Navigating Texas House Bill 14: Streamlining Permit Approval Processes for Developers

People have been asking us about Texas House Bill 14 recently - a new bill effective as of September 1, 2023, that allows developers to hire a third party licensed engineer to review plans for conformance to city standards on the 16th day after the maximum allowed time a municipality has to approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove a permit or plans. The timeframe depends on the type of application/review but can range from 45 to 60 days in accordance with the Texas Local Government Code.

For most cities, this should not be an issue, and my hope is that everyone's projects are reviewed well before then.

My main advice, based on my time seeing thousands of plans come through the City of Dallas, is threefold:

1. Take advantage of pre-development or pre-application meetings that the city offers to be well aware of the requirements - most want to help you be prepared because it makes their job easier if you follow the standards. It also reduces the chance of surprises that may lead to the back and forth of a requirement due to after-the-fact budgetary constraints.

2. Hire a quality firm that understands the standards and will provide a quality design and quality submittal (this is where some falter) that makes it easier for Cities to review and approve. Some firms will work against the cities rather than with them - which could also drag out the approval process.

3. Remember that your third-party must certify that it is in compliance to all city standards. You should be selective in the P.E. (not just the firm) that will be doing the review and ensure they have the experience and knowledge of that specific municipality’s standards.

Should the need arise, LMA Engineering is committed to providing quality third-party reviews as well as design/submittals (to avoid the need for a third-party review). Having been on the developer, City, and design side - we are uniquely equipped to bridge gaps to make your project a success.

Here is a link to the HB14 for the complete language of the bill.