Hiring a General Contractor in Dallas-Fort Worth: Remodel Costs, City Permits and Texas Lien Rules

What a remodel costs in Dallas-Fort Worth

The ranges below apply the Fort Worth construction cost factor of 0.84 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to national cost data. Building in North Texas costs less than the national average, and the gap shows on large jobs.

Estimates for 2026, including labor and standard parts. Dallas–Fort Worth prices use the metro's construction cost factor of 0.84 (US average = 1.00) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Area Cost Factors. Your quote depends on access, materials and the condition of the home.

The age of the house moves the budget. In the City of Dallas, 46.1% of homes were built before 1980 and the median house dates from 1983. Frisco's median home was built in 2010 and McKinney's in 2007 (Census Reporter, ACS 2024). An older house is more likely to need wiring, plumbing and insulation work behind the walls, which pushes a job toward the standard or gut rows of the table.

Price the kitchen, bath or roof pieces with our calculators, or use the kitchen calculator for the biggest single room. National figures are in our home remodeling cost guide.

Additions by the square foot

Dallas lots are roomy for a big city. Angi puts the average Dallas lot at 0.22 acres and the average home at about 1,950 square feet, so most owners can build out instead of up (Angi). That matters for the budget:

Angi's Dallas average for a home addition is $37,582, and most owners pay between $21,566 and $57,662. Angi notes that adding a bathroom costs more than adding a bedroom because of the extra plumbing and electrical work. Angi also warns that more square footage means a higher homeowners insurance premium, so call your agent before you build.

What the general contractor's share pays for

HomeGuide reports that general contractors typically charge 10% to 20% of the construction cost on larger projects (HomeGuide). That share covers scheduling the trades, buying materials, pulling permits, meeting inspectors, keeping the site safe and fixing problems along the way. Ask each bidder to show it as its own line so you can compare bids fairly.

What a general contractor does, and who can be one in Texas

A general contractor signs one contract with you and hires or manages everyone else: framers, drywall crews, tile setters, painters, and the licensed trades. On a remodel with walls moving, new wiring and new plumbing, that coordination is most of the job.

Texas does not license general contractors, remodelers or handymen. The one state agency that registered home builders, the Texas Residential Construction Commission, was abolished effective September 1, 2010 (Texas State Library). What remains:

• City registration. Dallas requires a registered contractor on every permit application, and its general contractor registration also covers roofing, fence, foundation, demolition and pool contractors (City of Dallas form). Fort Worth requires a contractor registration, $168.75 a year, for building, plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits (City of Fort Worth).
• State trade licenses. Electricians and A/C contractors are licensed by TDLR and plumbers by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. The City of Dallas notes that plumbing and mechanical contractors need their state license even when the work needs no permit (City of Dallas FAQ).
• No architect requirement for a house. Texas lets a non-architect prepare plans for a privately owned single-family or two-family home (Occupations Code 1051.606).

So when you hire a GC in Texas, check that their own city registration is current and that the electricians, plumbers and HVAC techs on your job hold state licenses. Our Dallas electrician guide and Dallas plumbing guide explain those licenses.

Do you need a permit?

Most remodels beyond paint and finishes need one. Here is how the larger cities draw the line.

Sources: City of Dallas FAQ, City of Arlington, Arlington exempt work.

Even when the Dallas building permit is not needed, trade work inside the remodel still needs its own plumbing, electrical or mechanical permit.

Dallas fees

The Dallas fee guide in effect since July 1, 2025 lists a base fee of $181 per dwelling unit for alterations and repairs to a house, plus $100 for each additional trade, and a $15 technology fee per document (Dallas fee guide). A remodel that touches building, electrical and plumbing would carry the base fee and two added trades. Starting work without a permit brings an investigation fee of $100 an hour per trade.

Dallas builds to the 2021 international codes with local amendments, in force since May 12, 2023, including the 2021 residential and energy codes (City of Dallas).

Historic and conservation districts

Dallas has two kinds of protected neighborhoods. In a historic district, exterior work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness before it begins. Conservation districts have their own ordinances and a work review form that confirms the project fits the district's standards. Ask your contractor to check the zoning map before the design is final, because a window or porch change that is routine elsewhere may need review here.

