Kitchen Remodel Permits in Houston: What Needs One and What It Costs

A kitchen remodel permit in Houston is required when the work includes plumbing, electrical, gas, HVAC, a moved or removed wall, or an addition; it is not required for new cabinets, countertops, backsplash, flooring or paint in the same layout. The City of Houston charges a $33.56 administrative fee on every permit plus a fee from its 2026 schedule, with a $91.06 minimum for building and electrical permits and $97.56 for plumbing.

This guide explains which kitchen work needs a permit, what goes in the application, the fees, review times, inspections, deed restrictions, what happens if you skip the permit, and how Kitchen Remodel Masters handles it for you.

Kitchen Work That Needs a Permit in Houston

The Houston Permitting Center’s residential rules are short. A permit is required for:

• All electrical work. New circuits for a range, microwave, dishwasher or disposal; moving outlets; adding recessed lights or under-cabinet lighting on a new circuit; a panel upgrade.
• All plumbing work. Moving the sink, adding an island sink or pot filler, replacing the sink, rerouting drain or supply lines, adding a dishwasher where there was none.
• All gas work. Running a new gas line to a range or cooktop, moving the gas stub, converting from electric to gas.
• Mechanical work. New ductwork for a vented range hood, or moving an HVAC register.
• Structural work. Removing or opening a bearing wall, adding a beam, enlarging a window or exterior door opening, replacing damaged studs or rafters.
• Additions and conversions. A bump-out for a larger kitchen, a garage conversion, or any new square footage.

The building permit goes to the owner or contractor. The City requires a licensed master electrician or plumber, registered with the City, to pull the electrical, plumbing and gas permits separately.

Kitchen Work That Does Not Need a Permit

The Houston Permitting Center lists the following residential work as exempt from permits (Permits Submittal Overview, November 2024):

• Painting and wallpapering.
• Tiling and carpeting, which covers backsplash tile and most flooring.
• Cabinets.
• Countertop repair and replacement.
• Drywall repair up to 100 square feet that is not part of a fire-rated assembly.
• Replacing a kitchen faucet, garbage disposal or water control valve.

So a cosmetic kitchen remodel that keeps the layout, such as cabinet refinishing, new counters, a tile backsplash and new flooring, needs no permit at all. The line is crossed the moment the sink moves, a wall comes out, or a new circuit goes in.

Kitchen task	Permit?	Why
New cabinets, same layout	No	Listed as exempt
New countertops, same sink location	No	Listed as exempt
Backsplash tile, flooring, paint	No	Listed as exempt
New faucet or garbage disposal	No	Listed plumbing exemption
Replace or move the sink	Yes	Plumbing permit
Add an island sink or pot filler	Yes	Plumbing permit; slab cut on slab-on-grade homes
New circuit for range, microwave, dishwasher	Yes	Electrical permit
Recessed or under-cabinet lighting on a new circuit	Yes	Electrical permit
Gas line to a new range	Yes	Gas permit
Vented range hood ducted outside	Yes	Mechanical permit
Remove a wall (bearing or not)	Yes	Building permit; engineered beam if bearing
Kitchen addition or garage conversion	Yes	Building permit plus all trades

The Permit Application

The City of Houston residential remodel permit (HPWCODE1135) is filed through the iPermits portal, and plans are uploaded to ProjectDox after the plan review fee is paid. The Permitting Center asks for:

• A building permit application and a signed declaration in support of it.
• A floor plan of the existing home with the kitchen marked and the work area shown in detail.
• Wall section details that identify bearing and non-bearing walls.
• For a bearing wall removal: the direction of the ceiling joists and the location of the headers and beams, which means an engineer’s drawing.
• The materials being used.
• Energy code compliance: prescriptive compliance with the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code, or a REScheck or IC3 report, when insulation or windows change.
• Electrical, plumbing and mechanical drawings as the scope requires.

Depending on the scope, the plans may also route to Structural, Planning, Utilities, Stormwater, Fire Marshal or Flood Plain review.

Kitchen Remodel Permit Fees in Houston (2026)

Permit fees come from the City’s 2026 Building Code Enforcement Permit Fee Schedule, which rose 1.391% on January 1, 2026 per the Houston Permitting Center. The pieces that apply to a kitchen:

Fee	2026 amount
Administrative fee (every permit, non-refundable)	$33.56
Minimum building or electrical permit fee	$91.06
Minimum plumbing permit fee	$97.56
Residential building permit, wood-frame (Type VB)	$47.00 base for the first 57.16 sq ft, then $5.36 for each additional 8.17 sq ft of work area
Plan review	25% of the building permit fee, non-refundable
Plumbing fixtures	$34.24 for one to three, $11.41 each additional (subject to the $97.56 minimum)
Gas permit and inspection	$45.53 for up to 4 openings, $7.80 each additional
Electrical outlets and fixtures	$1.34 each; range receptacle $4.70
Reinspection	$94.00
Investigation fee for unpermitted construction	$333.42 minimum or double the permit fee, whichever is greater, plus the permit

Worked example for a 200 square foot kitchen in a wood-frame house: the building permit comes to about $143 ($47 base plus 18 increments of $5.36), plan review adds about $36, and the administrative fee adds $33.56. A plumbing permit at the $97.56 minimum and an electrical permit at the $91.06 minimum bring the total to roughly $400 to $450 in city fees. That is our arithmetic from the published schedule; the City confirms the exact number when the application is filed.

