Richardson, Texas - City Development Fees
Richardson | City | Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (inner-ring suburb; US-75 Central Expressway / President George Bush Turnpike corridor; Telecom Corridor / CityLine) | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA | Collin County and Dallas County
Richardson is an established inner-ring suburb in the north Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, spanning Collin County and Dallas County along the US-75 (Central Expressway) and President George Bush Turnpike corridors. The City's development-side charges come from two complementary documents: the Development Services Department Zoning & Development Fee Schedule (zoning, planned development, special permit, plat, site plan, civil engineering, and variance fees), the Community Services Department Building Permit Fee Schedule (building, sign, fence, demolition, and new-construction permit fees, also codified by code section in Appendix B of the Master Fee Schedule), and the codified Code of Ordinances Appendix B Master Fee Schedule, which carries the Sec. 23-29(a) water and sanitary sewer pro rata. Richardson operates its own water and sewer utility and does not levy a Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 impact fee.
Effective Dates and Currency
Zoning & Development Fee Schedule Rev 2024-09-17 / 2024-08-23; utility pro rata current per Code version May 15, 2026. The City of Richardson Zoning & Development Fee Schedule carries footer revision stamps of 2024-09-17 (Development section) and 2024-08-23 (Zoning section); it is the current development, zoning, subdivision, and variance application fee schedule. The water and sanitary sewer pro rata under Code Sec. 23-29(a) is current per the codified Master Fee Schedule (Municode code version May 15, 2026). The Building Permit Fee Schedule was printed effective October 1, 2015; its building-permit amounts are corroborated as current by their codification by code section in Appendix B (Chapter 6) of the current Master Fee Schedule. Verify current amounts with the City before relying on them.
On this page
Fee Summary
| Fee Type | Status | Top-Line Figure | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning, Plat, Site Plan, and Building Permit Fees | Confirmed | Zoning change $1,500 (PD $2,500); special permit $1,500; preliminary plat $400 + $25/lot; site plan $600; single-family building permit $1,200 | 2024-09-17 |
| Utility Tap / Connection Fees (water and sewer pro rata) | Confirmed | Water and sanitary sewer pro rata $7.00 per front foot (Code Sec. 23-29(a)); no separate flat tap or capacity/impact fee | 2026-05-15 |
| Impact Fees (TLGC Ch. 395) | Not administered by this jurisdiction | Richardson has not adopted Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 impact fees; four official substitute paths probed, all negative | - |
| Cash Proffers | Does not apply | Cash proffers are a Virginia statutory framework only; Texas jurisdictions do not use them | - |
| Special District Fees (PID / TIRZ / MUD) | Not administered by this jurisdiction | The Master Fee Schedule and the Zoning & Development Fee Schedule contain no PID, TIRZ, or MUD developer-facing application or assessment fee entries | - |
Zoning, Development, Subdivision, and Building Permit Fees
Source: City of Richardson Zoning & Development Fee Schedule, Development Services Department (Development section Rev 2024-09-17; Zoning section Rev 2024-08-23; SHA-256 a4dc5972...). The schedule is comprehensive; a representative subset is rendered below. The document asset returns HTTP 403 to non-browser clients but serves to ordinary browsers, and was captured verbatim this pass via in-browser same-origin fetch plus pdfplumber.
