Sherman, TX Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Section 3.01.005 of the Sherman Code of Ordinances puts the scheduling burden on the contractor: inspections are requested through the city's online permit portal, results are posted there, and contractors must check their account for status. A city building inspector records all findings digitally in the city's system at the time of the inspection. A failed inspection means the work is corrected and then rescheduled, and reinspection fees come from the Appendix C fee schedule and are not refundable. Appendix C prices single-family mechanical, electric and plumbing permits at $75.00 and $30.00 for each additional inspection, and lists the same figures for solar and irrigation permits.

Sequence matters. It is unlawful to proceed with or conceal any work requiring inspection unless the work has been inspected and passed, and unlawful to proceed with or conceal work that failed. Subsection (f) bars gas, light, water and electric utilities from permanently installing a meter until construction has been approved. Temporary construction electrical service must be inspected and approved by a building inspector after installation before it connects to the distribution system (§ 3.03.003(4)(B)).

Inspections also keep a permit alive. Under § 3.01.002, a permit expires if no inspection occurs within six months, and extensions run six months at a time to a two year ceiling. Several amendments add engineer sign-off on top of the city's own inspections: foundation repairs need a letter bearing the engineer's stamp (§ 3.03.001(4)), an engineer of record inspects any retaining wall four feet or greater (§ 3.03.002(6)), and the thermal envelope of every residential and non-residential building must be inspected and tested by a third-party inspector (§ 3.03.007(2)). Construction sites must also meet § 3.01.006, which requires a portable water closet and temporary perimeter fencing at least 4 feet in height.