How Long Permit Review Takes

The Houston Permitting Center lists processing time for a residential remodel permit at 1 to 15 business days. In practice:

• Same-layout kitchen with trade permits only: the shorter end, often within the first week.
• Bearing wall removal: engineered drawings are reviewed by Structural, which uses more of the 15-day window.
• Addition or garage conversion: the longest, because Planning, Utilities and Flood Plain reviews can apply.

The permit is valid for 6 months and does not require renewal within that window. Corrections from plan review restart part of the clock, which is one reason a complete set of drawings matters. Our guide on how long a kitchen remodel takes shows where permit time sits in the overall schedule.

Inspections

Once the permit is issued, the City inspects the work in stages. For a kitchen that is usually:

1. Rough-in inspections for plumbing, electrical and gas while the walls and ceiling are open, before insulation and drywall.
2. Framing inspection if a wall, beam or header changed.
3. Final inspections for each trade and for the building permit once cabinets, counters, fixtures and appliances are in.

Inspections are requested online by project number or by phone through the City’s IVR line at 713-222-9922. Trade inspections must be scheduled by the contractor who holds that trade permit. The permit card and approved plans stay on site until final approval, and a failed inspection means a $94.00 reinspection fee and a reschedule.

Deed Restrictions and HOA Approval

Houston is not zoned. The City’s Legal Department states that recorded deed restrictions take the place of zoning and that its Deed Restriction Enforcement Team acts on complaints from any resident or civic club. The Permitting Center’s own checklist tells owners to confirm deed restrictions before building.

For a kitchen that stays inside the existing walls, deed restrictions almost never apply. They do come up for:

• Kitchen additions that change the footprint or setbacks.
• Garage conversions, which some subdivisions prohibit.
• Outdoor kitchens and patio covers, which can be limited by setback and height rules.

HOA architectural review is separate from the City permit. Where an HOA exists, get its written approval before the plans are filed.

What Happens If You Skip the Permit

Skipping the permit saves a few hundred dollars and a couple of weeks. It costs more later.

• City enforcement. Unpermitted construction carries an investigation fee of $333.42 or double the permit fee, whichever is greater, plus the permit itself. The City can also require finished walls to be opened for inspection.
• Resale. The Texas Seller’s Disclosure Notice (TREC OP-H) asks whether the seller is aware of room additions, structural modifications or other alterations made without necessary permits. A “yes” follows the house to every buyer; a false “no” follows the seller.
• Insurance. Policies do not exclude unpermitted work by name, but a fire traced to unpermitted wiring or a flood from an unpermitted drain gives the insurer grounds to dispute the claim.

Retroactive permits are possible, but the inspector needs to see the work, which can mean cutting into finished drywall.

How Kitchen Remodel Masters Handles Permits

Kitchen Remodel Masters builds the permit into the project schedule rather than around it.

1. The free 3D design settles the sink, appliance and lighting locations, so the floor plan in the application matches what gets built.
2. When a bearing wall comes out, we bring in an engineer for the beam design before the proposal is signed. See our kitchen wall removal project.
3. We file the building permit, and the trade permits are pulled under the electrician’s and plumber’s registrations.
4. Jose builds the cabinets in our shop during the 1 to 15 business day review, so permit time is not idle time.
5. Samuel, our project manager, schedules rough-in and final inspections and sends you the daily photo updates, including the inspection sign-offs.

For a same-layout cosmetic kitchen there is no permit and no wait.

Get an Exact Number

Sean comes to your home, measures the kitchen, and builds a free 3D design that shows whether the sink, walls or circuits move, which is what decides the permit. The consultation and the design are free. Call (713) 364-6603 or request your free consultation.

Sources

• Houston Permitting Center, “Residential Remodel Permit (HPWCODE1135)” https://www.houstonpermittingcenter.org/hpwcode1135 (2026)
• Houston Permitting Center, “2026 Fee Increase Notice” https://www.houstonpermittingcenter.org/news-events/2026-fee-increase-notice (January 2026)
• Houston Permitting Center, “2026 Building Code Enforcement Permit Fee Schedule” https://www.houstonpermittingcenter.org/media/2636/download?inline= (2026)
• Houston Permitting Center, “Permits Submittal Overview, Annual Workshop” (residential permit exceptions) https://www.houstonpermittingcenter.org/media/10131/download (November 19, 2024)
• City of Houston Legal Department, “Deed Restrictions FAQ” https://www.houstontx.gov/legal/dr-faq.html
• Texas Real Estate Commission, “Seller’s Disclosure Notice (OP-H)” https://www.trec.texas.gov/forms/sellers-disclosure-notice