Verified against the city’s published rules · page updated October 21, 2026 · rules change — confirm with the city before applying
San Antonio (Bexar County) lets a homeowner pull a permit for their own plumbing. It does not do the same for electrical work. Every residential electrical permit in the city goes to a state-licensed electrician who has registered with the city.
Everything below is from the city’s own code, fee schedule, forms and pages, with dates, plus the Texas Occupations Code.
The City of San Antonio Development Services Department issues residential electrical permits inside the city limits.
The office is the Cliff Morton Development and Business Services Center, 1901 S. Alamo St., San Antonio, TX 78204. The city’s contact page gives 210-207-1111 as the main number, with hours of Monday to Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Applications go through the city’s BuildSA online portal.
The state electrical licensing law, Chapter 1305 of the Texas Occupations Code, gives counties no electrical permitting role and does not mention them. Section 1305.201(d) says electrical work inside a city’s limits “must be installed in accordance with all applicable local ordinances,” and §1305.201(e) says work in an unincorporated area must meet standards “at least as stringent as the requirements of the state electrical code.” This page covers addresses inside San Antonio city limits only.
The rules are in Chapter 10 of the city code, Building-Related Codes, effective May 1, 2025 under Ordinance 2025-01-30-0075.
If you install, alter, repair or replace any part of an electrical system, the code requires a permit first.
Section 10-6(a) says anyone who intends to “install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical… system” must apply to the Building Official and “obtain the required permit.”
The electrical exemptions in Section 10-6(e)(2) are narrow. For a house, the one that matters is “minor repairs or maintenance work when performed by a licensed electrical contractor, the replacement of lamps or the connection of approved portable electrical equipment to approved permanently installed receptacles.” Section 10-6(g) adds that “ordinary repairs” never include adding to, altering, replacing or relocating electric wiring.
Starting before the permit costs you. Section 10-10(d) says anyone who begins work before obtaining the permit “shall be subject to double permit fees.”
There is one planned exception to permit-first. Information Bulletin 121b, most recently revised September 25, 2026, runs a Limited Service and Repair (LSR) program. A licensed electrical contractor may do certain small jobs on an existing house and then pull the permit “within three working days” after finishing. The list is short: one new circuit of 20 amps or less for outlets or fixtures, one new 20-amp-or-less circuit for hard-wired smoke detectors, ceiling fans on approved boxes, extending an existing 20-amp-or-less circuit, and the bonding conductor for CSST gas piping. The house must have a 4-wire feeder to the inside panel, and that panel must comply with code. The program excludes new construction, additions, and “generally” work valued over $2,000.
After an LSR permit issues, the city writes to the owner. You can accept the contractor’s certification or ask for a city inspection within 30 days, which the bulletin says comes “at no additional cost.”
No. San Antonio limits homeowner permits to plumbing.
The city’s Residential Permits page says it plainly: “A homeowner can only apply for a plumbing permit for an existing residence provided that it is their homestead and they will personally be doing the work.”
The code backs this up. Section 10-113(g) says an electrical permit “shall not be issued to any person unless such person is the holder of a license to perform the class of work described in such permit.” Chapter 10 has a written homeowner list for plumbing permits in Section 10-6(j). It has no electrical equivalent.
State law exempts an owner who lives in the dwelling only for work “not specifically regulated by a municipal ordinance” (Tex. Occ. Code §1305.003(a)(6)). San Antonio’s ordinance regulates electrical work and reserves the permit for license holders. If you own the house, your part is choosing the electrician.
The contractor needs a TDLR Electrical Contractor license and a registration with the city before working in San Antonio.
Texas requires a license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) to perform or offer electrical work. An electrical contractor must employ a licensed master electrician. The state license is valid statewide. You can check any license on TDLR’s license search.
The city adds registration. Section 10-113(b) says state-licensed electrical contractors “shall register with the city before performing any electrical work.” The city’s Electrical page asks for photo ID, the state contractor and master license ID cards, and proof of liability insurance. Section 10-113(c) sets the insurance floor at $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate, and $300,000 aggregate for products and completed operations (Chapter 10, effective May 1, 2025).
The city’s FY 2027 Development Fee Schedule, revised September 2026, says on page 12: “A State Electrical License issued by the State of Texas is required to perform Electrical work in City of San Antonio. There is no fee to register a State License.” The same page adds that “a contractor can also obtain a City-issued Electrical License” and lists $345.00 for a City Electrical Master.
Texas Occupations Code §1305.201(f) reads: “A municipality or region may not collect a permit fee, registration fee, administrative fee, or any other fee from an electrician who holds a license issued under this chapter for work performed in the municipality or region. This subsection does not prohibit a municipality or region from collecting a building permit fee.” The city does not explain how its permit and city license fees fit that text, and this page does not decide it.
Find TDLR-licensed electrical contractors filed in Bexar County. See the other Texas city electrical permit guides.
San Antonio publishes its electrical fees line by line, starting from a $57.50 base fee.
The city’s Development Services Department announced: “Effective October 1, 2026, Development Services fees will increase.” These figures are from the FY 2027 Development Fee Schedule, revised September 2026, pages 12 to 14, for commercial and existing residential electrical work (read October 1, 2026):
The schedule says that, unless noted, all fees are subject to “a 4% Technological Improvement and a 4% Development Services surcharge.” Applications not submitted through the online portal and processed by city staff carry an $11.50 convenience fee, which is not subject to the surcharges. The LSR application form attached to Information Bulletin 121b shows a single “4% Surcharge” line, so ask your electrician which applies to your permit.
