What does it cost to file a plat in Denton County?

Per the adopted Denton County Subdivision Rules and Regulations (DENTON COUNTY PLATTING FEE SCHEDULE; plat application checklist effective January 2019), the platting fee for a Preliminary, Final, Minor, or Amended Plat is $100 per project plus $20 per lot. Lot fees are reduced to $10 per lot if the plat is submitted in an approved electronic format. Replatting is $200 per project plus $20 per lot ($10 per lot electronic). There is a $100 plat review fee for the 4th and each subsequent review, and a plat or subdivision variance request is $200 (nonrefundable). These are the county's adopted, operative plat fees; a separate county Development Services schedule labeled 'Proposed Fees' shows higher not-yet-adopted amounts that ZoneFee excludes.

What building permit fees does Denton County charge?

Per the Denton County Permit Fee Schedule (referenced as current by the live Construction & Operational Permits page), construction building permit fees are charged per 1,000 square feet of structure: a Commercial Project or Mixed Use building permit is $250 per 1,000 sq ft; a Single Use Building over 100,000 sq ft is $200 per 1,000 sq ft, and under 100,000 sq ft is $150 per 1,000 sq ft; a Building Tenant Finish-Out is $200 per 1,000 sq ft (minimum $100). Site Plans (Survey and Area Developed) are 20% of Building Plan Fees (minimum $150), a Change of Occupancy is charged as a Tenant Finish-Out ($200 per 1,000 sq ft), a change of ownership only is $100 per business, and construction site offices or trailers are $150 per building. These fees apply in unincorporated Denton County; incorporated cities within the county set their own permit fees.

Denton County, Texas - County Development Fees

Q: Does Denton County charge impact fees?

No. Texas counties generally lack impact-fee authority under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395, a municipal-style power. The Denton County Permit Fee Schedule and the adopted Subdivision Rules and Regulations contain zero Chapter 395 impact-fee line items. The county's developer-side road and drainage cost recovery occurs through plat review fees, the Engineering Plan Review Fee (2% of the cost of the street and drainage improvements), and the Road and Bridge Inspection Fee (3% of the cost of the street and drainage improvements), not municipal-style impact fees.

Denton County is a fast-growing county in the north Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, split by the I-35 corridor (I-35E toward Lewisville, Carrollton, and Dallas; I-35W toward Fort Worth). This page covers fees administered by Denton County for development in unincorporated Denton County. It is distinct from the fee schedules of incorporated cities within the county - Lewisville, Carrollton, and Flower Mound each set and administer their own development fees and have their own ZoneFee records. Denton County administers developer-side fees through Denton County Development Services (with the Fire Marshal's office) via the published Permit Fee Schedule for construction and operational permits, and through the adopted Denton County Subdivision Rules and Regulations for plat and subdivision review. As a Texas county, Denton County does not levy municipal-style impact fees and does not operate a water or wastewater utility.

A Note on Proposed Fees

The figures on this page are Denton County's adopted, operative fees only. A separate standalone Denton County Development Services document is labeled "Proposed Fees" in both of its columns and shows a higher, not-yet-adopted schedule (for example a Preliminary Plat at $2,500 plus $25 per lot, a variance at $300, and an Engineering Review at $3,500). Those proposed amounts are excluded from this page because they have not been adopted. The proposed schedule is also the only place the county publishes dollar amounts for its Residential, Non-Residential, and Culvert development permits; because those amounts appear only on the proposed schedule, ZoneFee excludes the development-permit dollar figures as proposed-only pending adoption. Confirm the current operative schedule with Denton County Development Services before budgeting.

Fee Summary

Fee Type	Status	Top-Line Figure	Effective Date
Construction / Building / Operational Permit Fees	Confirmed	Commercial / Mixed Use $250 per 1,000 sq ft; Single Use Building $150-$200 per 1,000 sq ft by size; Tenant Finish-Out $200 per 1,000 sq ft (min $100); Site Plans 20% of Building Plan Fees (min $150)	Current per the live Construction & Operational Permits page
Plat / Subdivision Review Fees	Confirmed	Platting $100 per project + $20/lot ($10/lot electronic); Replatting $200 + $20/lot; Plat Review $100 (4th+ review); Variance $200; Engineering Plan Review 2% of street/drainage cost; Road & Bridge Inspection 3%	Adopted Subdivision Rules; plat checklist effective January 2019
Impact Fees (water / wastewater / roadway)	Not applicable at county level	Texas counties generally lack impact-fee authority under TLGC Chapter 395; cost recovery occurs through plat review, engineering plan review, and road-and-bridge inspection fees	-
Utility Tap Fees (water / wastewater connection)	Not administered by Denton County	County does not operate a water/sewer utility; service is via cities, MUDs, and regional suppliers (e.g. Upper Trinity Regional Water District), each with separate developer-side schedules	-
Proffers	Not applicable	Texas does not use proffer agreements (Virginia statutory framework only)	-
Special District Fees (MUD / PID)	Authority-record material	In-county MUDs and PIDs are separate political subdivisions with their own developer-side fee schedules; not captured on the county jurisdiction record	-

