Fort Bend County
What it takes to put a carport, garage, barn or RV cover on your property in Fort Bend County, Texas. Permit authority, wind speed, and who to call.
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Fort Bend County Engineering requires a Residential Development Permit for the construction of any new structure on residential property, or an addition to an existing structure, that meets or exceeds 400 square feet in size. A permit is also required for construction of any fully enclosed structure or concrete slab of 400 square feet or more, and for any work performed within a floodplain or flood-prone area regardless of size. A single 20 by 20 carport hits the 400 square foot line exactly, so this catches ordinary metal buildings.
Fee: Development Permit $100; Development Permit in Floodplain $150; Unplatted Development Permit $250 (effective October 1, 2022). Development Permit Fees do not include other Local, State, and Federal agency permit and review fees as applicable.
Fort Bend County publishes no statement about Chapter 233 and no residential building code. Its permit is a development and drainage review run by the Engineering Department, not a building inspection, and it does not apply inside a city limit.
A Residential Development Permit is required for the construction of any new structure on residential property, or addition to an existing structure, that meets or exceeds 400 square feet in size.
Development Permits are required for construction including work such as re-grading, drainage modifications, on-site sewage facilities, water wells, signing, changes in land use, new building construction, building modifications and any work within the 100-yr floodplain.
Any work to be performed within a floodplain or flood-prone area
You may be required to apply for multiple permits depending upon your unique construction project, development or event
Regional band for south and central texas. Wind speed follows your address, not the county line, so this is context and not a site figure.
ASCE 7, Risk Category II. Look up your exact address →
Cities and communities in Fort Bend County
Inside city limits the city's rules apply on top of the county's, and cities do zone. We have not yet read each city's ordinance, so every row below is marked unverified.
Fort Bend County Engineering Department
301 Jackson Street, Richmond, TX 77469 Call 281-342-3411 County permit page ↗Opens ATC Hazards by Location, the source we use for wind, snow and seismic values.