Your contractor schedules inspections online in BuildSA for free, or by phone for a per-inspection fee.
The city’s residential Inspections page gives two routes: online through BuildSA, or by calling 210-207-1111, which “does have a $3 per inspection scheduling fee.” The FY 2027 fee schedule lists the inspection schedule fee at $3.45, “free if scheduled online.” The two city figures differ, and the schedule is the newer document. Requests placed before midnight are scheduled for the next day.
Chapter 10 sets the sequence. Rough-in inspections happen “prior to covering or concealment” (Section 10-11(c)(5)). A final inspection follows, and “failure to request a final inspection within thirty (30) days after the completion of a permit’s work is a violation” (Section 10-11(c)(15)).
Power comes last. Section 10-13(a) says no one may connect a utility to a permitted system “until released by the Building Official.” The city’s Utility Release page says that once your inspections pass, “CPS Energy will be notified.” For a service that has been off, CPS Energy “may need the City to perform an inspection,” and the reconnect permit is applied for “in person at the One Stop.”
The code edition is unsettled on paper. The Chapter 10 cover note says the 2025 ordinance adopted the 2023 National Electrical Code. Section 10-51 of the same document still reads “2020 edition.” Ask your electrician which one the inspector applies.
Panel and service changes run through the city and CPS Energy together.
Section 10-13(e) says that if work changes “the location or size of the electric meter/service equipment, a licensed electrical contractor with the city shall acquire a permit” and coordinate the disconnect and reconnect with the utility. The application asks whether work with CPS is required.
For a standby generator, the city’s MEP training Q&A, dated February 23, 2022, said to “choose a Solar -Photovoltaic permit type.” Confirm that is still current. Adding a single small circuit may fit the LSR program above. We found no city guidance specific to EV chargers or whole-house rewiring.
We report what the city and state texts say, and we did not confirm anything with the city by phone.
We do not say how the city’s permit and city license fees fit §1305.201(f). We do not say whether an LSR permit carries one 4% surcharge or both. We do not state which NEC edition applies until the city resolves its own text. The generator permit type comes from a 2022 document.
License and permit information from the City of San Antonio and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, read September 24 and October 1, 2026. Neither this site nor the information as presented here is endorsed by the State of Texas or any state agency.
Every figure on this page comes from one of the documents below, each published by the body that sets, measures or administers the thing it describes. We record the document’s own date and the date we read it, because published pages change without notice.
| Source | Document date | We read it |
|---|---|---|
| City of San Antonio, Chapter 10, Building-Related Codes | effective May 1, 2025; Ordinance 2025-01-30-0075, adopted January 30, 2025 | 2026-09-24 |
| City of San Antonio Development Services, FY 2027 Development Fee Schedule | cover ‘Revised: September 2026’; PDF created 2026-09-30; no effective date printed; surcharge disclaimer page 4; electrical fees and state license registration statement pages 12 to 14 (byte-identical copy at FileUploads/dsd/CurrentFeeSchedule.pdf) | 2026-10-01 |
| City of San Antonio Development Services, Electrical Permit Application | form marked ‘Rev 9/26’ (PDF created 2026-09-29) | 2026-10-01 |
| City of San Antonio Development Services, Information Bulletin 121b and Electrical LSR Permit Application | issued August 15, 2006; most recent revision September 25, 2026 | 2026-10-01 |
| City of San Antonio Development Services, Residential Permits | undated city web page | 2026-09-24 |
| City of San Antonio Development Services, Electrical (contractor registration) | undated city web page | 2026-10-01 |
| City of San Antonio Development Services, Contact & Connect | undated city web page | 2026-09-24 |
| City of San Antonio Development Services, Inspections (residential) | undated city web page | 2026-10-01 |
| City of San Antonio Development Services, Utility Release (residential) | undated city web page | 2026-09-24 |
| City of San Antonio Development Services, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) Trade Application Training, Questions & Answers | February 23, 2022 | 2026-09-24 |
| City of San Antonio Development Services, Codes & Ordinances | undated city web page | 2026-09-24 |
| City of San Antonio Development Services, 2024 ICC Codes Updates Community Meeting | November 18 and 21, 2024 | 2026-09-24 |
| Texas Occupations Code ch. 1305 (§§1305.003(a)(6), 1305.151, 1305.165(b), 1305.201), official text, Texas Legislature | current text; §1305.201 last amended by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 285 (H.B. 3329), eff. September 1, 2017; chapter contains no reference to counties | 2026-10-01 |
| City of San Antonio Development Services, Fee Schedule & Estimator page and its ‘FY 2027 Fee Updates’ announcement | undated city web page; the page source carries the DSD ‘FY 2027 Fee Updates’ announcement record reading ‘Effective October 1, 2026, Development Services fees will increase. Please view the FY 2027 Fee Schedule for updated fees.’ and linking the FY 2027 schedule above (in script data, not visible text, on the 2026-10-01 read) | 2026-10-01 |
| TDLR, Apply for a New Electrical Contractor License; TDLR License Search | undated agency web page | 2026-09-24 |
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