Blueprint Printing for Texas: Why Each City’s Code Edition Matters for Your Set
Texas plan sets print at $1.95 a sheet in black and white or $3.75 in color, from 18×24 to 36×48, and orders placed by 3 PM ET ship the same day to all 50 states. Texas has no statewide building department. Chapter 214 of the Local Government Code adopts the 2012 International Residential Code and 2012 International Building Code as the baseline municipal codes, then lets each city consider newer editions and adopt local amendments after a public hearing and an ordinance. In practice, the city you file in decides the code edition, the portal and the copy count.
Prices (flat, 18×24 to 36×48)
| Per sheet | |
|---|---|
| Black & white | $1.95 |
| Color | $3.75 |
Where we ship in Texas
We ship Texas sets to Houston and its suburbs, Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio, El Paso, the Rio Grande Valley and the Panhandle. City pages cover the local rules in Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, plus Plano’s permit requirements.
What Texas law says about city building codes
Texas has no single statewide building department. Chapter 214 of the Local Government Code sets minimum codes for cities and leaves the rest to each city. Quoted from Tex. Loc. Gov’t Code Chapter 214:
| Rule | What the statute says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Residential code | “the International Residential Code, as it existed on May 1, 2012, is adopted as a municipal residential building code in this state.” | Tex. Loc. Gov’t Code §214.212(a) |
| Where it applies | “The International Residential Code applies to all construction, alteration, remodeling, enlargement, and repair of residential structures in a municipality.” | §214.212(b) |
| Newer editions | “A municipality may review and consider amendments made by the International Code Council to the International Residential Code after May 1, 2012.” | §214.212(d) |
| Commercial code | “the International Building Code, as it existed on May 1, 2012, is adopted as a municipal commercial building code in this state.” | §214.216(a) |
| Local amendments | A city may not adopt a local amendment unless it “holds a public hearing on the local amendment before adopting the local amendment” and “adopts the local amendment by ordinance.” | §214.212(e), §214.216(f) |
| “Residential” | “having the character of a detached one-family or two-family dwelling or a multiple single-family dwelling that is not more than three stories high with separate means of egress” | §214.211(3) |
What that means for your order:
- The code edition is set city by city. The 2012 codes are the floor, and many large Texas cities have adopted newer editions with their own amendments. Check the code listed on your cover sheet against the city you’re filing in before you print.
- Moving a set between cities can mean revised sheets. A plan approved in one city isn’t automatically good in the next one. If the designer revises sheets, print the revised PDF and keep the old set off the job site.
- Copy counts and sizes come from each city, too. Our Texas plan submission requirements page quotes Texas cities’ own rules, and the city pages below go deeper.
- Most sets print in black and white. That’s $1.95 a sheet. Color is $3.75 for site, landscape or rendering sheets, on their own line item in the same order.
Print at 100% so the scale holds (how to check). City pages: Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio.
We print your plans on white 20 lb bond as uploaded. The city building department and your design professional decide which code edition applies and how many sets you file, so confirm with them first.
Built for Texas jobs
- Residential sets for one- and two-family homes, plus multiple single-family dwellings up to three stories, under the IRC.
- Commercial sets under the IBC, at 24×36 or 30×42.
- Job-site copies of city-approved plans, from Houston to El Paso.
- Revised sheets after a city’s review comments.
Quick cost examples (print only; shipping chosen at checkout)
| Example | Sheets | Print total | With code WELCOME20 (20% off your first order) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New single-family set, 22 sheets, B&W, 24×36 | 22 | $42.90 | $34.32 |
| Same set, 2 copies (plan review + job site) | 44 | $85.80 | $68.64 |
| Commercial finish-out, 28 sheets, B&W, 30×42 | 28 | $54.60 | $43.68 |
| Site and landscape sheets in color, 5 sheets | 5 | $18.75 | $15.00 |
Frequently asked questions
Do you have a Texas print location?
No. Texas orders are printed from your PDF and shipped to the address you enter. Orders placed by 3 PM ET ship the same day.
What building code do Texas cities use?
Texas law adopts the 2012 International Residential Code and 2012 International Building Code as the municipal codes in the state, and lets a city consider newer editions. Many cities have adopted newer ones, so check with the city you’re filing in.
Is there one Texas building permit office?
No. Under Chapter 214 of the Local Government Code, each city sets procedures to administer and enforce the code, and it can adopt local amendments only by ordinance after a public hearing.
What counts as residential under Texas law?
The statute defines it as a detached one- or two-family dwelling, or a multiple single-family dwelling not more than three stories high with separate means of egress. Commercial buildings fall under the International Building Code.
Do you print permit sets for small Texas towns too?
Yes. We ship to any Texas address at the same price per sheet. Check your town’s copy count and sheet size before you order.
Can a Texas city change the building code?
Yes, with conditions. §214.212 lets a city consider later IRC amendments, and a local amendment needs a public hearing and an ordinance before it’s adopted.
