Texas City, TX Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

This page covers the electrical inspection stages in Chapter 151 of the Texas City Code of Ordinances, which apply to wiring inside the city limits, not to unincorporated Galveston County. The permit comes first: § 151.050 requires a written application to the Electrical Inspector with the plans, specifications and schedules needed to judge whether the installation conforms.

When the work is ready, § 151.057 requires written notice on blanks furnished at the City Inspector's office, stating the location of the work, the owner's name and the name of the electrician doing the work. Notice for a morning inspection is due before 5:00 p.m. the preceding day, and notice for an afternoon inspection is due before 12:00 noon the same day. Under § 151.058 the inspector then tells the electrician in charge when the inspection will happen and tests the work in the electrician's presence. On large and complicated jobs the inspector can approve inspecting and testing in sections.

Sequencing matters. Section 151.056 requires all plumbing and other piping or tube work on work to be concealed to be in place before the wiring is inspected. Section 151.061 makes it unlawful to lath, seal or otherwise conceal wiring or equipment until it has been inspected and the inspector has posted a notice at the service switch or another suitable place.

A return visit costs money. Under § 151.060(A) the inspector returns only on another written notice and not less than 24 hours after it, for a fee of $1. The fee schedule in § 151.053(C) prints a different figure: $25 for the first reinspection, then $50, $100, $150 and so on. The code prints both figures without reconciling them.

After the entire work is complete, a notice is given for a final inspection, and § 151.060(B) has the inspector issue a final certificate of inspection on the request of the electrical contractor holding the permit. Section 151.055(A) makes it unlawful to use current in the wiring until that certificate issues. On written application, § 151.062 lets the City Inspector give temporary permission to connect for a period not exceeding 30 days where there is an urgent necessity. The final certificate does not relieve the contractor of responsibility for defective work (§ 151.067).