Zoning, Planned Development, and Special Permits
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Zoning - All Designations except Planned Development (PD) | $1,500.00 |
| Zoning - Planned Development (PD) | $2,500.00 |
| PD Concept Plan Amendment | $1,350.00 |
| Revision of Special Conditions | $1,000.00 |
| Special Permit | $1,500.00 |
| Special Development Plan | $2,500.00 |
| Major Modification | $2,500.00 |
| Master Sign Plan | $500.00 |
| Temporary Open Air Market | $500.00 |
| Comprehensive Plan Amendment | $1,500.00 |
| Zoning Verification Letter | $50.00 |
Plats, Site Plans, and Engineering
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Preliminary Plat (single-family residential only) | $400.00 + $25.00 per lot |
| Final Plat / Amending Plat / Replat / Plat Vacation (SF, duplex, or townhome residential) | $500.00 + $25.00 per lot |
| Final Plat / Replat / Plat Vacation (non-residential or apartment) | $500.00 + $35.00 per acre |
| Concept Plan | $500.00 |
| Site Plan | $600.00 |
| Building Elevation Plan | $250.00 |
| Landscape Plan (non-residential or apartment) | $500.00 |
| Administrative Site Plan Review / Administrative Landscape Plan Review | $500.00 each |
| Civil Engineering Plans | $800.00 + $50.00 per acre |
| Development Inspection Fees | 4.0% of all public improvements |
| Tree Mitigation Plan | $500.00 |
| Tree Removal Permit | $50.00 |
Other Development Applications and Variances
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Property Owners' Association Documents | $750.00 |
| Easement by Separate Instrument | $250.00 |
| Right-of-Way Abandonment | $500.00 |
| Master Transportation Plan Amendment | $500.00 |
| Traffic Impact Analysis (with / without modeling) | $1,500.00 / $500.00 |
| Annexation | $1,500.00 |
| Utility Verification Letter | $225.00 |
| Re-Submittal of Application | 50% of the original fee |
| Variance - Subdivision Regulations (Chapter 21) | $250.00 |
| Variance - Zoning Ordinance Non-Residential (Appendix A) | $325.00 |
| Variance - Zoning Ordinance Residential (Appendix A) | $250.00 |
| Variance - Fence Regulations (Chapter 6, Article IV) | $250.00 |
Building Permit Fees
Source: City of Richardson Community Services Department Building Permit Fee Schedule (printed effective October 1, 2015; SHA-256 65a8d98d...). These building-permit amounts are corroborated as current by their codification by code section in Appendix B (Chapter 6) of the current Master Fee Schedule (Municode code version May 15, 2026).
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Single-family dwelling | $1,200.00 |
| Multi-family buildings (per unit) | $500.00 |
| New finished non-residential building (2,501 - 10,000 sq ft) | $200.00 + $0.40 per sq ft |
| New finished non-residential building (10,001 - 50,000 sq ft) | $400.00 + $0.37 per sq ft |
| New finished non-residential building (50,001 - 100,000 sq ft) | $1,400.00 + $0.35 per sq ft |
| New finished non-residential building (100,001 - 300,000 sq ft) | $2,400.00 + $0.34 per sq ft |
| New finished non-residential building (300,001+ sq ft) | $8,400.00 + $0.32 per sq ft |
| Demolition permit | $50.00 |
| Reinspection fee | $50.00 |
| Contractor registration fee | $100.00 |
Water and Sewer Connection (Pro Rata) Fees
Source: City of Richardson Code of Ordinances, Appendix B Master Fee Schedule, Sec. 23-29(a) (Municode code version May 15, 2026; SHA-256 0c4ff94e...). Richardson operates its own water and sewer utility, with treated water purchased wholesale from the North Texas Municipal Water District. The developer-side connection charge is the front-foot pro rata for both water and sanitary sewer, plus the actual cost of mains under Chapter 23, Article II (construction by the city or by contract). There is no separate flat tap fee and no capacity or impact fee.
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Water pro rata (Sec. 23-29(a)) | $7.00 per front foot of the lot or tract to which water connections may be made |
| Sanitary sewer pro rata (Sec. 23-29(a)) | $7.00 per front foot of the lot or tract to which sanitary sewer connections may be made |
Note: water meter deposits under Sec. 23-96(a) are refundable security deposits, not a tap or development charge - residential is $75.00 per meter, and commercial deposits run from $300.00 for a 5/8"-3/4" meter up to $6,000.00 for a 10" meter. Monthly water and sewer consumption rates (Sec. 23-98 / 23-168) are out of developer-side scope.
Coverage Notes - What This Page Does Not Cover
Per ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard, the items below were not closed via confirmed fee amounts on this page. They are disclosed here rather than estimated or omitted silently.