Denton County Development, Permit, and Plat Fees

Statutory authority: county subdivision and platting authority under Texas Local Government Code Chapters 232 and 212. Administered by: Denton County Development Services with the Denton County Fire Marshal (construction and operational permits) and Denton County Development Services with County Engineering and the Commissioners Court (plat and subdivision review, adopted under the County Subdivision Rules and Regulations). The fees below are drawn from two adopted official sources: the Denton County Permit Fee Schedule (construction, building, and operational permits) and the adopted Denton County Subdivision Rules and Regulations (plat and subdivision review). All fees apply to development in unincorporated Denton County.

Construction / Building / Operational Permit Fees

Source: Denton County Permit Fee Schedule, referenced as the current operative fee schedule by the live Construction & Operational Permits page. No printed effective date appears on the schedule.

Permit Type	Fee
Commercial Project / Mixed Use building permit	$250 per 1,000 sq ft of structure
Single Use Building permit (greater than 100,000 sq ft)	$200 per 1,000 sq ft of structure
Single Use Building permit (less than 100,000 sq ft)	$150 per 1,000 sq ft of structure
Building Tenant Finish-Out	$200 per 1,000 sq ft (minimum $100)
Site Plans (Survey and Area Developed)	20% of Building Plan Fees (minimum $150)
Change of Occupancy	Charged as Tenant Finish-Out, $200 per 1,000 sq ft
Change of ownership only	$100 per business
Construction Site Offices / Trailers	$150 per building
Fire-suppression / fire-alarm / standpipe / fire-pump permits	$200-$400 (tiered)
Annual fire inspections (by square footage)	$75-$300
Multi-Residential annual inspection	$200 per building

Plat / Subdivision Review Fees

Source: adopted Denton County Subdivision Rules and Regulations (Sec. 16 Plan/Plat Fees, attached DENTON COUNTY PLATTING FEE SCHEDULE, and the plat application checklist marked effective January 2019), the document linked from the live Subdivision Rules & Regulations page.

Application Type	Fee
Platting Fee (Preliminary / Final / Minor / Amended Plat)	$100 per project + $20/lot ($10/lot if submitted in approved electronic format)
Replatting Fee	$200 per project + $20/lot ($10/lot electronic)
Plat Review Fee (4th and each subsequent review)	$100
Plat / Subdivision Variance Request	$200 (nonrefundable)
Engineering Plan Review Fee	2% of the cost of the street and drainage improvements
Road and Bridge Inspection Fee	3% of the cost of the street and drainage improvements

Note on proposed amounts: Denton County's standalone Development Services document labeled "Proposed Fees" shows a higher, not-yet-adopted schedule (Preliminary Plat $2,500 plus $25 per lot, Variance $300, Engineering Review $3,500, and development-permit dollar amounts for Residential, Non-Residential, and Culvert permits). ZoneFee excludes those proposed figures and presents only the adopted Permit Fee Schedule and adopted Subdivision Rules amounts above. The development-permit requirement itself is documented by the county, but its dollar amount appears only on the proposed schedule and is therefore excluded as proposed-only.

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 (Water, Wastewater, Roadway)

Texas counties generally lack impact-fee authority under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395, a municipal-style power. The Denton County Permit Fee Schedule and the adopted Subdivision Rules and Regulations contain zero Chapter 395 impact-fee line items. The county's developer-side road and drainage cost recovery occurs through the plat review fees, the Engineering Plan Review Fee (2% of the cost of the street and drainage improvements), and the Road and Bridge Inspection Fee (3% of the cost of the street and drainage improvements) captured above. Closed-search outcome: this fee family does not apply to this jurisdiction, consistent with the Williamson County and Travis County Texas-county precedent.