Doing it yourself

A Dallas homeowner can act as their own contractor on their homestead with no paid help for interior remodeling, fences, patio covers and similar work, but the homeowner permit does not cover additions, new homes, pools or permanent detached accessory buildings (City of Dallas). Those need a registered contractor. Fort Worth and Plano also exempt homesteading owners from contractor registration.

Additions, ADUs and small multifamily

Adding a second unit in Dallas

Most Dallas single-family lots allow only one dwelling unit. A 2025 Board of Adjustment case shows the path for a second unit, such as a cottage for aging parents: the owner applied for a special exception to the single-family use regulations, because the zoning limits the lot to one dwelling (Dallas Board of Adjustment record). The Board decides after a public hearing, so talk to the city's zoning staff before paying for full drawings. Our ADU design guide covers layout and size choices.

Two to eight units under the house code

On April 23, 2025, the Dallas City Council turned its One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code into a One- to Eight-Family Dwelling Code. Buildings with up to eight units can now be built under residential codes instead of the commercial building code, without any change to zoning (City of Dallas). Zoning still decides how many units a lot may hold. The city says the old rule treated a fourplex like a large apartment building and drove up the cost of small projects.

Foundation work that comes with a remodel

North Texas clay is a remodeling issue as much as a plumbing one. Houston Black clay, the state soil, covers about 1.5 million acres across 33 Blackland Prairie counties. It is rich in smectite, which swells when wet and shrinks when dry, opening cracks more than 4 inches wide in dry weather (Soil Science Society of America). Almost all new houses in the region sit on slabs; in 2024, 97.9% of new single-family homes started in the Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas census division were built on slabs (NAHB).

For a remodel, that means:

• Have the foundation evaluated before new cabinets, tile and drywall go in.
• If the slab needs leveling, do it first. Dallas issues foundation repair permits at its district offices, and foundation contractors register with the city under the general contractor registration.
• Keep the soil moisture steady. Fort Worth's watering rules allow drip irrigation at any time to protect foundations (City of Fort Worth).
• An addition ties a new foundation to an old one. Ask how the designer handles the joint between them.

Contracts and payments under Texas law

Texas protects remodeling clients mainly through lien law. Subcontractors and suppliers who are not paid can claim a lien on your house even if you paid your contractor, so the Property Code gives you tools to prevent that (Texas Property Code ch. 53):

1. Disclosure statement. Before you sign a residential construction contract, the contractor must give you a written statement explaining your rights and duties under lien law.
2. The 10% reserve. That statement tells you to hold back 10% of the amounts paid during construction and for 30 days after the work is finished. If you skip it and a valid claim comes in, you can be personally liable up to the amount you should have held.
3. A list of subcontractors and suppliers. The contractor must give you one before work starts and update it within 15 days of any change, unless you waive it in writing.
4. A disbursement statement with each payment request, naming the subcontractors the contractor plans to pay from that money.
5. A final bills-paid affidavit at final payment, stating everyone has been paid or listing who is still owed.

Two homestead rules also apply. For a contractor to hold a lien on your homestead, the written contract has to be signed before any work starts, and by both spouses if you are married (Section 53.254). And a home improvement contract on a homestead must carry a warning in bold type that you could lose ownership rights if you do not meet its terms, plus any arbitration clause in the same bold type (Texas Property Code 41.007). Read those parts with care.

If something goes wrong after the job, Texas's Residential Construction Liability Act requires you to send the contractor written notice by certified mail at least 60 days before suing over a defect, and the contractor may offer to repair (Texas Property Code ch. 27). If a salesperson signed you up at your home, you generally have three business days to cancel in writing (Texas Attorney General).

Milestone payments fit these rules: you pay for each stage after you approve it, and you can keep the 10% reserve until the 30 days have passed. Read how milestone payments work.

Areas we cover

GOLDGCP general contractors work across Dallas-Fort Worth:

• Dallas
• Fort Worth
• Plano
• Arlington
• Irving
• Frisco
• McKinney
• Denton

Enter your ZIP code to see remodeling prices for your area and get matched with contractors who work there.