What's Required in Dallas
- One-story detached sheds up to 200 square feet on single-family or duplex lots need no building permit.
- Sheds larger than 200 square feet, or taller than one story, need a permit filed in DallasNow.
- Residential fees are set by square footage, not job value, because Texas law bars value-based residential fees.
- Expect a site plan showing property lines, the shed footprint and its distance to lot lines and other buildings.
- Zoning setbacks and the accessory structure floor-area limit apply whether or not a permit is needed.
- Electrical work to the shed needs its own permit from a registered Master Electrician or an exam-qualified homeowner.
- A permanent detached accessory building cannot be built under a homeowner permit.
- An issued permit stays active for 2 years but expires after 120 days without activity.
Do you need a permit for a shed in Dallas?
Not if it is small. Dallas City Code Chapter 52, Section 301.2.1, lists a one-story detached tool or storage shed, playhouse or similar structure on a single-family or duplex lot as work that needs no permit, as long as it does not exceed 200 square feet of floor area. A 10x20 shed is exactly 200 square feet, so it qualifies. Go a square foot larger, add a second story, or build on a lot that is not single-family or duplex, and you need a permit, filed in DallasNow, the city’s permit portal.
No permit does not mean no rules. Zoning still applies to an exempt shed. Board of Adjustment case files describe single-family districts such as R-7.5(A) as prohibiting an accessory structure that exceeds 25 percent of the floor area of the main structure, and setbacks depend on your zoning district. The city does not publish a single shed setback, so check your district before you place the shed. A gravel or concrete pad on a single-family lot under two acres is not a separate permit: paving and grading there are also on the no-permit list.
How much does a Dallas shed permit cost?
Texas Local Government Code 214.907 bars cities from basing residential permit fees on the value of the work, so Dallas prices single-family work by square footage. Chapter 52 Section 303.2.1.1 sends new work on single-family and duplex property to Table A-I, which charges $1.07 per square foot up to 700 square feet. The fee schedule effective July 1, 2025 adds a $125 inspection fee per trade, a $15 technology fee per document submitted, and a residential plan review fee of $0.046 per square foot or $577, whichever is greater, when the plans examiner performs a plan check. The city publishes no separate fee line for sheds, so treat this as an estimate:
- 12x20 shed (240 sq ft): 240 x $1.07 = $256.80, plus $125 inspection and $15 technology = $396.80.
- If the department charges a plan check: add the $577 minimum, for $973.80.
- In a planned development, specific-use-permit or deed-restricted area: add 10 percent of the permit fee.
The schedule itself says final fees are calculated at submittal, so the DallasNow invoice is the number that counts.
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| One-story shed up to 200 sq ft on a single-family or duplex lot | No permit | Chapter 52 Sec. 301.2.1, item 2 |
| Shed on an urban garden lot, up to 200 sq ft | No permit | Chapter 52 Sec. 301.2.1, item 34 |
| Shed larger than 200 sq ft | Building permit in DallasNow | Table A-I: $1.07 per sq ft up to 700 sq ft, plus review fees |
| Two-story shed or studio, any size | Building permit in DallasNow | The exemption covers one-story structures only |
| Gravel or concrete pad for the shed | No permit | Paving or grading on a single-family lot under two acres is exempt |
| Running power to the shed | Residential Electrical Permit | Registered Master Electrician, or a homesteading owner who passed the city exam |
| Shed over 25 percent of the house floor area | Board of Adjustment first | Zoning limit in districts such as R-7.5(A) |
Who can pull a shed permit in Dallas?
A homeowner who lives in the house as a homestead can act as the contractor for portable accessory building construction and repair, after signing the city’s homeowner affidavit that no one is paid to help. The same form says a homeowner’s permit does not allow you to build a permanent detached accessory building, so a permanent shed over 200 square feet goes through a contractor registered with the city.
How to Get a Shed Permit in Dallas
Measure the floor area
If the shed is one story and 200 square feet or less on a single-family or duplex lot, no permit is needed; skip to checking your zoning setbacks.
Create a DallasNow account
All Dallas permit applications are filed online through DallasNow; set up a citizen account or have your registered contractor apply.
Apply and upload plans
Submit the residential permit application with a site plan and shed drawings, and pay the $15 technology fee at checkout.
Pay the permit fees
After review DallasNow invoices the square-footage permit fee, inspection fee and any plan review fee; the permit issues once they are paid.
Schedule inspections
Book inspections in DallasNow as work progresses; a failed inspection adds a $75 reinspection fee.