Travis County, TX Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Chapter 480 applies to new single-family and duplex construction that began after September 1, 2009 in the unincorporated county, and requires it to meet the International Residential Code as published May 1, 2008, or the version Austin enforces inside its own limits, whichever the builder chooses, per Sec. 004. Sec. 005 sets the inspection stages for construction on a vacant lot: a minimum of three inspections, at the foundation stage before concrete is placed, at the framing and mechanical systems stage before drywall or other interior wall covering goes up, and on completion of construction of the residence.

An addition to an existing home is inspected as necessary based on the scope of the work rather than at fixed stages. Sec. 006 puts the burden on the builder in charge of the project to contract for these inspections with a licensed engineer, a registered architect, a Texas Real Estate Commission-licensed professional inspector, a municipally employed plumbing inspector licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, a building inspector employed by a political subdivision, or an individual certified as a residential combination inspector by the International Code Council; the same inspector can cover every stage or a different one can be used for each.

Sec. 007 requires the builder to notify the county before construction begins, listing the site, the expected start date and the code edition used, then to submit electronic inspection reports to the Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources Department within 10 days after the final inspection, copying the property owner if different from the builder. Where a city's extraterritorial jurisdiction building code applies, that city's code controls instead of Chapter 480, per Sec. 004(b).