What do these permits involve in Denton County?

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Fire Code Construction Permit and Certificate of Compliance (unincorporated area)

Applies only in the unincorporated area of Denton County, where the Fire Marshal's Office issues fire-code construction permits for commercial buildings, public-access buildings and multi-family of four units or more; the county describes enforcement as reaching ETJ structures as well. No occupancy is allowed before the Certificate of Compliance. The fee schedule was adopted with the 2021-edition Fire Code on 12 August 2025 (Court Order 25-0656) and took effect 1 September 2025; it replaced a schedule that had not been updated since 2017. Small tenant improvements under 5,000 sq ft may use a Small Tenant Improvement Application. A building inside a city is handled by that city's fire department and building office instead.

Annual Fire Inspection of Commercial Occupancies (unincorporated area)

The Fire Marshal's Office inspects commercial businesses, high-hazard operations and fire protection systems in the unincorporated areas of Denton County, and the fee schedule prices each annual inspection by the floor area of the occupancy, from $75 for a space up to 6,000 sq ft to $300 for one of 100,001 to 250,000 sq ft. The clean published schedule reads 1-6,000 sq ft for the first tier. Operating without the required permit is charged at twice the permit fee. A business inside an incorporated city is inspected by that city's fire department instead. Contact the Fire Marshal's Office on 940-349-2840 for the invoicing date of the annual inspection.

Non-Residential Development Permit (unincorporated area)

Any development in unincorporated Denton County requires a Development Permit; development includes buildings, structures, grading, paving and the storage of equipment or materials, and the permit is tied to the county's National Flood Insurance Program floodplain management. The Commissioners Court adopted a stand-alone Development Services fee schedule on 2 June 2026 (Court Order 26-0390, 5-0-0), which rescinded Court Order 02-0494; the 'Proposed Fees' header still printed on the PDF is a leftover label and the figures are the adopted ones. Applications go through the Civic Access portal, no fee is due at submittal, and the fee is emailed after the completeness review. Inside a city the city's own permit office applies instead.

Culvert Permit and Driveway Inspection (county-maintained road)

A new drive onto a county-maintained road in unincorporated Denton County needs a Culvert Permit ($300), and the driveway is inspected for $75, with a further $75 for a culvert reinspection. The rule follows the Development Permit and applies to a business of any industry that builds a new access to its site from a county road. The amounts come from the stand-alone schedule the Commissioners Court adopted on 2 June 2026 (Court Order 26-0390); the earlier culvert figure of $15 was superseded. A road maintained by a city or by the state is outside this permit.

On-Site Sewage Facility (Septic) Permit to Construct

The Environmental Health Division administers the on-site sewage facility order in unincorporated Denton County: it reviews designs, issues permits to construct and performs final inspections. Denton County's own application packet lists an application fee of $310.00 for authorization to construct and inspection, payable to Denton County, and offers Single Family, Multi Family, Commercial/Institutional and Other use categories. No separate commercial septic fee is published in the packet, so the $310 applies to a commercial application as listed. It applies only to a business on a septic system in the unincorporated area; a business on a city sewer does not need it.

Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
Fire Code Construction Permit and Certificate of Compliance (unincorporated area)	Denton County Fire Marshal's Office	Certificate of Compliance (fire final inspection): $100. Commercial project, mixed use: $250 per 1,000 sq ft. Single-use building over 100,000 sq ft: $200 per 1,000 sq ft; under 100,000 sq ft: $150 per 1,000 sq ft. Building tenant finish-out: $200 per 1,000 sq ft (minimum $100). Change of occupancy is charged as tenant finish-out at $200 per 1,000 sq ft. Change of ownership only: $100 per business. Fire alarm, sprinkler and fire-extinguishing system permits are priced separately on the same schedule.	one-time per project; no occupancy before the Certificate of Compliance is issued	2026-09-29
Annual Fire Inspection of Commercial Occupancies (unincorporated area)	Denton County Fire Marshal's Office	By floor area: 1-6,000 sq ft $75; 6,001-12,000 sq ft $100; 12,001-25,000 sq ft $150; 25,001-50,000 sq ft $200; 50,001-100,000 sq ft $250; 100,001-250,000 sq ft $300; over 250,000 sq ft $300 plus $100 per additional 10,000 sq ft. Re-inspection: $150 for the third, $200 for the fourth and each later one.	annual (the schedule's heading is Annual Inspections)	2026-09-29
Non-Residential Development Permit (unincorporated area)	Denton County Development Services	$220 per permit outside the floodplain; $450 per permit inside the floodplain.	one-time per development	2026-09-29
Culvert Permit and Driveway Inspection (county-maintained road)only if it applies to you	Denton County Development Services	Culvert Permit $300; Driveway Inspection $75; Culvert Reinspection $75.	one-time per driveway connection	2026-09-29
On-Site Sewage Facility (Septic) Permit to Constructonly if it applies to you	Denton County Public Health, Environmental Health Division	$310 application fee for authorization to construct and inspection, unincorporated Denton County	not stated on the application packet	2026-09-29

Business licenses and permits in Denton County, Texas

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Permits that apply to every type of business in Denton County