Austin construction inspections: the card, the conference and the reinspection fee

Last verified August 7, 2026 against the Austin Land Development Code · Kimbrough Gray · KiliGray Homes

Work may not begin under a permit until an inspection record card is posted on site. A preconstruction conference is required before construction, inspections are requested through a central dispatcher with up to 48 hours notice, and reinspection fees can be charged for administrative failures as well as unfinished work.

Applies to: Development occurring under an approved subdivision construction plan or site plan in the planning jurisdiction.

No card on the fence, no work

The single most consequential sentence in this article:

What the code says

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Austin Land Development Code

Posted, not merely issued. Holding the card in the site office is not compliance — it has to be up, in a readily accessible location, and it stays up until the accountable official is satisfied that every City requirement has been met.

The inspector notes each inspection on it, so the card is also the running record of where the job stands.

The preconstruction conference

Before construction begins the owner — or their representative — must participate in a preconstruction conference with the accountable officials.

The trigger for scheduling it is worth knowing: you request it when you pay the inspection fee. That ties the conference to a step you are already taking, and it means the fee payment is effectively the start of the inspection relationship rather than a formality.

The director may waive it, but waiver is the exception.

How inspections get requested

All contact runs through a central dispatcher, who coordinates between permittee and inspector. You contact the dispatcher; you do not contact the inspector directly.

The accountable official may require requests 48 hours ahead of the desired date, and may specify how the request is made. On a program with sequenced trades that two-day lead is the number to plan around.

The erosion and tree protection inspection is different

§25-1-288 sets up an inspection unlike the others, and it carries obligations before and during.

You request it after installing the erosion and sedimentation controls and tree protection measures. Then three people must attend: the owner, the consulting engineer and the contractor.

And during it the owner must do two things — demonstrate the controls comply with the Environmental Criteria Manual, and present a plan covering future erosion and sedimentation controls, drainage, and utility and street layout.

That is a working meeting about the rest of the job, not a tick-box visit. Turning up without the forward plan is a wasted inspection.

Three of the reinspection fee triggers are paperwork. §25-1-289 lets the director charge if, when the inspector arrives, you have not finished the work, have not completed previously required corrections, have not posted the record card, or do not make the approved plans readily available to the inspector. Only the first is about building. The rest are avoidable at no cost.

What actually causes reinspection fees

In our experience it is rarely failed work. It is the inspector arriving to find the card missing, the approved plans locked in someone's van, or a correction from the previous visit not yet done. Each of those is a fee and a lost slot, and each is free to prevent.

Keep the stamped plans on site and accessible, keep the card up from day one, and close out prior corrections before requesting the next inspection. That covers three of the enumerated triggers without any change to how you build.

And treat the erosion and tree protection inspection as a design review. Three parties have to attend and a forward plan has to be presented — it is the point at which the erosion control strategy for the whole job gets tested.

Common questions

When can I start work under an Austin permit?

Not until an inspection record card is posted on the site in a readily accessible location. Holding it is not enough — it has to be posted.

Is a preconstruction conference required in Austin?

Yes, for development under an approved subdivision construction plan or site plan. You request it when you pay the inspection fee, and the director may waive it.

How much notice does Austin need for an inspection?

The accountable official may require the request 48 hours before the desired date, made through the central dispatcher in the manner specified.

Who has to attend the erosion control inspection in Austin?

The owner, the consulting engineer and the contractor. The owner must also demonstrate compliance with the Environmental Criteria Manual and present a forward plan covering future controls, drainage and utility and street layout.

What triggers a reinspection fee in Austin?

Unfinished work, uncompleted prior corrections, no posted record card, or approved plans not readily available to the inspector — among other grounds.

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We do this research ourselves on every project we take on — zoning, floodplain, watershed, trees, whether it is a legal lot. Send us an address and we will run it and tell you what we find. It works the same whether you own a vacant lot, a house you are thinking of adding a unit to, or a house you are thinking of replacing. No charge and no strings, and if it is a bad lot we will say so.

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We are homebuilders, not the City of Austin. This page explains how we read the code in practice — it is not legal advice and it is not an official determination. Always confirm with Austin Development Services before you rely on it for a project. The authoritative text is the Austin Land Development Code; permitting questions go to Austin Development Services Department.