From Submittal to Approval: What Actually Happens During the Houston Permit Process
Quick answer: After your drawings are finished, the permit process runs in a loop. Arte Architecture completes the permit applications, you sign them and supply the documents the city requires from the owner, and we submit to the jurisdiction. In the City of Houston, roughly two weeks pass before a reviewer even opens the file. Review comments then come back, we address every one individually and resubmit, and that cycle repeats until approval. Expect about three rounds of comments on a commercial project and two on a residential one. A typical City of Houston commercial project takes two to three months in permitting. In Harris County it is about half that. You pay the permit fees directly to the city, we deliver the approved paperwork, and you are cleared to build.
Permitting is the part of a project where most owners go quiet and start worrying.
The drawings are done. Something has been submitted. And then nothing appears to happen for weeks, with no clear sense of whether that silence is normal or whether something has gone wrong.
Almost always, it is normal. Here is exactly what is happening during it.
Before anything gets submitted
Two things have to be settled before a single sheet is drawn, because both change what the submittal actually requires.
Which jurisdiction is permitting the project. In the City of Houston, the submittal includes architectural drawings plus structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering. In Harris County, only the fire marshal performs a fire code review, and only architectural drawings are required. Sugar Land, Missouri City and Pasadena each have their own submittal methods and their own requirements, different from Houston and from each other. We covered how that map works in our guide to Houston area permit jurisdictions.
Whether the property is in a flood zone. As soon as we have an address, we check it against the Harris County Flood Education Mapping Tool and the FEMA Flood Map Service Center to confirm flood zone status. If a property is in a flood zone, that triggers an additional series of city requirements. This applies to residential projects as well as commercial ones.
Both tools are public, so you can check an address yourself before you call anyone. It is worth doing before you make an offer on a property.
Those two answers determine the scope of work, and therefore the fee. It is why an accurate address matters at the very first conversation, and why a quote given without one is a guess.
The submittal package
Once the plans are complete, the paperwork begins, and it is more than a cover sheet.
Different project types require different applications. We complete them, then send them to you. You sign, and you supply the documents the city requires from the owner rather than from the architect. Once that package is complete on our end, we submit to the jurisdiction.
This is the point where projects most often stall, and it is rarely the city’s fault. A submittal waits on whatever document is still outstanding. The faster the owner side of the paperwork comes back, the sooner the clock starts.
The wait before the wait
Here is the part nobody warns owners about.
In the City of Houston, roughly two weeks pass after submittal before a reviewer opens the file at all. That time is already counting against your schedule, and there is nothing productive to do with it. It is queue, not review.
Knowing that in advance is worth something. Owners who expect review to begin the day they submit spend those two weeks assuming something is wrong.
Review comments are normal, not a failure
When the review does happen, the jurisdiction sends back comments. Sometimes a request for a change to the floor plan. Sometimes a request to clarify something the reviewer could not confirm from the drawings.
This is a standard part of the process. It is not a sign that the drawings were wrong.
What we do with those comments is where the process gets won or lost. We address each one individually. Where a plan change is needed, we make it. Where a clarification is needed, we provide it. Then we write a response letter that answers every single question the reviewer raised, point by point, and resubmit the package.
That last part matters more than it sounds. A reviewer who has to hunt through a revised set to figure out whether their comments were addressed will send it back again. A response letter that answers each item in order gives them a direct path to approval.
The loop
After resubmittal, the project goes back into the review queue. It comes out one of two ways. Either it is approved, or there is another round of comments.
If there are more comments, the same process repeats. Address each one, revise the drawings, respond in writing, resubmit.
How many rounds should you expect? In our experience with City of Houston projects, a residential project typically takes two rounds of comments and a commercial project typically takes three.
That is the honest number, and it explains the calendar. Three rounds of comments, each with queue time in front of it, is most of why a commercial project spends two to three months in permitting.
You cannot eliminate review comments. You can reduce how many rounds it takes to clear them, which is the practical argument for a complete and accurate first submittal.
Approval, fees and handoff
Once everything is approved, permit fees are paid. The client is responsible for all payments to the city. Those fees are set by the jurisdiction, they are separate from design fees, and they should be in your budget from the beginning rather than discovered at the end.
Once the fees are paid, we download all of the approved paperwork from the city and provide you with copies.
At that point you are cleared to move forward with construction, and the permitting service is complete.
Construction administration and project management are available as optional additional services if you want us involved during construction. They are not included in permitting and not every project uses them. If you want that support, it is worth discussing before construction starts rather than after a question comes up in the field.
What to expect on the calendar
| Jurisdiction | Typical commercial permitting time |
|---|---|
| City of Houston | Two to three months |
| Harris County | Roughly half that |
| Project type | Typical rounds of review comments, City of Houston |
|---|---|
| Residential | Two |
| Commercial | Three |
Those are Sergio Astorga’s figures from his own submittals across the Houston area, not published averages. They cover permitting only. Design time comes before it, and construction comes after.
Who does what
| Step | Arte Architecture | Client |
|---|---|---|
| Confirm jurisdiction and flood zone | Yes | Provides the address |
| Produce the plans | Yes | Makes design decisions |
| Complete permit applications | Yes | Signs them |
| Owner documents the city requires | Advises | Supplies them |
| Submit to the jurisdiction | Yes | |
| Address review comments and respond | Yes | |
| Permit fees | Coordinates | Pays the city directly |
| Approved paperwork | Delivers copies | Receives them |
The pattern in that table is deliberate. The owner’s involvement is real but narrow. Sign, supply, decide, pay. Everything procedural sits on our side.
Frequently asked questions about the Houston permit process
How long does the permit process take in Houston?
A typical commercial project in the City of Houston takes two to three months in permitting. In Harris County it is roughly half that. This is permitting time only and does not include design or construction.
Why does nothing happen for the first two weeks after submittal?
In the City of Houston, roughly two weeks pass before a reviewer begins looking at a submittal. That is queue time, not review time, and it is normal.
Are review comments a sign something went wrong?
No. Review comments are a standard part of commercial permitting. What matters is how they are handled. We address each comment individually and submit a written response letter answering every question the reviewer raised.
How many rounds of review comments should I expect?
In our experience with City of Houston projects, a residential project typically takes two rounds and a commercial project typically takes three. Each round carries its own queue time, which is most of why a commercial project spends two to three months in permitting.
Who pays the permit fees?
The client pays all permit fees directly to the jurisdiction. Those fees are set by the city or county and are separate from design fees.
Does being in a flood zone change the permit process?
Yes. Flood zone status triggers an additional set of requirements, and it applies to residential as well as commercial projects. We check flood zone status from the address at the very beginning, before scoping the work, using the Harris County Flood Education Mapping Tool and the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. Both are public and free to search.
What happens after the permit is approved?
You are cleared to begin construction and the permitting service is complete. Construction administration and project management are available as optional additional services if you want us involved during the build. They are not included in permitting.
Does Arte Architecture submit the permit, or just produce the drawings?
We handle the submittal. We complete the applications, submit to the jurisdiction, respond to review comments, and deliver the approved paperwork once fees are paid.
Send us the address
Most permitting problems are decided before submittal, in the jurisdiction and the flood zone check and the completeness of the first package.
Contact Arte Architecture or call 832-422-6282. See our design services or browse the portfolio, including commercial projects across the greater Houston area.
Arte Architecture is an award winning firm based in The Woodlands, led by president and lead designer Sergio Astorga, with more than 30 years of experience across residential, commercial and industrial projects.
