McAllen, Texas - City Development Fees
McAllen | City | Hidalgo County | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX MSA
McAllen is the largest city in the Rio Grande Valley (Hidalgo County, roughly 145,000 residents), part of the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metropolitan area on the Texas-Mexico border. The City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspection Department publishes the City Permit Fee Schedule, which covers building and construction permit fees, a Park Development Fee, and electrical, plumbing, and mechanical trade permits. McAllen does not administer a Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 impact-fee program; water and sewer service is operated by McAllen Public Utility, a separate municipally-owned utility board, so water and sewer capacity and tap fees are set there rather than in the City permit schedule. Verify current amounts with the City of McAllen before relying on them.
Fee Summary
| Fee Type | Status | Top-Line Figure | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building and Construction Permit Fees | Confirmed | New construction minimum $48 + $0.16/sq ft; Park Development Fee $700/unit; commercial plan review 18% of permit fee; electrical, plumbing, mechanical trade permits charged separately | 2016-10-01 |
| Impact Fees (TLGC Chapter 395) | Not administered | No Chapter 395 impact-fee program surfaced across four City planning and development pages (Rio Grande Valley slow-to-moderate growth) | - |
| Utility Tap Fees | Unavailable via official sources | Water and sewer service is run by the separate McAllen Public Utility board; no reachable MPU connection or tap fee schedule was located | - |
| Special District Fees (PID / TIRZ / MUD) | Not administered | No City-administered special-district developer application fee on the City's development or permit pages | - |
| Proffers | Not applicable | Texas jurisdictions do not use Virginia-style cash proffers | - |
Building and Construction Permit Fees
Source: City of McAllen Permit Fee Schedule (effective October 1, 2016; updated July 25, 2017; SHA-256 f65eae48...), captured verbatim. The schedule is referenced as the current fee schedule from the live City Permits and Inspections page. New construction covers residential groups R-1 through R-4 and commercial Groups A, B, E, F, H, I, M, S, and U.
Building and Construction Fees
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| New construction (301 square feet or more) | Minimum $48.00, then $0.16 per square foot |
| Remodel / alterations | Minimum $48.00 + $0.0060 x construction value |
| Park Development Fee | $700.00 per unit |
| Sign permit | $79.80 |
| Swimming pool permit | $55.86 |
| Moving permit | $159.60 |
| Demolition (residential / commercial) | $39.60 / $79.80 |
| Plan review (commercial only) | 18% of building permit fee |
| Advance plan review | 60% additional |
| Permit renewal / permit takeover / re-inspections | $48.00 each |
Trade Permit Fees
| Trade | Fees |
|---|---|
| Electrical | Base $15.60; circuits / feeders $2.40 each; rewire $39.60; working clearance $39.60 per meter |
| Plumbing | Base $39.60; fixtures $4.80 each; new sewer $15.60; water heater $24.00; gas line $15.60; lawn sprinkler $24.00 + $4.00 backflow |
| Mechanical | Base $39.60; unit value first $1,000 $15.60; each additional $1,000 $3.20 |
Building and construction permit fee authority: City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspection Department.
Coverage Notes - What This Page Does Not Cover
Per ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard, the items below were not closed via confirmed standalone fee amounts on this page. They are disclosed here rather than estimated or omitted silently.
Impact Fees (TLGC Chapter 395)
No Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 impact-fee program surfaced for McAllen across four City planning and development pages (impact fees, planning, subdivision, and development services), with zero impact-fee references. This is consistent with Rio Grande Valley slow-to-moderate-growth metros; infrastructure cost is recovered through utility connection charges administered by McAllen Public Utility rather than a City impact-fee schedule. Closed-search outcome: this fee family is not administered by this jurisdiction.
Utility Tap Fees
McAllen's water and sewer service is operated by McAllen Public Utility (MPU), a separate municipally-owned utility board. The City's own development pages publish building plumbing and sewer permit fees (a building-permit line item), but not water and sewer capacity or tap connection fees, which would be set by MPU. No reachable official MPU fee or tap schedule was located this pass (four candidate utility domains failed to resolve or were parked). Closed-search outcome: this fee family is unavailable via official sources.
Special District Fees (PID / TIRZ / MUD)
No City-administered special-district (public improvement district, tax increment reinvestment zone, or municipal utility district) developer application fee surfaced on McAllen's development or permit pages. Consistent with Texas peer precedent, special-district obligations where they exist are tax-roll assessments rather than standing City developer fees. Closed-search outcome: this fee family is not administered by this jurisdiction.
Proffers
Texas jurisdictions do not use Virginia-style cash proffers (Virginia Code Section 15.2-2303 has no Texas counterpart). Developer-side contributions in McAllen occur through the building and construction permit fees and the Park Development Fee captured above. Closed-search outcome: this fee family does not apply to this jurisdiction.
Fee Authorities
| Authority | Fee Types | Official Website |
|---|---|---|
| City of McAllen - Building Permits & Inspection Department / Planning Department | Building and construction permit fees; Park Development Fee; electrical, plumbing, and mechanical trade permits | mcallen.net |
| McAllen Public Utility (MPU) | Water and sewer service (capacity and tap fees; not captured on this page) | Separate municipally-owned utility board |
Sources
| Document | Agency | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| City of McAllen Permit Fee Schedule (effective October 1, 2016; updated July 25, 2017) (SHA-256 f65eae48...) | City of McAllen, TX - Building Permits & Inspection Department | 2026-06-19 |
| City of McAllen Permits and Inspections page (links the current Permit Fee Schedule) | City of McAllen, TX | 2026-06-19 |
Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-06-19. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with the City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspection Department before relying on this data for any financial decision.
This page reflects fee data sourced from the City of McAllen Permit Fee Schedule (SHA-256 f65eae48...). ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page. Fee schedules change. The permit schedule carries a stamped effective date of October 1, 2016 (updated July 25, 2017) and is referenced as the current fee schedule from the live City Permits page. McAllen does not administer a Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 impact-fee program; water and sewer capacity and tap fees are administered by the separate McAllen Public Utility board and are not captured here. Texas jurisdictions do not use Virginia-style cash proffers. Verify all current rates directly with the City of McAllen and McAllen Public Utility before relying on this data for land acquisition, project budgeting, or any financial decision. This page is for research and due-diligence reference only - it is not legal or financial advice.