Kitchen permits · Fort Worth
Do you need a permit for a kitchen remodel in Fort Worth?
Yes, if the work moves or changes a wall, a window or exterior door, the plumbing, the wiring or the ductwork. New cabinets, counters, flooring and wall tile don’t need one, and neither does a new faucet or sink in the same spot. That’s the City of Fort Worth’s rule, and each trade takes its own permit.
Or call or text (817) 631-9803
From the City of Fort Worth’s Residential Permitting page and its inspections guide, read November 11, 2026.
The City’s rule
Kitchen remodel permits in Fort Worth: what the City requires
The City of Fort Worth draws the line in two sentences: work that changes, moves or repairs the structure or the systems needs a permit, and cosmetic work doesn’t.
“Permits are required for new construction, as well as work that changes, moves or repairs walls, floors, ceiling, windows, doors, electrical, mechanical or plumbing.”
“Permits are not required for ‘cosmetic’ remodels (floor or wall covering, cabinets, counter tops, shelving, etc.) or plumbing fixture replacement.”
City of Fort Worth, Residential Permitting. Read November 11, 2026.
Not sure which side your kitchen falls on? Bring us your plan.
Job by job
Which kitchen jobs need a permit, and which permit
One kitchen can need four permits: building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical. Find each job you’re planning below. The permit is the group it sits in, and the inspection the City names for it is beside each job.
| The kitchen job | The City’s rule | Checked at |
|---|---|---|
| No permit | ||
| New cabinets, counters, shelving, flooring or wall tile | The City’s rule The City calls these cosmetic remodels and doesn’t require a permit for them. | Checked at The City’s guide names no inspection of its own |
| A new faucet or sink in the same spot | The City’s rule Swapping out a fixture doesn’t need a permit. | Checked at The City’s guide names no inspection of its own |
| A permit, listed under demolition | ||
| Taking out a wall, like the one between the kitchen and the living room | The City’s rule Demolishing interior walls needs a permit. | Checked at The City’s guide names no inspection of its own |
| Building permit | ||
| Replacing drywall, 16 square feet or more in a wall or ceiling | The City’s rule Moving, changing or repairing walls, floors or ceilings needs a building permit. That includes replacing drywall when it adds up to 16 square feet or more in any wall or ceiling. | Checked at The City’s guide names no inspection of its own |
| A new or replaced window, like the one over the sink | The City’s rule Replacing or adding exterior doors, windows or burglar bars needs a building permit. | Checked at The City’s guide names no inspection of its own |
| A new or replaced exterior door | The City’s rule Same rule as the window. | Checked at The City’s guide names no inspection of its own |
| Plumbing permit | ||
| Moving the sink, or a new water or drain line to an island | The City’s rule Changing, installing, moving or repairing plumbing needs a plumbing permit. | Checked at 410 Plumbing top out(405 if the line runs under the slab) |
| A gas line to a new range or cooktop | The City’s rule The City tests new gas piping as a plumbing inspection, before the walls close. | Checked at 415 Plumbing gas |
| Electrical permit | ||
| New circuits, or moving outlets and lights | The City’s rule Changing, moving or repairing electrical equipment, the electrical service included, needs an electrical permit. | Checked at 210 Electrical rough |
| A bigger electrical service for new appliances | The City’s rule Same rule. The City names the electrical service. | Checked at The City’s guide names no inspection of its own |
| Mechanical permit | ||
| A vented range hood or exhaust fan, or new ductwork | The City’s rule Changing, moving or repairing a central heating and air system, ductwork or exhaust fans needs a mechanical permit. | Checked at 305 Mechanical rough |
| The City’s guide names no inspection of its own for a wall coming out, a window, an exterior door, drywall or a service change. A job with a building permit ends at the building final (100), once its related permits are final. From the City’s Residential Permitting page and its What Inspections Do I Need? guide, read November 11, 2026. | ||
Planning more than one of these? Walk the kitchen with a designer and a builder first.
Who pulls it
Who pulls the permit for a kitchen remodel in Fort Worth
A registered building contractor, or you, if the house is your homestead. Who qualifies for a homestead permit
Either way, each trade is its own permit. In the City’s words:
“Aside from your building permit, you still must obtain all trade permits that are needed separately and schedule inspections as required for each permit type.”
