The City of Dallas said it cut turnaround times for residential building permits from 68 days in 2022 to eight days last year.
DALLAS — The wait for a building permit in Dallas has decreased — in some categories by as much as 50% — as the city boasts efficiency improvements in the beleaguered development office.
The median wait time for a commercial new construction permit is down 32%, from 276 days in 2023 to 189 days in 2024, according to a presentation from city officials delivered to councilmembers Wednesday.
According to previous city memos, new commercial builds historically took more than 300 days to build.
The median wait time for a new residential permit also declined, from 68 days in 2022 to eight days in 2024.
“The progress over the last three years is remarkable,” said Dallas Chief Building Offical Sam Eskander.
Eskander credited the progress in part to a new analysis of the permitting process, the closeout of “stale” permit applications and a city “strike team.”
“The permitting office is the heart and the engine for the city of Dallas,” said Councilmember Chad West, following the presentation from Eskander and other leaders in the Planning and Development Department.
“The permitting office and the zoning department should be the major league of baseball for the city, and I feel like part of that major league team is sitting up here today,” West said. “And I would not have said that a few years ago.”
The permitting office has faced significant challenges in recent years besides the lengthy delays in permit turnaround times.
In 2024, the city faced ridicule after it moved a building permit office out of a newly purchased building along the Stemmons Freeway because the building did not have the proper permits.
Dallas permitting became embroiled in a controversy in the Elm Thicket/Northpark neighborhood last year after it mistakenly allowed the construction of homes that did not comply with updated zoning restrictions.
The newly improved turnaround times show “a new day when it comes to permitting in the city of Dallas,” said Councilmember Gay Donnell Willis on Monday.
Builders who dealt with the long delays said they have noticed improvements as well.
“I think they’re fixing it,” said Alan Hoffman, who said he waited seven months for a permit for one home in a community he built on the city’s east side. “Compared to how it was a few years ago, we are night and day. We are much better.”
Issues remain, however. The city said it cannot hire enough plumbing inspectors and currently has fewer than a third of a full staff.
In Fort Worth, officials said its median time for permit approval for commercial new builds is 32 days and 12 days for residential, though a spokesperson warned the difference in rules, ordinances and procedures between the two cities makes a direct comparison difficult.
“I think there is more progress to be made, certainly,” Hoffman said. “I feel like the city right now is on the right track.”