa Fe City Limits, please visit the Galveston County Central Appraisal District (GCAD).

A great way to see your property information is to go to the GCAD GIS page. All you have to do is type your address into the search bar at the top left of the page. To see if you are in our city limits, check the box, in the layer list, next to "City Boundaries".

C54- IN CITY LIMITS

If you want to find out what your property has appraised for, you should go to the GCAD Property Search page.

VARIANCE REQUEST INFORMATION

Variance requests are heard by the Board of Adjustments and Building Standards Commission on the first Monday of each month.

To apply for a variance, please visit our Citizen Portal and scroll all the way down to the bottom, fill out the Board of Adjustments application and then press apply.

All requests and payments for the requests must be submitted a minimum of 15 days before the meeting. Legal notices must be placed in the newspaper 10 days before the hearing date and all property owners within 200 feet of the property requesting the variance must be notified by mail per the Santa Fe Code of Ordinances Chapter 8 Section 3.14 Variances.

To learn more about variances in Santa Fe, please click here.

The granting of the variance will not be detrimental to the public safety, health, or welfare, be injurious to surrounding property, or violate the intent and purpose of the regulation and may not be granted for a hardship that is self imposed. The hardship is based on circumstances which are unique to the property for which the variance is sought, and not circumstances common to other properties.