El Paso building department

The City of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department reviews plans, issues building and trade permits, inspects construction, and handles zoning, subdivision, and many city business licenses. These services are offered at a single One-Stop Shop at 811 Texas Avenue downtown, where staff from Planning & Inspections and other departments help applicants through design, review, and inspection. Property outside city limits falls under El Paso County or another municipality, so check the City’s online zoning map to confirm a parcel is inside the City before you apply.

Applying through Citizen Access

El Paso takes permit applications through its Citizen Access Portal, which runs on Accela at aca-prod.accela.com/elpaso. The portal has Building, Planning, Licenses, Fire, Enforcement, and Traffic Control modules. Registered users can apply for permits, check application status, view invoices, and pay. Anyone can search records without an account.

The City’s Forms & Docs page has the standard building permit application in English and Spanish, plus several online forms:

• a Homeowner & Authorization Affidavit for Building Permit
• a Contractor Authorization Form
• a Pre-Submittal Review Application for meeting with reviewers before a formal submittal
• an After Hours Construction/Grading Permit application

The City also posts a “When Do I Need a Permit?” guide. Permits generally cannot be issued for development on property until a subdivision plat has been approved (City Code Section 19.01.10.C.2). Zoning standards, including accessory dwelling unit rules in Section 20.10.035 and home occupation rules in Section 20.10.270, are in Title 20 of the City Code.

Submittal fees

Since September 1, 2025, El Paso collects fees at the time of plan submittal:

Fee	Amount
Residential submittal fee deposit (credited to permit fee)	$200.00
Commercial submittal fee deposit (credited to permit fee)	$400.00
Expedited plan review: residential, tenant improvement, or commercial alteration	$200.00
Expedited plan review: new commercial or commercial shell	$400.00

The full fee schedule is in the City’s annual budget fee schedule (Schedule C), which is linked from Forms & Docs. Zoning and subdivision application fees are published separately. Site development plans and special permits take about 10 weeks. Rezonings take about 10–12 weeks and include hearings before the City Plan Commission and then City Council. For general timing expectations, see how long a building permit takes.

Adopted codes

The City’s code adoption summary lists these codes:

• the 2021 International Building, Residential, Energy Conservation, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Existing Building, Fire, Swimming Pool and Spa, and Property Maintenance Codes
• the 2020 National Electrical Code (NFPA 70)
• the Texas Accessibility Standards, with ICC/ANSI A117.1 (2009)

El Paso also enforces local outdoor lighting, landscape, and irrigation codes. The City Code is published on Municode.

Contractor registration

Contractors register with the City’s Business Licensing Center at the One-Stop Shop. Contractor Registration Requirements and a Contractor Registration Application are posted on Forms & Docs.

Inspections

Schedule, cancel, or reschedule inspections and get results through the Permitting IVR inspection line at (915) 313-6100. Enter the permit number (formatted like BRNN18-12345) and a numeric inspection code. Common codes:

• 810: foundation
• 840: sheathing
• 830: structural
• 825: insulation
• 845: energy
• 850: sheetrock
• 340: electrical rough
• 320: electrical final
• 720: plumbing rough-in
• 725: plumbing top out
• 745: plumbing gas
• 740: plumbing final
• 610: mechanical rough
• 630: mechanical final
• 800: final building

Code 1000 covers a residential combination inspection. On the IVR, press 1 to schedule, 2 to cancel or reschedule, 3 for results, and 0 to reach staff.

Contact and hours

• One-Stop Shop: 811 Texas Ave., El Paso, TX 79901. Phone (915) 212-0104, fax (915) 212-0105. Visitors can join the queue online through the City’s Qless “Get In Line” link.
• Call center: Monday–Thursday 7:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Friday 8:00–11:30 a.m.
• Lobby: Monday–Thursday 8:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Friday 8:00–11:30 a.m.
• Planning Division: (915) 212-0088
• Historic preservation: Work on a property in a historic district needs a Certificate of Appropriateness or an administrative review. The applications are on Forms & Docs.