Which addresses this covers
The Building Division of Planning & Development Services issues permits inside San Marcos city limits. Kyle, Buda, New Braunfels and unincorporated Hays, Caldwell and Guadalupe counties have their own permit offices.
| Tool | Search by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| CoSM BuildingPermits layer | Any field: ADDRESS, PERMITID, PROJECTNUMBER | Permit type, land use, status, applied and issued dates, square feet; our source |
| MyPermitNow (MGO Connect customer portal) | Your account's projects | Current permit detail and inspections; the portal opens with a login |
| Public information request | Your written request | Records not in the layer |
The layer notes that "Not all permits are shown; large projects may only show a parent permit", the general contractor's overall permit, without the trade permits under it.
How to look up the permits on a San Marcos address
- Open the CoSM BuildingPermits layer and choose Query.
- Search ADDRESS with the house number and street, for example
ADDRESS LIKE '123 MAIN%', and list all fields. - Read TYPE (New, Remodel, Plumbing, Mechanical, Electrical, Roofing and so on), STATUS, ISSUED and PERMITID for each permit.
- For current detail on a recent permit, use MyPermitNow or ask the Building Division, quoting the PERMITID.
- Check the contractor's trade licence with the Texas agency for that trade; see how to check a contractor's license in Texas.
What the statuses mean
| STATUS in the city's file | What it means | In our data |
|---|---|---|
| Completed | Work finished and closed by the city | Finished |
| Issued | Issued, still open | Open |
| Dormant | Went inactive without completing | Expired |
| Applied, In Review, Awaiting Revision, Ready to Issue | Not issued yet | Not counted |
| Void | Cancelled | Not counted |
Of permits issued October 2024 to September 2025, 75.1% were Completed, 24.3% still open and 0.6% expired by our count.
When the record you want is not online
The city takes public information requests through its online portal, by email to openrecordsrequest@sanmarcostx.gov, in person at the City Clerk's Office (630 E Hopkins St) or by mail. Requests must be in writing, and copying or processing fees may apply (read 24 October 2026).
What our San Marcos pages add
Our San Marcos page counts the city's permits by kind of work, October 2024 to September 2026:
| Kind of work | Permits (Oct 2024–Sep 2026) | Last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | 1,313 | 566 |
| Plumbing | 396 | 190 |
| HVAC | 364 | 201 |
| Electrical | 323 | 131 |
59% of the 4,116 permits were for homes. The permit statistics page has counts by year and month, and browse permits lists the rows.
What this does not tell you
The city's file names no contractor and carries no job value, no ZIP code and no final date, so we show no firm lists, no costs, no ZIP pages and no time to final. Lawn irrigation, right-of-way and certificate of occupancy records in the same layer are left out of our counts, and roofing permits are rare in it.
How we know this
The layer description and MyPermitNow wording are read from the City of San Marcos GIS item description on 24 October 2026; records-request details are from the city's Public Information Requests page, read the same day. Our counts are the city's CoSM BuildingPermits layer, read 20 October 2026: building and trade permits issued October 2024 to September 2026, City of San Marcos, Texas only.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 20, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How do I find out if a permit was pulled on my house in San Marcos, Texas?
Query the city's CoSM BuildingPermits GIS layer by ADDRESS to see every permit point on the property since 2012, then check the current status in MyPermitNow, which the city names as the source of the most up-to-date permit information.
- Can I look up San Marcos permits by contractor?
Not in the city's public permit layer, which has no contractor field. Ask your contractor for the permit number, and check their trade licence with the Texas licensing agency for that trade.
- How do I get old San Marcos permit records?
Submit a public information request through the city's online portal or to openrecordsrequest@sanmarcostx.gov. Requests must be in writing; copying or processing fees may apply.
- What does Dormant mean on a San Marcos permit?
A Dormant permit went inactive without being completed. We count it as expired. Of permits issued October 2024 to September 2025, 0.6% were expired and 75.1% Completed by our count.
- Does the City of San Marcos issue permits for Kyle or Buda?
No. Kyle, Buda, New Braunfels and unincorporated Hays, Caldwell and Guadalupe counties run their own permit offices.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
Related guides
- Adams County, CO building permit search: the e-Permit Center, statuses and CORA
- Alachua County building permit search: Citizenserve, statuses and old records
- Anaheim building permit search: Anaheim NEXT and the Building Permit Report
- Arlington, VA building permit search: Permit Arlington lookups and FOIA requests
- CoSM BuildingPermits layer description — City of San Marcos GIS (2026-10-24)
- CoSM BuildingPermits (FeatureServer layer 0) — City of San Marcos GIS (2026-10-20)
- MyPermitNow — MGO Connect (2026-10-24)
- Public Information Requests — City of San Marcos (2026-10-24)