Two days before digging in your yard, you should contact Dig Tess for utility line locates at 8-1-1 (formally 1-800-DIG-TESS).
Unless otherwise notated within the detailed information sections, all contractors must be registered with the City as a contractor. Exceptions: Homeowners who own the home, live in the home and homestead the home through the Dallas Central Appraisal District (www.dcad.org). All rental property must have State licensed and City registered contractors complete Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing work. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Homeowner Responsibilities:
Ensure that the contractor(s) you have hired has obtained the proper permit(s).
Ensure that inspections have been requested and approved as required by the Building Inspection Department before the contractor moves to the next phase of construction.
Ensure that the contractor has the proper State and City licenses / registrations to complete the work being performed.
Keep the permit posted where it can be viewed from the front of the house (front door or front window) and that it is always available to the inspector(s) when they are at the job site inspecting the work.
If you live in a subdivision that has an HOA (Home Owners Association) it is the homeowners responsibility to take your plans to your HOA review committee to ensure that it meets HOA guidelines. This department can only review for compliance with State and City requirements; we have no knowledge of private deed restrictions or HOA requirements.
Office Hours & Location:
This office is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Holidays when our offices are closed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday following Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and the day following Christmas Day. NOTE: When a holiday falls on a Saturday (i.e. Independence Day) these city offices will be closed on the Friday preceding the holiday; when the holiday falls on a Sunday these city offices will be closed on the Monday following the holiday.
This office is located at 800 Main Street on the second floor; conveniently located in the same building where you pay your City utility bill in person. The building is on the southeast corner at the intersection of Main Street and Glenbrook Drive.
Permitting Requirements:
One (1) property survey or scaled drawing (1"=20' minimum).
EXCEPTIONS: No survey or scaled drawings are required for Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Re-roof, Sidewalk repair / installations, Facade changes (re-bricks, bricking, applying stucco, re-stuccoing, or applying stone) or Demolition permits.
On the scaled drawing draw the shape of the lot and the shape of the existing house on the lot with distances to all property lines (front, both sides and rear) clearly marked from the house. NOTE: If the homeowner is scaling the project it is recommended that you use graph paper.
On the survey or scaled drawing show the location of the proposed construction, the distance from the proposed construction to all property lines (rear and both side property lines), please show the location and size of other structures on the lot (i.e. swimming pools, retaining walls, accessory buildings, carports, detached garage, etc.) and the locations of electric, gas and sewer service lines, and indicate if the electric line is overhead or underground.
Payment Methods: Cash, Check (made payable to the City of Garland), Visa, Discover, or MasterCard
Permit / Registration Fees:
All permits and contractor registrations have a fee attached to them.
All permits have a non-refundable processing fee of 25% or $15, whichever is greater, that is due at the time of permit submission.
Exceptions: Permits that are issued over the counter pay their fees when the permit has been issued; the processing fee is included in the fee requested prior to permit issuance.
Once the permits are ready to issue, the permit fee is taken at the Building Inspection counter and the permit paperwork is handed over to the homeowner / contractor.
Inspectors / Inspection:
All inspections must be requested prior to 7:00 a.m. each business day in order to be on the inspectors schedule.
Permits must be posted so that they are seen from the front of the house (i.e. front door or front window) at all times during construction. This ensures that neighbors and other City departments are aware that a permit has been obtained for work being conducted.
If your permit has stamped, approved plans from this department, those plans must be accessible to the inspectors when they are on site conducting the inspection. Typically we request that you post the permit to the outside of the front of your house (i.e. front door or front window) so that the inspector can simply take the plans out of the plastic sleeve we provide to ensure that the construction is following the set of plans that were approved by the plans examiner in our office.
Inspections are conducted between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. If you wish to get a time frame of when the inspector will be at your house you may call our offices at 972-205-2300 the morning of your inspection between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. (no later than 8:30 a.m. as the inspectors leave promptly) and the inspector that will be conducting your inspection will be able to give you a two hour time frame. Please understand that the inspectors will not know until the morning of the scheduled inspection when they will be at your location; there are other contractors and homeowners who are scheduling inspections up until 7:00 a.m. and they (the inspectors) need sufficient time to route and plan out their day.
Inspectors are available to answer questions between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. each business day in our offices. The remainder of the day they are out in the field conducting their inspections.
Permit Assistants
The Permit Assistants will help guide you through the permitting process in the office. They will look over your paperwork prior to giving it to a Plans Examiner for review to ensure that proper documentation and information has been given.
The Permit Assistants complete your transaction by receiving payment for the permits and issuing the permit for you.
The Permit Assistants can help facilitate your inspection requests and / or conversations between you and your inspector.
These Permit Assistants have a wide and varied knowledge base and can help answer most questions.
Plans Examiners
The Plans Examiners review your permit and plans for compliance with locally adopted Codes and Ordinances.
The Plans Examiners help with setback requirements, building materials, zoning designations, and various technical requirements.
The Plans Examiners are able to answer technical questions with regards to permitting requirements.