Utility Tap Fees (Water and Wastewater Connection)

Denton County does not operate a water or wastewater utility. Service in the county is provided by cities (Denton, Lewisville, Carrollton, Flower Mound, Frisco, and others), Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs), and regional suppliers such as the Upper Trinity Regional Water District, each a separate political subdivision. The Denton County Permit Fee Schedule and Subdivision Rules contain no water or sewer connection or tap fee line items. Connection and tap fees belong on city or MUD/authority records, not the county jurisdiction record. Closed-search outcome: not administered by this jurisdiction.

Proffers

Cash proffers are a Virginia statutory framework only (Va. Code 15.2-2303). Texas jurisdictions do not use cash proffers. Denton County's developer-side capital contribution occurs through the plat review, engineering plan review, and road-and-bridge inspection fees captured above, together with standard right-of-way, drainage, and easement dedication under the County Subdivision Rules. Closed-search outcome: this fee family does not apply to this jurisdiction.

Special District Fees (MUD / PID)

Denton County contains numerous Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) and Public Improvement Districts (PIDs), each a separate political subdivision with its own developer-side fee schedule. These belong on dedicated records rather than the county jurisdiction record. The Denton County Permit Fee Schedule and Subdivision Rules do not enumerate sub-district MUD or PID rate schedules. Closed-search outcome: not administered by Denton County.

Development Permit Dollar Amounts

Denton County documents a development-permit requirement for unincorporated-area development, but the dollar amounts for Residential, Non-Residential, and Culvert development permits are published only on a standalone county document labeled "Proposed Fees" - a not-yet-adopted schedule. ZoneFee excludes those proposed amounts and presents only the adopted Permit Fee Schedule and adopted Subdivision Rules figures. If the county later adopts a consolidated development-permit schedule with an effective date, ZoneFee will capture and add it.

Fee Authorities

Authority	Fee Types	Official Website
Denton County Development Services / Fire Marshal	Construction, building, and operational permit fees, site plan fees, and Fire Marshal permit fees in unincorporated Denton County (Permit Fee Schedule)	dentoncounty.gov/224/Construction-Operational-Permits
Denton County Development Services / Engineering / Commissioners Court	Plat and subdivision review fees, plat review fees, variance requests, engineering plan review (2% of street/drainage cost), and road-and-bridge inspection (3%), adopted under the County Subdivision Rules and Regulations	dentoncounty.gov/704
In-County City Records (separate ZoneFee pages)	Incorporated cities within Denton County administer their own municipal developer-side fees - see in-county city links below	See Lewisville, TX, Carrollton, TX, Flower Mound, TX

Related Dallas-Fort Worth area records on ZoneFee: Lewisville, Carrollton, Flower Mound, and Richardson. These are incorporated cities with their own fee schedules; this page covers only county-administered fees in unincorporated Denton County. See also the Texas state directory, the ZoneFee coverage map, and the ZoneFee methodology.

Sources

Document	Agency	Accessed
Denton County Permit Fee Schedule (5-page official PDF)	Denton County, TX - Development Services / Fire Marshal	2026-06-10
Denton County Construction & Operational Permits landing page	Denton County, TX - Development Services	2026-06-10
Denton County Subdivision Rules and Regulations (adopted; attached DENTON COUNTY PLATTING FEE SCHEDULE + plat application checklist effective January 2019)	Denton County, TX - Development Services / Commissioners Court	2026-06-10
Denton County Subdivision Rules & Regulations landing page	Denton County, TX - Development Services	2026-06-10

Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-06-10. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with Denton County Development Services before relying on this data for any financial decision.

This page reflects fee data sourced from the Denton County Permit Fee Schedule (referenced as current by the live Construction & Operational Permits page) and the adopted Denton County Subdivision Rules and Regulations (attached DENTON COUNTY PLATTING FEE SCHEDULE and plat application checklist effective January 2019), published on dentoncounty.gov. The figures shown are Denton County's adopted, operative fees; a separate Development Services document labeled "Proposed Fees" shows higher not-yet-adopted amounts that ZoneFee excludes, including the development-permit dollar figures for Residential, Non-Residential, and Culvert permits. This page covers county-administered fees in unincorporated Denton County only; incorporated cities within the county - including Lewisville, Carrollton, and Flower Mound - set and administer their own development fees and have separate ZoneFee records. Denton County is not a water or sewer utility provider; tap, meter, and connection fees for water and wastewater are administered by cities, Municipal Utility Districts, and regional suppliers such as the Upper Trinity Regional Water District, each a separate political subdivision with its own developer-side schedule. Texas counties do not generally impose statutory impact fees under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395, and Texas jurisdictions do not use Virginia-style cash proffers. ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page. Verify all current rates directly with Denton County Development Services 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.