Window Replacement in Dallas-Fort Worth: Prices per Window, Glass Ratings by County and City Permit Rules

What window replacement costs in Dallas-Fort Worth

We price windows for the metro with a construction cost factor of 0.84, the figure the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publishes for Fort Worth (the national average is 1.00). A window job priced at $1,000 in a typical U.S. market comes to about $840 in North Texas.

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

Angi's local numbers land close to ours. Angi puts the average window replacement job in Dallas at $5,255 and the average cost per window at $550, and says 8 to 12 windows usually cost $3,700 to $7,500 (Angi). Our typical DFW price for one vinyl window is about $545.

The table assumes an insert (pocket) window set into the old frame. These choices change a North Texas quote:

• Full-frame replacement. Taking the old frame out down to the studs adds about 30% in our cost estimator, so a typical $545 vinyl window becomes about $710.
• Second-story openings. The cost estimator adds 10% for a second floor, about $600 for the same window.
• Glass upgrades. Triple pane adds about 18%, or roughly $645 a window. Impact-rated glass adds 55%, about $845.
• Trim. New trim costs $34 to $100 a window here. Check whether the bid includes it.
• Bay windows. A vinyl bay window costs $940 to $3,250, about 3.2 times a standard vinyl window in our cost estimator.

Price your own job below or in the full window cost estimator. Both use the rate for your ZIP code. Our window replacement cost guide has national prices and compares window styles.

Do new windows pay off at resale in Dallas?

Partly. The 2025 Cost vs. Value report priced a vinyl window replacement in Dallas at $19,758 and estimated that it adds $12,729 to the sale price, which recoups 64.4% of the cost. Nationally the same project recoups 75.5%. The wood version cost $24,495 in Dallas and recouped 68.4% (Cost vs. Value 2025, Dallas).

The report's project goes beyond a basic swap. It covers ten 3-by-5-foot double-hung windows with low-E glass, simulated divided lights, a custom exterior color and new exterior trim (project scope).

Don't count on a federal tax credit. The credit that once covered energy-efficient windows does not apply to windows placed in service after December 31, 2025 (IRS).

Frames for North Texas houses

At typical prices, fiberglass costs about 70% more than vinyl. Our vinyl windows guide covers lifespan and colors, and the fiberglass windows guide explains what the higher price buys. About 5% of homes in Dallas and in Fort Worth were built before 1940; on those houses, compare wood windows that keep the original look. If you want slim metal frames, read our aluminum windows guide on thermal breaks before you order.

Glass ratings for a cooling climate

DFW needs far more cooling than heating. The airport averages 2,825 cooling degree days a year against 2,218 heating degree days, and about 20 days a year reach 100°F. In 2011 there were 71 of them (NWS Fort Worth, NWS).

Two numbers on the NFRC label show how a window copes with that:

• SHGC measures how much of the sun's heat comes through the glass. A lower number keeps rooms cooler.
• U-factor measures how fast heat passes through the whole window. A lower number insulates better.

Energy code values by city

The energy code sets the ceiling for both numbers. Under the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, a replacement window, sash or glazing must meet the U-factor and SHGC for its climate zone, and when several windows go in, the installer may average the ratings by area (2021 IECC R503.1.1.1). That code puts Dallas and Tarrant counties in climate zone 2 and Collin and Denton counties in zone 3. Each city chooses its edition and amendments:

Sources: Dallas IECC amendments, Plano energy sheet, City of Denton, Fort Worth codes, 2015 IECC.

All five rows cap SHGC at 0.25. In any other city, ask which edition the building department enforces. The state minimum for houses is the 2015 code (Texas SECO).

ENERGY STAR zones split the metro

ENERGY STAR assigns window zones by ZIP code, and its list runs the line through DFW. Every Dallas County and Tarrant County ZIP code is in the Southern zone, where a certified window needs a U-factor of 0.32 or lower and an SHGC of 0.23 or lower. ZIP codes in Collin and Denton counties, which cover Plano, McKinney, Frisco and Denton, are South-Central: a U-factor of 0.28 or lower with the same SHGC. Two City of Dallas ZIP codes, 75252 and 75287, fall on the South-Central side because ENERGY STAR files them under Collin and Denton counties (ENERGY STAR zone list, Version 7.0 criteria).

A window certified for South-Central also meets the Southern numbers, so it qualifies anywhere in the metro. Check that the sticker on each unit shows your zone. Our energy-efficient windows guide explains how to read it.

Do you need a permit? It depends on the city

Dallas

Chapter 52 of the Dallas City Code puts window replacement on its list of work that needs no permit. For a house or duplex, three conditions apply: the new window matches the old one's size, required type and thickness; neither the wall framing nor the window frame changes; and the old glass is not part of fire-rated construction (Dallas Chapter 52, Section 301.2.1). Storm windows and screens need no permit either. Enlarging an opening or cutting a new one changes the framing, so it does need a permit. The city's fee guide lists a base fee of $181 per dwelling unit for a house alteration, plus a $15 technology fee per document (Dallas fee guide).

Even without a permit, order glass that meets the Dallas values in the energy table above.

