Teardowns · Fort Worth
Fort Worth demolition permit
Tearing down a house in Fort Worth takes a permit. The City calls it a residential razing permit, and you need one for each building you remove.
Or call or text (817) 631-9803
From the City of Fort Worth’s Residential Permitting page, its residential permit descriptions, its wrecking and razing checklist, City Code sections 7-281 and 7-282, and its historic preservation pages, read November 7, 2026.
The permit
Do you need a permit to tear down a house in Fort Worth?
Yes. The City says removing a building from your property takes a permit. For a whole house, duplex or townhouse on its own lot, that’s the residential razing permit, and every building you take down gets its own. Taking down part of a house is a remodel permit instead.
- 1 · The house · Razing permit
- 2 · The detached garage · Its own razing permit
- 3 · The shed · Its own razing permit
- Dashed A wing you take off, keeping the house · Remodel permit
- Street
| What comes down | The City’s permit |
|---|---|
| A whole house, duplex or townhouse on its own lot | A residential razing permit |
| A detached garage, shed or other accessory building | A razing permit of its own: one for each structure |
| Part of a house | A residential remodel construction permit |
| Interior walls | A permit: the City lists interior walls under demolition |
| A house you move instead of tearing down | A residential moving permit |
| An apartment building | A commercial permit: the City counts apartments as commercial |
| The new house that goes up after | A residential new building permit |
Two houses at two addresses take two permits. The City asks for a separate permit for each address and each structure.
To the City, residential means detached one- and two-family homes and townhouses on their own platted lots, no more than three stories tall.
Tearing down to build new? Get the new house priced before the old one comes down.
The checklist
What Fort Worth asks for before it issues a razing permit
Five things, from the City’s wrecking and razing checklist. The square footage is per building, so measure each one you’re taking down.
1
permit for each structure, and for each address
- The permit application
- A site plan or survey of the property, marking which building comes down if there’s more than one
- The exact square footage of the building you’re demolishing
- A contractor registration number, or, for a residential property owner, proof of ownership
- The City’s wrecking indemnification form, which its customer service desk provides
The indemnification form is your written promise to hold the City harmless for the work, under the City’s demolition ordinance.
Planning the new house too? We price the whole job together.
Owner or contractor
Who can pull a demolition permit in Fort Worth?
A contractor registered with the City, or the owner. The City’s checklist says a residential property owner doesn’t need a contractor registration number, only proof of ownership.
What the City Code adds
- Insurance
- The code says the building official won’t approve a demolition until a certificate of insurance is filed with the city secretary: $50,000 for property damage per accident, $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident for injury. It waives the certificate when the owner takes down their own one- or two-family house or its accessory buildings.
- Indemnity
- Every applicant agrees in writing to hold the City harmless.
- Explosives
- A separate permit from the City’s fire marshal.
- Debris
- Nothing thrown onto a public sidewalk or street. It comes down a chute the building official approves.
- Neighbors
- Work within 100 feet of a public street, an alley or the property next door can’t become a public nuisance.
City Code, chapter 7,
sections 7-281 and 7-282,
adopted in 1976 and read on the City’s code library November 7, 2026.
Building new on the lot? Walk it with us first.
Before some houses come down
When a Fort Worth demolition goes to the Landmarks Commission
Two kinds of house go to the City’s Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission: a house in a historic district or with a landmark designation, which needs a Certificate of Appropriateness before you apply, and a house with a Demolition Delay designation, which the commission reviews once a demolition permit is requested.
180 days
the longest delay the commission can put on a Demolition Delay house, to look for another way
A historic district or a designated house
Before you apply for a permit to demolish it, the City asks for a Certificate of Appropriateness, and demolition is one of the cases the commission hears itself. It meets the second Monday of every month at 2:00 p.m.
A Demolition Delay house
The City calls Demolition Delay the minimum type of historic designation in Fort Worth. It only comes into play when someone asks for a demolition permit. The commission can then hold the permit for up to 180 days to look for alternatives, and if none is found, the City says the permit may be issued after the delay. The commission doesn’t review any other work on the house.
Check before you plan around a date: look up the address on the City’s zoning map with its Overlay Districts, Historic Districts and Historic Designations layers on. A Demolition Delay designation is also recorded with the Tarrant County Clerk and shows on the land title.
Planning the new house that goes on this lot? Bring us the address.
Before it comes down
How to get a demolition permit in Fort Worth
Check the address, gather what the City asks for, and apply online or in person.
-
Check the address. On the City’s zoning map, with the historic layers on. If the house is in a district or carries a designation, the Landmarks Commission reviews the demolition before the permit is issued.
-
Gather the checklist. The application, a site plan or survey, the square footage of each building, a contractor registration number or proof of ownership, and the indemnification form.
-
Apply. Through the City’s Accela Citizen Access portal, or in person at Development Services, 200 Texas Street, Lower Level. One permit for each structure.
In our custom home budgets, a teardown carries demolition, disposal and often a utility disconnect the empty lot never sees.
What a teardown adds to the cost · How the permit process works
Building new where the old house stood? Start with the walk-through.
Questions
Fort Worth demolition permit questions
Planning a teardown and a new house? Bring these questions to us.
Do I need a permit to demolish a house in Fort Worth?
Yes. The City says removing a building from your property takes a permit. A whole house, duplex or townhouse on its own lot takes a residential razing permit. Taking down only part of a house takes a residential remodel construction permit.
Can a homeowner pull a demolition permit in Fort Worth?
Yes. The City’s wrecking and razing checklist says a residential property owner doesn’t need a contractor registration number, only proof of ownership. The City Code also waives the insurance certificate when the owner takes down their own one- or two-family house or its accessory buildings.
Does a detached garage need its own demolition permit in Fort Worth?
Yes. The City asks for a separate permit for each structure being demolished and for each address, each with its own square footage.
How long can Fort Worth delay a demolition?
On a house with a Demolition Delay designation, the City’s Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission can hold the demolition permit for up to 180 days to look for alternatives. The City says that if none is found, the permit may be issued after the delay.
Can you tear down a house in a Fort Worth historic district?
The City asks for a Certificate of Appropriateness before you apply for a permit to demolish a house in a historic district, and demolition is one of the cases its Landmarks Commission hears. The City’s preservation staff can tell you what the commission looks at for your house.
Do the utilities have to be disconnected before a teardown in Fort Worth?
The City’s wrecking and razing checklist doesn’t list it. A teardown often carries a utility disconnect, so call your utility providers and the City’s Development Services before you set a date.
Every rule on this page is quoted or paraphrased from the City of Fort Worth’s Residential Permitting page, its residential permit descriptions, its wrecking and razing permit application and checklist, City Code sections 7-281 and 7-282, and its Demolition Delay and Historic Preservation pages, read November 7, 2026.
Your lot
Plan the teardown with the new house
Build on your lot, on land you are still looking at, or on a teardown in a neighborhood you already love. Walk the lot with a designer and a builder first, and start with an honest estimate. No charge, no obligation.
Or call or text (817) 631-9803