Sandstone · New Braunfels, Texas

Remodel and addition permits in New Braunfels and Comal County

Inside New Braunfels city limits, every addition needs a residential building permit, and so does any remodel that changes structure, wiring, plumbing, gas or mechanical systems. Paint, flooring and replacement cabinets don’t. In unincorporated Comal County, Canyon Lake included, no city reviews the work, but the County Engineer’s Office issues septic, floodplain and driveway permits.

Call (830) 400-4369

Office hours 8 AM–11 PM daily

Fees and rules change; verify current requirements with the City of New Braunfels or Comal County. Checked October 2026.

What needs a city building permit

The City of New Braunfels requires a permit to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building, and to install, replace or alter electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems. Examples include remodels, small additions, garage conversions, siding replacement and re-roofing.

Redecorating and minor repair stay permit-free: painting, new floor covering, replacement cabinets, patching interior sheetrock, and swapping light fixtures or appliances on unchanged wiring. A plumbing fixture swap is exempt only when the plumbing system isn’t altered, so refacing a kitchen is redecorating while moving the sink to an island is not.

Plans are reviewed against the 2021 International Residential Code with the city’s amendments, plus the 2020 National Electrical Code. The Building Safety division at City Hall, 550 Landa St., New Braunfels, TX 78130, takes applications through an online portal and inspects work inside city limits. See also kitchen remodeling and bathroom remodeling.

Submittal checklists

Plans for a remodel versus an addition

The city keeps a separate checklist for each. Drawings must be to scale and legible, and reviewers can ask for more.

01 / Remodel

Remodel or alteration

A written scope stating the square footage being remodeled, plus existing and proposed floor plans with window, door and glazing sizes. Beam and header details are required wherever a wall is removed or opened, and changing a load-bearing wall may call for engineered drawings. Framing and mechanical, electrical and plumbing plans apply when those parts change, and a foundation plan only when foundation repair is in scope. Work that modifies the building envelope must show energy code compliance.

02 / Addition

Addition

A scaled site plan with the new footprint, property lines, easements, setbacks, existing structures and any new driveway or sidewalk. Add a foundation plan, wall bracing plans, architectural plans with window and door schedules, roof framing (with truss layouts for factory-built trusses), an erosion control plan and a REScheck-type energy report. Third-party energy results are posted at the final inspection before a Certificate of Completion is issued.

Pairing a new wing with an interior remodel? Scope it against both lists, as construction planning explains.

Additions

The 500-square-foot threshold

Once an addition passes 500 square feet, the city’s checklist calls for an engineered foundation plan and engineered wall bracing plans, each carrying a Texas professional engineer’s seal. An addition that involves foundation repair needs the engineered foundation plan at any size.

Smaller additions still need both plans drawn to IRC chapters 4 and 6, without the seal. More on design at home additions.

Contractor registration and who files

Every contractor working under a New Braunfels permit, the general contractor among them, has to be registered with the city, and trade subcontractors submit their own permit applications before construction begins. On our projects the permit is issued to the contractor of record and applied for before any work starts; plumbing and electrical work is built into the estimate so those trade permits line up.

Homeowners may apply for their own residence by adding a Homestead Verification Form and a Homeowner as General Contractor Form to the application.

River and creek lots

Floodplain permits and elevation certificates

The FEMA flood map decides whether floodplain rules apply, not distance from the Guadalupe or Comal. Inside a Special Flood Hazard Area, the city requires a floodplain development permit before work begins, on top of the building permit, and additions and alterations both count. Expect:

A lowest floor, utilities included, 2 feet above the base flood elevation for new structures and for substantially improved ones.
An elevation certificate from a professional land surveyor or registered professional engineer, filed before construction for a new structure in the floodplain.
A No-Rise Certificate if the work lies in a regulatory floodway.
A cost estimate, because work worth 50% or more of the structure’s value makes the whole house substantially improved.

The permit lapses if work hasn’t started within six months, and the space can’t be occupied until a Certificate of Compliance is issued. Building Safety at City Hall also gives flood zone determinations and keeps elevation certificates on file, so ask whether your house has one. Check early near Gruene, too. Lake Dunlap and McQueeney sit in Guadalupe County, so outside city limits there Guadalupe County, not Comal County, handles floodplain permits.

Outside city limits: Comal County permits

Canyon Lake is unincorporated. For homes outside city limits in Comal County, the County Engineer’s Office, 195 David Jonas Drive, New Braunfels, TX 78132, takes permit applications online:

Septic (on-site sewage facility). A permit and approved plans come before building, altering or extending a system, with a design by a registered engineer or sanitarian.
Floodplain development. The county’s Floodplain Administrator enforces the Comal County Flood Damage Prevention Order; septic work in the regulatory floodplain needs this permit too.
Driveway and right-of-way. Required to install or modify a driveway or do other work in the public right-of-way.

The county’s list has no general building permit for a house, so a Canyon Lake remodel starts with three questions: does it touch the septic system, is the lot in the floodplain, and does it change access from a county road? Planning a large addition? Ask the County Engineer’s Office whether state construction standards apply. Under state rules an older septic system stays grandfathered only without a significant increase in use or alteration, so check it before adding a bedroom or bathroom.

Garden Ridge and Bulverde are incorporated cities with their own building review, and the City of Spring Branch has its own flood ordinance. See Canyon Lake, Garden Ridge and Bulverde and Spring Branch.

HOA and POA approval is a separate track

A permit doesn’t clear deed restrictions, and an association’s sign-off doesn’t replace a permit; Comal County’s permit page notes that property owners associations may add requirements. Send plans to the HOA or POA early, since a change it asks for can mean revised drawings for the city or county.

Start with the address

Call (830) 400-4369 with the property address and a rough scope, and we’ll talk through which office reviews it. Office hours 8 AM–11 PM daily.

Permit answers

Permit questions, answered

Do I need a permit to update a kitchen or bathroom in New Braunfels?

Only if the work goes past redecorating. New cabinets, flooring, paint and light fixtures swapped on existing wiring need no permit. Moving a sink, adding a circuit, opening a wall or altering the structure does.

What changes when an addition is over 500 square feet?

The foundation plan and the wall bracing plans must both be engineered and carry a Texas professional engineer’s seal. Smaller additions still need both plans, drawn to the 2021 IRC.

Can I apply for my own remodel permit as the homeowner?

Yes, for your own residence, with a Homestead Verification Form and a Homeowner as General Contractor Form. Trade subcontractors must still be registered with the city.

Do Canyon Lake remodels need a building permit?

Not from a city, because Canyon Lake is unincorporated. Comal County issues septic, floodplain development and driveway permits there, and POA rules may also apply.