Houston

1. Deed restriction review (Houston has no zoning) (~7d)
   Houston is the only major US city without zoning. Land use is controlled by Chapter 42 (Subdivision and Development) of the Code of Ordinances and by private deed restrictions recorded with Harris County Clerk. BEFORE permitting, the homeowner must pull the deed and any subdivision restrictions; many Houston subdivisions (Bellaire, West University, River Oaks, parts of Heights, Memorial) prohibit second dwelling units outright. The City Legal Department enforces deed restrictions on petition. Far East / Far South / unincorporated-feel ETJ neighborhoods often have no covenants at all.
2. Chapter 42 lot dimension verification (~5d)
   Chapter 42 sets the minimum lot size at 3,500 sqft inside the urban area (with lot-size performance standards allowing reductions); ADUs are permitted as Second Dwelling Units (SDUs) where the parent lot meets dimensional minimums. Verify the lot meets the 3,500 sqft urban / 5,000 sqft suburban minimum, that combined dwelling-unit footprint plus impervious cover stays under the 50% / 60% caps depending on lot tier, and that the SDU is sized at or below 900 sqft (Chapter 42-150) - amendments allow larger SDUs where deed restrictions don't prohibit and parking scales with size.
3. FEMA flood zone / Harvey 2017 elevation reset check (~10d)
   Houston rewrote its flood ordinance after Hurricane Harvey (2017): finished floor must now be 2 ft above the 500-year (0.2% annual chance) flood elevation in any SFHA, replacing the prior 1 ft above 100-year standard. Check FEMA Map Service Center and Houston ReBuild floodplain viewer. AE / AO / VE zone parcels require fill-and-pier or pile foundation; X-shaded parcels still face the +2-foot rule when within the regulated floodplain. Many Inner Loop SDU projects fail at this step.
4. Submit Residential Addition Permit at Houston Permitting Center (~2d)
   Submit through the Houston Permitting Center electronic plan review system (houstonpermittingcenter.org). Required: Residential Addition or Residential New Construction application (depending on whether SDU is attached or detached), site plan with Chapter 42 dimensional showing, sealed structural plans for piling/pier-and-beam, energy compliance under 2021 IRC + IECC 2021 Climate Zone 2A, MEP plans, drainage / impervious-cover calc, and elevation certificate for floodplain parcels.
5. Residential plan review (10-15 business days, or 30-day pilot) (~15d)
   Houston Permitting Center residential plan review targets 10-15 business days for standard review. The 30-Day Residential Permitting Pilot (launched July 2025) commits to 30 business days end-to-end with three-cycle structured review and seven-business-day comment-response windows. Reviewers: Building Code Enforcement, Public Works (drainage), Houston Fire (HFD), and the Floodplain Management Office. First-cycle items typically include Chapter 42 lot ratio, post-Harvey elevation, and impervious cover.
6. Permit issuance and fee payment (~5d)
   Plan-review fee for a one-bedroom SDU runs $1,100-$1,200; the building permit itself is another $1,500-$1,600 per Houston City-Wide Fee Schedule. Pay via Houston Permitting Center online portal or at the counter (1002 Washington Ave). Permit valid 12 months; one extension available.
7. Construction inspections
   Required Houston inspections: temporary power, foundation/pier or piling, plumbing rough, mechanical rough, electrical rough, framing, insulation, gypboard, final building, final MEP. Schedule via the Houston Permitting Center IVR or online. Floodplain parcels require a separate Elevation Certificate after framing and again as-built before CO.
8. Certificate of occupancy (~5d)
   Houston issues CO after final inspections. SDU is recorded with Harris County Appraisal District. Houston has no STR registration ordinance per se (a 2024 STR registration ordinance was enacted but is in legal challenge); long-term rental of an SDU is unrestricted at the city level. Deed-restriction enforcement remains the dominant constraint on whether the SDU can be rented at all.

• Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental of ADU generally permitted; landlord-tenant law and any city rental-registration ordinance apply.
• Short-term rental: with-restrictions STR rules vary by city. Houston regulates STRs separately from ADU permitting; check local STR ordinance and HOA covenants.
• Office rental: with-restrictions Detached office rental requires home occupation permit or rezoning.
• Home office: yes Home occupation permitted with restrictions on signage and customer traffic.
• Studio / workshop: yes Personal artist studio is a permitted accessory use.
• Agriculture: with-restrictions Limited urban agriculture permitted in residential zones; livestock varies by district.
• Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicitly permitted in single-family zones.

Staff: Houston Permitting Center (Permits and inspections (1002 Washington Ave, Houston TX 77002)), Floodplain Management Office (Post-Harvey (2017) +2-foot above 500-year elevation rule, Elevation Certificates), Planning and Development Department (Chapter 42 lot dimensional / impervious-cover interpretation), City of Houston Legal Department - Deed Restrictions (Deed-restriction enforcement and inquiry (no zoning means deed restrictions control land use))

• Water: Houston Water Utility · 30d connect · $4,500
• Sewer: Houston Sewer / Wastewater · 30d connect · $5,500
• Electric: Houston Electric Utility · 21d connect · $1,800
• Gas: Houston Gas Utility · 30d connect · $1,500

Realistic total: best 7mo · typical 10mo · worst 16mo

State ADU loans:

• Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA)
• Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC)

Texas has no HOA-ADU preemption; HOA covenants restricting ADUs are enforceable.

• flood-zone
  Houston has FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas; elevation certificates and flood-resistant construction required for SFHA parcels.
• airport-noise-zone
  Airport noise contours affect some parcels and may require sound-attenuation construction.