PERMIT REQUIREMENTS IN ROUND ROCK, CEDAR PARK & GEORGETOWN TX
Contractors working north of Austin don't just deal with Austin BDS. Round Rock, Cedar Park, and Georgetown each run their own permitting departments — different portals, different timelines, different requirements.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR CONTRACTORS
If you're doing any volume of residential or commercial work in the Austin metro, you're almost certainly pulling permits from multiple jurisdictions. Round Rock is Williamson County's largest city. Cedar Park and Georgetown are growing fast — both in the top 20 fastest-growing cities in the US over the past decade.
The mistake contractors make is assuming these cities work like Austin. They don't. Each one has its own permit portal, its own fee schedule, and its own quirks. What gets you an approval in 2 weeks in Round Rock might take 5 weeks in Georgetown for the exact same project type.
Here's a breakdown of each.
ROUND ROCK BUILDING PERMITS
Round Rock Building and Development Services is at roundrocktexas.gov/permits. They use a permitting system called CSS (Citizen Self-Service) for online submissions and status lookups.
Round Rock's process is reasonably organized. Applications go in online, reviewers are assigned within a few business days, and the portal shows you exactly where in the review queue your permit sits.
Current review times as of early 2026:
- →Residential new construction: 3–5 weeks
- →Commercial new construction: 5–8 weeks
- →Residential additions and remodels: 2–4 weeks
- →Trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical): 3–7 business days
One thing to know about Round Rock: they're strict on plan completeness at intake. Incomplete submittals get kicked back without being assigned to a reviewer, which resets your clock. Make sure your submittal checklist is complete before you hit submit.
CEDAR PARK BUILDING PERMITS
Cedar Park uses the Energov/Tyler Technologies platform for permit applications. You'll find it through cedarparktexas.gov/permits. Online applications have been the primary channel since 2022.
Cedar Park tends to run a little faster than Round Rock for residential work, but they're busier than they used to be. The city added roughly 15,000 residents between 2020 and 2025 — that growth shows up directly in permit volume.
Current Cedar Park review estimates:
- →Residential new construction: 3–4 weeks
- →Commercial permits: 4–7 weeks
- →Residential alterations: 1–3 weeks
- →Standalone trade permits: 3–5 business days
Cedar Park does have a pre-application meeting process for larger commercial projects. If you're doing anything over 10,000 sq ft, schedule that meeting first — it catches issues before you go through the full review cycle.
GEORGETOWN BUILDING PERMITS
Georgetown is the one that surprises contractors the most. It's a mid-sized city — about 90,000 people — but it's been absorbing a massive amount of new development. Both the Georgetown downtown historic area and the newer master-planned subdivisions to the east get a lot of permit activity.
Georgetown uses their own permitting platform accessible through georgetown.org/permits. Online applications are accepted for most permit types.
What makes Georgetown different is the Historic District overlay. Any work within the Georgetown Main Street Historic District goes through an additional layer of review — the Georgetown Historic and Architectural Review Commission (HARC). If your project involves the exterior of a building downtown, add 3–6 weeks to your estimate.
Standard Georgetown review times outside the historic district:
- →Residential new construction: 4–6 weeks
- →Commercial: 6–10 weeks (Georgetown reviews are thorough)
- →Residential alterations and additions: 2–4 weeks
- →Trade permits: 5–10 business days
HOW THE PORTALS COMPARE
None of these portals send proactive status notifications. You have to log in and check. If you're managing multiple active permits across Round Rock, Cedar Park, and Georgetown simultaneously — plus Austin — that's 20–30 minutes of portal checking every morning.
WHAT ALL THREE CITIES REQUIRE IN COMMON
Despite their differences, Round Rock, Cedar Park, and Georgetown share most of the same base requirements for permit applications:
- →Completed permit application with property owner information
- →Construction drawings: site plan, floor plans, elevations
- →Energy code compliance (IECC 2021 is current for Texas)
- →Contractor license and insurance documentation
- →Project valuation for fee calculation
- →HOA approval letter if applicable (not required by city, but common)
Texas adopted IECC 2021 as its energy code in 2023. Make sure your plans reference the current code — older plans referencing IECC 2015 will get kicked back by reviewers in all three cities.
WANT PERMIT MONITORING IN YOUR CITY?
ClearedNo currently monitors City of Austin permits. We're adding Round Rock, Cedar Park, and Georgetown based on demand. Request your city — we're adding coverage weekly.