Guide
Permits for foundation repair in New Braunfels
Inside the city limits, foundation repair is permitted work. The contractor normally handles the application, but it is your house and your record, so it helps to know what the city asks for.
When a permit is needed
The city's building permits page says a permit is required any time a homeowner or general contractor intends to construct, enlarge, alter or repair a building. Repainting, landscaping and small cosmetic changes are exempt. Structural work on a foundation is not cosmetic.
Applications go through the city's online permit portal. The permit desk answers on (830) 221-4041, option 1, and at development@newbraunfels.gov. The office is at 550 Landa Street.
What the city's checklists ask for
- A foundation plan
- The residential remodel or alteration checklist lists a foundation plan complying with chapter 4 of the 2021 International Residential Code whenever foundation repair is included in the scope of work.
- An engineer's seal in some cases
- The residential addition checklist requires an engineered foundation plan sealed by a Texas-licensed engineer when an addition is over 500 square feet or requires a foundation repair.
- A written scope of work
- A detailed description of what will be done is a required document on the remodel checklist.
- Registered contractors
- Both checklists state that all contractors, including the general contractor, must be registered with the City of New Braunfels.
- Floodplain form
- For a property in the floodplain, a floodplain application form goes in with the permit application.
The checklists don't describe what the city wants at the end of a foundation repair, such as an engineer's completion letter. Ask the permit desk or the company's engineer what will be needed to close the permit on your job.
Who applies
In practice the foundation repair company applies, since it is the registered contractor and has the plan. Ask the company to confirm in the contract that it will obtain the permit, and ask for the permit number once it is issued.
The city does let owners act for themselves on a home they own and live in as their homestead, provided they are not remodelling it to sell within the next twelve months. An owner applying this way submits a Homestead Verification Form and a Homeowner as General Contractor Form, both on the city's forms page. For foundation work, where a contractor is doing the lifting, the contractor's permit is the normal route.
Papers to keep afterwards
A repaired foundation has to be disclosed when the house is sold. A complete file turns that from a worry into a selling point.
- The permit and the record of its final approval.
- The foundation plan and any engineer's report or letter.
- The contract, with the drawing of pier locations.
- Elevation readings from before and after the work.
- The warranty, and the terms for transferring it.
What a seller must disclose is set out in buying or selling a house with a foundation problem.
Outside the city limits
These rules are the City of New Braunfels'. A house with a New Braunfels mailing address can lie outside the city limits, and neighbouring cities run their own permit offices with their own forms. The pages for Seguin, Cibolo and Bulverde give each city's contact point. If you are unsure which applies, the permit desk can tell you from your address.
When you are ready
Pages can narrow it down. A level and a floor plan settle it.
Whichever side of the escarpment your house stands on, the answer comes from numbers taken on the spot. The firm that makes the visit then sets down on paper what it measured and what a repair would run to.
Sudden shifting, the smell of gas, or a wall that seems about to come down is a different matter: clear the house first, then dial 911 or your gas provider.
Have your New Braunfels house measured
Ring the number and describe the crack, door or floor that worries you. Whoever answers works for a foundation repair firm near New Braunfels, a separate and independent business, and can book a day to inspect.
Call (830) 879-9995Your call may be recorded. The referral disclosure explains who is paid.