On a kitchen we build, the permits are ours to carry: we pull and manage city permits and inspections.
After the permit
What happens once your kitchen has a permit
The City reviews the plans, then inspects the work while it’s still open, then signs off at the finals.
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Review. The City’s standard is 7 business days to first review comments, once your application is complete. If the comments ask for changes, the plans are revised and reviewed again.
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Inspections before the walls close. Pipes, gas lines, wiring and ductwork are inspected while they’re still open, at the rough-in inspections in the table above. The City says permitted work “must remain accessible and exposed for inspection purposes until approved.”
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Finals. Electrical (200), mechanical (300) and plumbing (400) finals come last, then the building final (100), once every related permit is final.
If the work starts before the permit
The City says that if an inspector needs finished work opened up, the cost is yours: “Neither the Building Official nor the jurisdiction shall be liable for expense entailed in the removal or replacement of any material required to allow inspection.” Its permit brochure says it’s always best to do your research first, to avoid having to correct code deficiencies or face a possible citation.
In a historic or design district, the City says additional approvals come before the permit.
Permit fees
What kitchen permits cost on our Fort Worth projects
$1,200 to $4,000
That’s the range permit fees have run on kitchens we’ve built in Fort Worth. How much yours runs depends on how many of the permits above it needs. The City sets its own fees and publishes them in its fee schedule. How Fort Worth figures a permit fee
What a kitchen remodel costs in Fort Worth
Remodeling a bathroom too? Which bathroom jobs need a permit
Questions
Fort Worth kitchen permit questions
Bring your kitchen’s questions to us.
Do I need a permit to replace kitchen cabinets in Fort Worth?
No. The City of Fort Worth counts cabinets, counter tops, shelving and floor and wall coverings as cosmetic remodels, and those don’t need a permit. Replacing 16 square feet or more of drywall behind them does need a building permit. A moved sink, new wiring or a wall taken out each takes its own permit.
Do I need a permit to move a kitchen sink in Fort Worth?
Yes. Moving plumbing needs a plumbing permit, and the City inspects the new drain and water lines before the wall or floor closes. A new faucet or sink in the same spot is a fixture swap and doesn’t need one.
Does a range hood need a permit in Fort Worth?
A range hood vented through a duct needs a mechanical permit. The City requires one to change, move or repair ductwork or exhaust fans, and it inspects the duct at the mechanical rough-in. If the hood needs a new circuit, that’s an electrical permit too.
Do I need a permit to add a kitchen island?
It depends on what’s in it. An island of cabinets and a counter is cosmetic work. A sink in it needs a plumbing permit, outlets or a cooktop need an electrical permit, and a gas cooktop’s line is tested at the City’s plumbing gas inspection.
Is one permit enough for a kitchen remodel?
Usually not. Moving a wall takes a building permit, moving the sink a plumbing permit and new lights an electrical permit, and the City makes each trade its own permit with its own inspections.
Can I pull my own kitchen remodel permit in Fort Worth?
Yes, if the house is your homestead: you own it, live in it as your primary residence and have the appraisal district’s homestead exemption. Otherwise the City requires a registered building contractor to apply. The electrical service is the exception: the City requires a Master Electrician to permit and do that work.
How long does a kitchen permit take in Fort Worth?
Plan on 7 business days for the City’s first comments on a complete application. If it asks for changes, the revised plans go back for another review.
What happens if a kitchen is remodeled without a permit?
The City’s permit brochure says it’s always best to do your research first, to avoid having to correct code deficiencies or face a possible citation. Work that has to be inspected must stay open until it’s approved, and the City isn’t liable for the cost of opening finished work for an inspection.
Every rule on this page is quoted or paraphrased from the City of Fort Worth’s Residential Permitting page and its What Inspections Do I Need? guide, read November 11, 2026, and its Inspections page, Review Timeframes page and Nuts & Bolts of Residential Building Permits brochure, read November 5, 2026.
Your kitchen
Know which permits your kitchen needs before the work starts
We draw the kitchen, pull the permits and build it, and we manage the inspections. Walk your house with a designer and a builder first, and start with an honest estimate. No charge, no obligation.
Or call or text (817) 631-9803