Historic and conservation districts add a step. In a City of Dallas historic district, exterior work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness before it starts, and in a conservation district a work review form confirms the work fits the district ordinance (City of Dallas). New windows are exterior work, so get the approval before you place the order.

Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Frisco and Denton

Fort Worth requires a building permit for the replacement or addition of exterior doors, windows or burglar bars, pulled by a registered contractor or by a homeowner who qualifies for a homestead permit (City of Fort Worth). Arlington needs a permit and its door and window worksheet before windows or exterior doors are replaced (City of Arlington). For window replacement in Plano, the city's permit handout lists remodeling that adds or replaces walls or windows among the projects that need a permit (City of Plano). Frisco's fee schedule, effective October 1, 2026, charges $75 for a window or door replacement permit, plus $25 for each additional element, up to $150 (City of Frisco).

Denton spells out the paperwork. A like-for-like application gives the number of windows, a floor plan or list with each window's location and size, and the U-factor and SHGC, which must be 0.32 or lower and 0.25 or lower. The city then inspects framing where it applies and does a final window and door inspection (City of Denton).

Hail damage, insurance and door-to-door sales

Hailstorms are frequent here. The Insurance Council of Texas told lawmakers that Texas recorded 1,123 hail events in 2023, more than any other state, and that DFW's June 2023 storms produced $7 billion to $10 billion of insured losses, 95% of it from hail (Texas House handout). After a storm, check the glass, screens and frames on the side of the house that faced it, and take photos before anything is repaired.

When insurance pays for new windows, the deductible stays yours under Texas law. A contractor may not offer to waive, rebate or absorb it, and a contract of $1,000 or more paid through an insurance settlement must include a notice that you owe the deductible (Texas Department of Insurance). Report a waiver offer to the Texas Attorney General at 800-621-0508.

If a window salesperson signs you up in your home, Texas generally gives you three business days to cancel, and the seller has to tell you so in writing (Texas Attorney General). Use those days to get a second bid. If the same storm hit your roof, our Dallas roofing guide covers the shingle side of the claim.

Escape windows, safety glass and fall protection

Dallas builds houses to the 2021 International Residential Code with local amendments, and Fort Worth and Plano also work from the 2021 residential code. These model code sections shape most window orders (2021 IRC, Chapter 3).

Bedroom escape windows

Each bedroom needs an emergency escape opening with at least 5.7 square feet of net clear opening (5 square feet on the ground floor), at least 24 inches high and 20 inches wide, and a bottom edge no more than 44 inches above the floor. A replacement window is exempt from those minimums if it is the largest standard size the maker offers for the existing frame or rough opening and it opens the same way or wider. For a small bedroom, ask the installer to compare the clear opening of a casement and a slider.

Where tempered glass is required

Large, low panes need safety glass. The code flags a pane over 9 square feet when its bottom edge sits less than 18 inches above the floor, its top edge is more than 36 inches up, and a walking surface lies within 36 inches. Glass near tubs and showers needs it too when its bottom edge is less than 60 inches above the standing surface. Ask the installer to flag those panes on the order sheet.

Upper-floor windows

The code also guards against falls from second floors. When an operable window's opening starts less than 24 inches above the floor and the ground outside is more than 72 inches below it, the window must either open no wider than a 4-inch sphere can pass or carry an opening control or fall prevention device that meets ASTM F2090. On an escape window, that device must release so the window opens to the full escape size.

Window locks and security bars in Dallas

Dallas adds a building security chapter to its residential code. Openable windows and sliding glass doors need a primary lock or sash operator plus either a secondary lock that keeps them from being lifted or pried open (a pin, dowel, screw or keyed lock) or approved bars or grilles. Bars on a bedroom escape window are allowed only with an inside release that needs no key or special knowledge, and the house must have smoke alarms (Dallas residential code amendments). In Fort Worth, adding burglar bars takes a building permit. For entry and patio doors, see our Dallas door installation guide.

Lead-safe work in older Dallas and Irving homes

Housing age splits the metro. In the Census Bureau's 2024 survey, 46.1% of homes in the City of Dallas were built before 1980, and the median home dates from 1983. Irving is at 34.3% and Fort Worth at 31.5%, while Frisco is at 2.7% (Census Reporter, ACS 2024).

In a home built before 1978, the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires a certified firm and lead-safe work practices for any paid window replacement, and its minor repair exemption does not apply to that work. The firm must hand you the Renovate Right pamphlet before it starts (EPA). You can look up certified firms with EPA's search tool. Our Dallas painting guide covers the lead rules for trim and siding.

Timing around storms and heat

Thunderstorms peak in May at DFW Airport, and 100°F days usually fall between early July and late August (NWS Fort Worth, NWS). Fall avoids both. If you schedule in spring, ask how the crew will cover open walls if a storm moves in. Add permit review time where your city needs a permit, and the Certificate of Appropriateness in a Dallas historic district.

Areas we cover

GOLDGCP window installers work across the Dallas-Fort Worth metro:

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

Type your ZIP code to see window prices for your neighborhood and to be matched with installers who work there.