Denton
City of Denton Development Services
In short
City of Denton Development Services issues 9 permits we publish for Denton, last verified 2026-08-25. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Occupancy and Business License | City of Denton Development Services | $75–$207 per certificate or license | not stated in the published schedule | 2026-08-25 |
| Commercial Alteration and Fire Damage Permit | City of Denton Development Services | $1.48 per square foot, minimum $50, plus a $222 plan review fee | per permit | 2026-08-25 |
| Contractor Annual Registration | City of Denton Development Services | $0–$66 per year, by trade | 1 year | 2026-08-25 |
| Certification of Zoning Complianceonly if it applies to you | City of Denton Development Services | Set by the City of Denton Development Fees schedule (Ordinance 25-708); contact Development Services at 940-349-8541 for the current amount | per application | 2026-08-25 |
| Specific Use Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Denton Development Services | $1,428–$8,695 per application, by type | per application | 2026-08-25 |
| Zoning Board of Adjustment Applicationonly if it applies to you | City of Denton Development Services | $540 per application | per application | 2026-08-25 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Denton Development Services | $411 for the first $50,000 of valuation plus $3.00 per additional $1,000 to $100,000; $561 for the first $100,000 plus $2.00 per $1,000 to $500,000; $1,361 for the first $500,000 plus $7.56 per $1,000 to $1,000,000; $5,141 for the first $1,000,000 plus $3.25 per $1,000 above. Plan review is 50% of the building permit fee, minimum $50 | per permit | 2026-08-25 |
| Change of Zoning Requestonly if it applies to you | City of Denton Development Services | $1,140–$14,399 per application, by type and acreage | per application | 2026-08-25 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Denton Development Services | $33–$343 per sign, by face area | per permit; annual for banners and off-premise highway signs | 2026-08-25 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Certificate of Occupancy and Business License
A certificate of occupancy is $75 and a certificate of land use another $75. The schedule also lists a business license at $207, separate from both. A temporary certificate of occupancy is priced by area at $0.008 a square foot with a $75 floor. Reinspection is $50, an investigation fee $80, and a same-day or after-hours inspection $183 an hour with a $366 minimum after hours.
Commercial Alteration and Fire Damage Permit
$1.48 a square foot for a commercial addition, alteration or fire damage repair, plus a flat $222 plan review — so a 3,000 square foot fit-out is $4,440 plus $222. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are charged separately at $0.21 a square foot with a $50 minimum, or a $50 flat fee for a single item such as a service update or a water heater. A commercial lawn sprinkler system is $249.
Contractor Annual Registration
$66 a year for a general contractor, an irrigation contractor and a sign contractor. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors register at $0 — the schedule lists those registrations at no charge.
Certification of Zoning Compliance
Ordinance 25-708, approved 6 May 2025, lists two separate items in its Development Fees schedule: a Certification of Zoning Compliance and a Zoning Verification Letter — the letter being the document a lender, franchisor or insurer usually asks for to confirm a use is permitted at an address. Ask Development Services which of the two your situation calls for. Do not confuse either with a Zoning Compliance Plan, which is a development approval rather than a certificate or letter.
Specific Use Permit
$8,695 for a specific use permit, $2,060 to amend one and $1,428 to extend one. Where a use needs a specific use permit, it must be obtained before the building permit. Amending an existing permit at $2,060 is a quarter of the price of a fresh one, so where a use is already permitted it is worth checking whether an amendment will do. A zoning compliance plan, which some uses need instead, is $7,847 with amendments at $1,871.
Zoning Board of Adjustment Application
$540 for a non-subdivision variance or appeal to the Zoning Board of Adjustments, per the current Development Fees schedule (Ordinance 25-708). A subdivision variance request is $790. Relief from the tree preservation requirements is $2,323, except in a single-family or MD zoning district where it is free. Where a variance would achieve the same result as a specific use permit, it is worth asking which route the city expects.
Commercial Building Permit
Read the bands carefully — the rate does not fall smoothly as the project grows. It drops from $3.00 to $2.00 per $1,000 between $100,000 and $500,000, then JUMPS to $7.56 per $1,000 in the half-million to million band before falling back to $3.25 above a million. A $750,000 project therefore costs about $3,251 while a $1.2m one costs about $5,791. Valuation comes from the August issue of Building Safety Magazine published by the International Code Council, effective 1 October each year, so the basis moves annually without the city amending anything. Plan review adds half the permit fee again, and a site plan review $0.03 a square foot with a $50 floor and a $1,500 cap. Working without a permit is $108.
Change of Zoning Request
$8,884 for a change of zoning request, dropping to $1,140 where the request only addresses a residential single-lot non-conformity. A planned development is $14,399 up to 25 acres plus $38 an acre beyond, and a planned development overlay $8,884 on the same basis. A comprehensive plan map amendment is another $8,884. These are worth establishing before a site is under contract. The fee covers planning, engineering and completeness review together; public hearing notices are charged on top at actual cost.
Sign Permit
Four bands on area: $137 up to 60 square feet, $206 to 120, $274 to 250 and $343 above. A wind device is $33, window or door vinyl $50, and an annual banner $66 each. A special sign district application is $549 and an off-premise sign on a state highway $100 a year. Two penalties to avoid: a sign installed without a permit is $108, and a sign special exception, variance or appeal is $250 per request.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Denton
- Phone
- 940-349-8541
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- City of Denton Development Fees schedule, dated 3 July 2025, based on Ordinance 25-708 approved 6 May 2025City of Denton Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-25
- City of Denton Permit and Fee Schedule — Building and Health Permit Fee Schedule effective 6 May 2025, document dated 8 October 2025City of Denton Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-25
Other offices serving Denton
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Texas jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.