Where the permit lines are
| Work | Permit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation repair or leveling | Repairs & Alterations | Do I Need a Permit? |
| Plumbing moved or replaced during the repair | Residential Plumbing ("all plumbing work performed within the property line") | Do I Need a Permit? |
| Retaining wall over 48 inches | Foundation permit, engineer-designed | Do I Need a Permit? |
| Retaining wall 48 inches or less | None | Do I Need a Permit? |
| Flatwork with no cover, such as a driveway on private property | None | Do I Need a Permit? |
| Sheetrock repair, 32 sq ft or less, after leveling | None | Do I Need a Permit? |
After leveling, patching cracked drywall needs no permit up to 32 sq ft; replacing a door frame or sash does need a Repairs & Alterations permit, the same as the foundation work.
How the permit works
- Portal. Permits are filed in the City's Citizen Self Service Portal: create an account, register the company, choose the residential permit type (the wrong commercial or residential type gets the application withdrawn), and submit (Register & Apply).
- Fees and issue. After review the City invoices the fees; the status changes from Payment Pending to Issued, and only then may work begin. The Construction Permits page says permits must be approved before any work begins.
- On site. Waco does not require the permit to be printed or posted, so ask for the permit number instead of looking for a card.
What it means for hiring a foundation company
- Licenses. Texas has no state license for foundation or general contractors (checking a Texas contractor). Waco requires plumbing, electrical and mechanical contractors to register with the City and show their state license and an insurance certificate naming the City of Waco; the pages say nothing similar for foundation companies, so the permit record is the main check.
- Plumbing. Tunneling under a slab to repair drains is plumbing. That part needs a Residential Plumbing permit pulled by a registered master plumber; see Waco plumbing permit.
- The engineer. The City's page does not require an engineer for foundation repair (it does for retaining walls over 48 inches). Ask whether the company's own engineer designs the pier layout, and whether you get a copy of the report for your records.
- Close the permit. An open foundation permit shows up when the house is sold. Make the final inspection part of the last payment.
Compare Waco foundation and remodel firms by permit record →
What Waco permits show
| Measure | Waco remodel and repair |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 284 |
| Firms | 95 |
| Usual filed value | $12,000 |
| Middle half of firms' usual job (16 firms) | $8,013 to $29,200 |
| Share held by the five busiest firms | 40.5% |
| Firms with a single permit | 70.5% |
| Usual days from issue to final | 303 |
| Finished (permits a year or more old) | 58.2% |
| Busiest / quietest month | February / December |
Three of the five busiest firms in the category are foundation companies, and Groundworks filed 13 permits in the last 12 months alone. That concentration (40.5% of permits to five firms) means the companies doing most of Waco's pier work have a long public record; a company with no Waco permits at all is the exception worth asking about.
The 303-day usual time to final covers the whole category, and only 58.2% of permits a year or more old were finished, so a foundation company's own finished share is worth checking on its page.
Check a foundation company in five minutes
- Ask for the permit number for your job, or two past Waco addresses.
- Look them up as described in Waco building permit search and check the status reads Final.
- Open the company's page from our Waco remodel and repair list and compare its finished share with the 58.2% citywide figure.
Related
The general question: do I need a permit for foundation repair. The same rules in Austin: Austin foundation repair rules. Counts by year: Waco permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
Our Waco file does not have a separate foundation category; foundation repairs sit in remodel and repair with window, siding and interior work, so the table describes the whole category. Repairs done without a permit are not in the record.
How we know this
The permit rules are from the City of Waco Inspection Services pages Do I Need a Permit?, Register & Apply for a Permit and Construction Permits, read 23 October 2026. Permit counts are City of Waco permits on homes in our remodel and repair category, October 2023 to September 2026; the finished share uses permits a year or more old.
Numbers come from City of Waco EnerGov building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits on homes (the city's June 9, 2026 permit extract, updated to October 22, 2026 from the city's Citizen Self Service permit search), with the contractor taken from each permit's public contact list on that site, data through October 22, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit for foundation repair in Waco?
Yes. The City of Waco's 'Do I Need a Permit?' page lists foundation repair or leveling under a Repairs & Alterations permit and gives no size or dollar threshold, so a small pier job needs one too.
- Does pier and beam leveling need a permit in Waco?
Yes. The City lists 'foundation repair or leveling' together, under the Repairs & Alterations permit. Ask the company for the permit number before the crew starts.
- How long does a foundation repair permit stay open in Waco?
In our Waco remodel and repair file, which is where foundation permits sit, the usual permit reached final 303 days after issue, and 58.2% of permits a year or more old were finished. Ask the company to call for the final inspection.
- Do foundation repair companies need a license in Texas?
Texas has no state license for foundation or general contractors. If the repair moves or replaces drain or water lines, that part is plumbing work: Waco needs a Residential Plumbing permit and a registered plumber with a Texas master plumbing license.
- Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in Waco?
Only over 48 inches. The City says retaining walls of 48 inches or less need no permit; taller walls must be designed by an engineer and need a Foundation permit.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Ames building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Austin building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Foundation repair in Austin: the 128 sq ft permit line, the one-day Express permit, and who does the leveling
For one city
- Do I Need a Permit? — City of Waco Inspection Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Register & Apply for a Permit — City of Waco Inspection Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Construction Permits — City of Waco Inspection Services (accessed 2026-10-23)