What the City asks for
From the City's New Residential Construction page, read 23 October 2026:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Platted lot | "Lot shall be platted prior to building permit issuance" |
| Zoning | Setbacks and lot coverage per Denton Development Code 3.2; building size per 5.3.3; site and building design per 7.10.3 |
| Forms | Residential Application, Energy Compliance Path form, Residential Submittal Requirements; "additional documents may be required upon review" |
| Where | Applications and plans go in through the City's eTRAKiT portal |
| Fees | Payable "once permit is approved": building permit, plan review, water meter, water/sewer impact, roadway impact, T-pole and park development fees, and a fence fee if any |
| Utilities | A Request for Service form before meter installation or solid waste service; Customer Service (940) 349-8700 |
What it costs
From the City's Permit and Fee Schedule, effective 1 October 2026 (Ordinance 26-1576), read 23 October 2026:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Building permit fee, one- and two-family dwelling | $0.94 per square foot |
| Plan review fee | $150 |
| Water and wastewater impact fees | Set by plat date, meter size and service zone, "determined by meter size and dwelling type at plan review" |
| Working without a permit (Table 6) | $453 |
| House size | Permit + plan review (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|
| 2,000 sq ft | $2,030 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $2,500 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $2,970 |
The schedule does not say which square footage it means (living area or under roof), and the impact fees on lots platted in different years differ by thousands of dollars per meter, so the City says to "call Building Safety for final fee totals": (940) 349-8600. Build prices from our permits: Denton new home cost.
The 13 inspections
From the City's Inspections List, in order, for a new single-family home:
| # | Inspection | What is checked |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | T-pole | Temporary construction power |
| 2 | Plumbing underground | Water test, DWV test, supply distribution |
| 3 | Foundation | Forms and steel before the pour; hand the inspector a form board survey |
| 4 | Exterior sheathing | Before wrap, siding or masonry |
| 5 | Braced wall | Wind bracing, hold-downs, straps |
| 6 | Brick ties / lath / stucco | Supports before brick or stucco |
| 7 | Frame / MEP roughs | Framing, plumbing, electrical and mechanical roughs, gas and water tests |
| 8 | Insulation | Minimum insulation, window and door SHGC and U-factor |
| 9 | Sidewalk | Forms and fiber mesh |
| 10 | Approach | Driveway approach steel, depth and gutter flow line |
| 11 | Electrical meter release | Service built, devices trimmed out |
| 12 | Gas meter release | Air test to the stops |
| 13 | Building final (certificate of occupancy) | Termite treatment, landscape, fence, drainage, duct blaster and blower door reports, energy report, irrigation final, FEMA certificate if needed |
Inspections are booked in eTRAKiT, or on (940) 349-8600 if you cannot; requests made by 5:59 a.m. are done that day. Cancel by phone before 9 a.m. or pay a re-inspection fee, keep the City-approved plans on site, and expect the final to wait until every unpaid fee is paid. Survey, termite, energy and drainage documents are uploaded to eTRAKiT. A permit expires 180 days after issue unless an inspection renews it for another 180 (Development Services FAQs).
Who can build it
Texas has no state license for home builders. Denton fills the gap with registration: the City "requires all contractors to be registered to perform work", and its electrical, plumbing and mechanical registrations require the matching Texas license (Contractor Registration). The checks are in the Denton contractor license lookup. The City's pages we read do not spell out an owner-builder route; ask Building Safety before planning one, and see the owner-builder permit guide.
What 2,906 Denton new-home permits show
| Measure | Denton new homes |
|---|---|
| Permits, October 2023 to September 2026 | 2,906 |
| Builders | 72 |
| Builders with a permit in the 12 months to September 2026 | 40 |
| Usual filed value | $397,548 |
| Middle half of builders' usual value | $353,397 to $504,112 |
| Usual days to final (estimated) | 181 |
| Finaled (a year or more old) | 97.6% |
| Share held by the busiest builder / five busiest | 23.9% / 64.6% |
| Builders with a single permit | 32 (44.4%) |
| Busiest / quietest month for filing | January / May |
Denton new homes are a production-builder market: Dr Horton filed 252 permits in the 12 months to September 2026, and five builders hold 64.6% of the total. Almost every house gets its final (97.6%), so finished share will not separate builders here; the value range and the builder's past houses will. The other end is thin: 32 builders filed a single Denton house in three years.
Check it in five minutes
- Search the builder under Search Contractors in eTRAKiT to confirm City registration.
- Use eTRAKiT's permit search with the CONTRACTOR field to see the builder's other Denton houses and whether they reached FINALED (how).
- Compare builders on the Denton new-home builder list.
Other cities: do I need a permit to build a house. National prices: new home construction cost.
See every Denton home builder by permits filed →
What this does not tell you
Denton's yearly permit files have no completion date, so days to final are estimates. We matched few builders to any license, because Texas does not license home builders. Impact fees vary by lot; our fee table covers only the City's building permit and plan review lines. More: Denton permit statistics.
How we know this
Requirements, fees and inspections are quoted from the City of Denton's New Residential Construction page, its Permit and Fee Schedule effective 1 October 2026 and its Inspections List, read 23 October 2026; expiry from its Development Services FAQs and registration from its Contractor Registration page. Fee examples are our arithmetic. Our counts are City of Denton new-home permits, October 2023 to September 2026; days to final are estimated.
Numbers come from City of Denton Building Safety permits on homes (the city's yearly permit reports), data through October 18, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to build a house in Denton?
Yes. A new single-family home needs a City of Denton building permit, applied for through eTRAKiT with the residential application, energy compliance form and submittal documents, and the City says the lot must be platted before the permit is issued.
- How much is a building permit for a new house in Denton?
The City's fee schedule effective 1 October 2026 sets the one- and two-family building permit fee at $0.94 per square foot plus a $150 plan review fee, so a 2,500 sq ft house is $2,500 before water and wastewater impact fees, roadway impact, meter, park and other fees the City collects at approval.
- What inspections does a new house need in Denton?
Thirteen on the City's list, from T-pole and plumbing underground through foundation, sheathing, braced wall, frame and MEP roughs, insulation, sidewalk, approach, electric and gas meter releases, to the building final for the certificate of occupancy.
- How long does it take to build a permitted house in Denton?
By our estimate the usual Denton new-home permit reached final 181 days after issue, and 97.6% of new-home permits a year or more old were finaled.
- Who builds the most new homes in Denton?
By permits in the 12 months to September 2026, Dr Horton led with 252. The five busiest builders hold 64.6% of Denton new-home permits.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Do I need a permit to build a house? Yes. What 12 departments ask for, and how long it takes
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Building a casita in Albuquerque: the 750 sq ft limit, rear-yard rule, parking, free plans, and who builds them
- Do I need a permit to build a house in Albuquerque? GB-2 or homeowner, the plan set and the fee
- Do I need a permit to build a new home in Greensboro? Full plan review, a site plan, and four trade permits
- Do I need a permit to build a house in Henderson, NV? Subdivision vs custom homes, owner-builders and build times
For one city
- New Residential Construction — City of Denton, TX (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Permit and Fee Schedule, effective October 1, 2026 (Ordinance 26-1576) — City of Denton Development Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Inspections List — City of Denton Building Safety (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Contractor Registration — City of Denton (2026-10-22)
- Development Services FAQs — City of Denton (2026-10-23)
- City of Denton eTRAKiT (2026-10-23)