Taylor, TX Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- 2018 International Building Code
- Adopting ordinance
- Ordinance No. 2021-31 (10-14-2021)
- Foundation work
- Leveling and repair always require a permit
- Design professional seal
- Required for most non-residential occupancies
- Default fine
- Up to $200 per day (Sec. 1-8)
Summary
Taylor adopted the 2018 International Building Code as its Building Code by Ordinance No. 2021-31, so new construction and substantial repairs need a Building Department permit before work starts. The code specifically flags foundation leveling and foundation repair, common given Central Texas clay soils, as work that always requires a permit, even on an existing house.
Whenever in this Code or in any ordinance of the city an act is prohibited or is made or declared to be unlawful or an offense or a misdemeanor ... and no specific penalty is provided therefor, the violation of any such provision of this Code or any such ordinance shall be punished by a fine of not exceeding $200.00 ... Each day any violation of this Code or of any ordinance shall continue shall constitute a separate offense. ... [There is hereby adopted by the city the International Building Code, 2018 Edition, except the changes and amendments hereafter set out which is for the public safety, health, and general welfare of the city and its citizens.] ... FOUNDATION LEVELING OR RELEVELING. Work under this definition includes the temporary or permanent shoring or shimming of pier(s), beam(s), girder(s) or other horizontal elements of a structures foundation system, in whole or in part, including adding or replacing piers, to bring the foundation into or closer to a state of level. Work falling under this definition requires a permit.
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. 5-17 adopts the International Building Code, 2018 Edition, with local amendments in Sec. 5-18, as the Building Code of the City of Taylor; the current adoption traces to Ordinance No. 2021-31. The building official, appointed by the city manager and confirmed by city council under Sec. 5-20, administers the permit process and can appoint inspectors and a deputy. Permit fees are set by city council resolution rather than fixed in the code itself (Sec. 5-21). Sec. 5-18(j) adds two Taylor-specific definitions that pull foundation work squarely into the permit system: 'foundation leveling or releveling', shoring or shimming piers, beams or girders to bring a foundation back toward level, and 'foundation repair', altering, retrofitting or replacing part of an existing foundation to correct damage.
Both definitions end with the same instruction: work under them requires a permit, regardless of whether the change is cosmetic or structural. Sec. 5-18 also layers on other Taylor-specific permit conditions: plans for privately owned buildings in occupancy classes A, B, F, S, E, H, M, R-1, R-2, R-4, I and U must be sealed by a registered design professional, with narrow exceptions for small finish-outs under 750 square feet, occupancy changes that don't raise the risk category, and low-hazard buildings under 2,000 square feet; a project rejected by the building official three times loses those exceptions and must be professionally sealed on the fourth submittal.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 5 doesn't set its own fine for skipping a required building or foundation permit, so it falls to the code's general penalty in Sec. 1-8: a fine of up to $200.00 for each offense, with every day the violation continues counted as a separate offense, capped at whatever a similar state-law offense would carry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which edition of the building code does Taylor use?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Taylor
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