Building & Construction Permits
City Hall
6116 Broadway
San Antonio, TX 78209
Main line: 210-826-0516
Inspections request line: 210-826-0516 option 3 or email directly at permits@alamoheightstx.gov. Please note that payment of an outstanding reinspection fee will not automatically reschedule an inspection. The permit holder must request an inspection after payment has been made.
Trade Permits and Licenses are processed and issued: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Plan Review submittals are accepted: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To meet with staff regarding an upcoming project, please contact our office at 210-826-0516.
Authorized Hours of Work/Construction
Work activity including, but not limited to, erection, excavation, demolition, construction, alterations or repairs on any building or other structure, is restricted to the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. for work preparation activities, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for actual work activities and 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. for work cleanup activities and vacation of the site, Monday through Friday.
Work/construction is not allowed on weekends or city holidays.
Click here to view City Holidays.
For the full text governing Authorized Hours of Construction, City Code Sec. 5-6, click here.
The information provided below is only a summary of the requirements for permits. For further details please contact the Community Development Services Department to help answer any questions, or reference Chapter 5 Building and Building Regulations within the city’s adopted Code of Ordinances.
Click here for Permit Applications
Click here for Fee Schedule
Certain permits are available online: Minor Repair, Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical, Sewer, and Gas. You will need to create an online registration and/or apply for a business license prior to receiving a permit. For questions regarding online permitting, please call 210-882-1505.
Required Permits
All commercial and multi-family require permits. The following are requirements for single- and two-family dwellings.
General
- Installation or replacement of windows and/or doors
- Structural modifications
- All interior remodeling
- Fences, arbors, trellis, walls, retaining walls, and wooden decks
- Foundation repair work
- Driveways and other concrete work
- All new construction
- Additions and alterations
- All garages/carports
- Patio enclosures
- Swimming Pools
- Storage Sheds
- Roofing (reshingling and redecking)
- Porch/patio covers, awnings & carports
- Replacing windows or doors
- Replacing siding
- Foundation repair work
Mechanical
- Heating and A/C installations, replacements, or repairs
Irrigation
- Irrigation permits are required for all new systems and repairs to existing systems.
- Backflow prevention devices are required on all irrigation systems. Annual certification of the device is required. Click here for a link to the Backflow Assembly Test Certification Form.
Irrigation meters shall be required for any irrigation systems providing coverage to more than two thousand five hundred (2,500) square feet of turf or other landscaping, including existing. Call (210) 882-1507 to establish a utility account.
Electrical
Landscaping
- General landscaping for multi-family or commercial properties
- No permit required for installation of swing sets or swings accessory to a one or two-family dwelling;
- No permit required for minor landscaping, including the replacement of or the planting of small bushes, trees, and which do not require excavation to a depth greater than twenty-four (24) inches;
Plumbing/Sewer/Gas
- All plumbing/sewer/gas projects:
- Water heater installations or replacements
- Lawn sprinkler systems
- Swimming pools, hot tubs, spas
Tree Pruning or Removal
- All tree trimming requires a permit; Contractor is required to remove all trimmings from site; tree pruning of oak trees requires that the wounds be painted
- Permits not required for tree removal if tree is less than 8 inches DBH (diameter at breast height (4 1/2 feet)); heritage trees removal requires mitigation per the City’s Tree Mitigation Code.
No Permit Required
Routine Maintenance, for example:
- Refinishing wood floors, painting, wall papering, tiling, carpeting, or installing cabinets, counter tops and similar finish work;
- Mowing
- Replacement plantings and sod