Guides
Permits for foundation repair in Austin
Inside the Austin city limits, permits are issued by Austin Development Services. Its rules for foundation repair on a house are short. The contractor normally does the filing, but the permit is attached to your property, so it pays to know them.
The two rules
Small repairs are exempt
The city's list of work exempt from a building permit includes “a foundation repair that does not exceed 128 square feet.” Exempt work must still meet the building code.
Larger repairs use an Express permit
Foundation repair is on the list of Residential Express permits, the city's quick route for minor work on houses and duplexes. The city's wording is repair “without increasing impervious cover”, so the job must not add hard surface to the lot.
How that works in practice
The city does not spell out how the 128 square feet is measured for a line of piers. Ask your contractor which side of the line the job falls on and why. If in doubt, Development Services can be reached through Austin 3-1-1.
For an Express permit, the application is filed through the city's online form. The city says most Express permits are issued in one business day, and that it can take longer for a property in a floodplain or a historic district. If plumbing work is part of the job, such as repairing a drain line under the slab, say so on the application, because a plumbing permit may be needed as well.
Who applies
Austin requires a registered general contractor to be linked to the building permit. Fees are paid and inspections booked through the contractor's account on the city's Austin Build + Connect portal. A homeowner may act as their own general contractor after registering.
In practice the foundation company files. Confirm that before you sign, and ask for the permit number once it is issued.
Three other reviews that can apply
Floodplain
The city warns that a permit may still be required in a floodplain even for work on the exempt list. Look up the address on the floodplain map page.
Older houses
Ask Development Services whether historic review applies to the house and the proposed exterior work. Include porch and skirting changes in that question.
Trees
A tree 19 inches or more in diameter is protected. The city requires a permit to remove it or to impact it, and digging in the root zone counts. See trees on residential property.
Ask your contractor
- Does this job need a permit, and which kind?
- Are you registered with the City of Austin, and will the permit be in your company's name?
- Is there a large tree near any pier location, and have you allowed for the tree review?
- Will you send me the permit number and the final inspection result?
Keep the closed permit with your house papers. Texas sellers are asked whether repairs were made without required permits, as the guide to buying and selling explains.
Outside the city limits
Every town around Austin runs its own permit office with its own rules, and they differ a good deal. Round Rock requires engineered documents. Georgetown treats houses inside and outside its limits differently. Manor moved to a new online system in 2026. Give the company your exact address so it applies to the right office.
Questions about permits
Does Austin require an engineer's letter for foundation repair?
The city's Express permit page asks for the application form and lists no engineering documents for foundation repair. A company may still have an engineer design or review its plan. Ask for that in writing whatever the city requires.
What if work was done years ago without a permit?
Ask Development Services, through 3-1-1, how to bring it into the record. It is easier to sort out before a sale than during one.
Is there an inspection at the end?
Permitted work is inspected by the city. Ask the contractor to confirm the permit was closed, and keep the record.
Want it looked at?
Phone, say where the house is and what has changed, and you will be speaking with an independent local foundation repair company. It can book a visit to measure the floors and tell you what it finds.
Calls may be recorded. Austin Foundation Repair Help refers callers and repairs nothing itself, as the referral disclosure sets out. Call details are handled under the privacy policy.