Plano building department

Plano’s Building Inspections Department reviews plans, issues permits, and inspects building, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work for property inside Plano city limits. It is part of the City’s Development Services group, along with Planning (zoning, site plans, platting, and heritage preservation) and Engineering. The office is in Suite 140 of the Plano Municipal Center at 1520 K Avenue, and you can reach it at (972) 941-7140. Some addresses with a Plano mailing address are actually in neighboring cities or unincorporated county land, so confirm the jurisdiction before you apply.

Permits and plan review

Building Inspections publishes separate permit guidance for residential and commercial work:

• Residential: new homes and townhomes; additions, finish-outs, and accessory buildings; and an Outdoor Improvements group covering fences, patio covers, carports, and accessory sheds. Each has its own requirements sheet, such as the Residential Patio Cover Permit Requirements & Checklist and the Residential Carport Permit Requirements.
• Commercial: separate permits are required for fire, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work and for water meters.

The City’s building permit application submittal requirements ask for the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the property owner, the general contractor, and the electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and solid-waste subcontractors.

For buildings over 20,000 sq. ft., drawings must be sealed, signed, and dated by an architect registered in Texas. Certain items must also carry a Texas-registered engineer’s seal.

Plano’s Building Inspections Department has been accredited by the International Accreditation Service for building department agencies since 2007.

eTRAKiT portal

Plano uses eTRAKiT at trakit.plano.gov to apply for permits, check status, and request inspections online. When eTRAKiT is down, the City tells customers to call Building Inspections at (972) 941-7140.

Contractor registration

Contractors must register with the City every year before pulling permits. The posted fee schedule sets general contractor registration at $100.00 and other registrations at a $40.00 minimum. The permit holder must request and complete every required inspection. If inspections are left incomplete, the City can put the contractor’s registration on hold.

Fees

Building permit fees are set by the Building Inspections Fee Schedule posted on plano.gov, adopted by ordinance (the posted schedule cites Ordinance No. 2020-3-6). New single-family homes, duplexes, and multifamily buildings are charged per square foot under roof plus a flat plan review fee, and re-inspection fees increase with each repeat failure. Engineering inspections have a separate fee schedule. For what typically drives permit costs, see how much a building permit costs.

Adopted codes

Plano has moved from the 2021 to the 2024 International Code family. The City’s Building Codes & Ordinances page lists the 2024 codes as effective August 1, and the Building Standards Commission held public hearings on them in April 2025. The adopting ordinances repeal the 2021-edition ordinances (for example, No. 2022-1-17 for the Residential Code and No. 2022-1-18 for the Existing Building Code) and adopt the 2024 Residential and Existing Building Codes with local additions, deletions, and amendments. Fire code questions and fire inspections go to Plano Fire-Rescue, which has its own inspection-scheduling page.

Inspections and occupancy

Request building, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing inspections through eTRAKiT under the permit number. The City’s Inspection Services page covers inspection types. Building Inspections issues a certificate of occupancy when construction is complete for projects that require one.

Related offices

• Planning: zoning cases, site plans, subdivision plats, and heritage resource approvals.
• Engineering: development engineering permits and inspections, with a separate Engineering Inspection Fee Schedule.