Impact Fees
Richardson has not adopted Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 impact fees. Chapter 395 is opt-in by ordinance, and the DFW inner-ring built-out peer pattern is non-adoption. Four official substitute paths were probed this pass, all negative: the current Zoning & Development Fee Schedule (zero impact-fee line items), the Building Permit Fee Schedule (zero impact-fee line items), the codified Appendix B Master Fee Schedule (zero impact-fee, capacity-charge, or Chapter 395 entries), and the 23-chapter Code of Ordinances (no impact-fee chapter). Development-side capacity recovery is via the Sec. 23-29(a) pro rata and the Development Inspection Fee (4% of public improvements), not a Chapter 395 impact fee. Closed-search outcome: not administered by this jurisdiction.
Cash Proffers
Cash proffers are a Virginia statutory framework only (Va. Code 15.2-2303 and 15.2-2303.4); Texas jurisdictions do not use cash proffers. Developer-side contributions in Richardson occur through the zoning, planned development, and plat application fees, the water and sewer pro rata, and the development inspection fee. Closed-search outcome: fee family does not apply.
Special District Fees (PID / TIRZ / MUD)
The codified Master Fee Schedule (Appendix B, current code version May 15, 2026) and the current Zoning & Development Fee Schedule contain no Public Improvement District (PID), Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ), or Municipal Utility District (MUD) developer-facing application or assessment fee. Any reinvestment-zone financing in Richardson operates through the tax roll, not a developer permitting fee, consistent with the DFW peer precedent (Mansfield, Flower Mound). Closed-search outcome: not administered by this jurisdiction.
Fee Authorities
| Authority | Fee Types | Official Website |
|---|---|---|
| City of Richardson Development Services Department (Planning + Engineering) | Zoning, planned development, and special permit application fees; plat and subdivision fees; site plan and civil engineering plan review; development inspection (4% of public improvements); and variance fees - in the Zoning & Development Fee Schedule | cor.net |
| City of Richardson Community Services Department (Building Inspection) | Building, sign, fence, demolition, and miscellaneous permits; new-construction per-sq-ft permit fees - in the Building Permit Fee Schedule (also codified by code section in Appendix B Chapter 6 of the Master Fee Schedule) | cor.net |
| City of Richardson Water/Sewer Utility (Water Customer Service / Public Services - Water) | Water and sanitary sewer pro rata under Code Sec. 23-29(a); refundable meter deposits - codified in Appendix B Master Fee Schedule | cor.net |
DFW Peer Jurisdictions
Richardson sits in the north Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on the US-75 and President George Bush Turnpike corridors. Compare development-side fee structures with nearby ZoneFee-covered jurisdictions:
- Dallas, TX development fees
- Carrollton, TX development fees
- Lewisville, TX development fees
- Flower Mound, TX development fees
- Denton County, TX development fees
See the full Texas jurisdiction directory, the ZoneFee coverage map, and our methodology for how these fees are sourced and verified.
Sources
| Document | Agency | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Zoning & Development Fee Schedule (Rev 2024-09-17 / 2024-08-23; 2 pages; SHA-256 a4dc5972...) | City of Richardson, TX - Development Services Department (Planning + Engineering) | 2026-06-10 |
| Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective October 1, 2015; 3 pages; SHA-256 65a8d98d...) | City of Richardson, TX - Community Services Department (Building Inspection) | 2026-06-09 |
| Code of Ordinances, Appendix B Master Fee Schedule (code version May 15, 2026; SHA-256 0c4ff94e...) | City of Richardson, TX - Code of Ordinances (Municode / CivicPlus) | 2026-06-10 |
Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-06-10. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with the City of Richardson before relying on this data for any financial decision.
This page reflects fee data sourced from the City of Richardson Zoning & Development Fee Schedule (Rev 2024-09-17 / 2024-08-23; SHA-256 a4dc5972...), the Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective October 1, 2015; SHA-256 65a8d98d...), and the codified Code of Ordinances Appendix B Master Fee Schedule (code version May 15, 2026; SHA-256 0c4ff94e...). ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page. Fee schedules change. The water and sanitary sewer pro rata of $7.00 per front foot is the current codified rate under Code Sec. 23-29(a); Richardson operates its own water and sewer utility and levies no separate flat tap fee or Chapter 395 capacity/impact fee. Texas jurisdictions do not use cash proffers, and the City administers no PID, TIRZ, or MUD developer-facing application fee. Verify all current rates directly with the City of Richardson 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.