Do I need a permit, and who is supposed to pull it?

More detail

Permit requirements are set by the city or county rather than the state, and they differ across Grayson, Collin, Fannin, and Cooke counties and across the Oklahoma side of this market in Bryan County. The general shape is consistent even where the details are not. Usually required: additions and anything that changes the footprint, structural changes including removing or altering a load-bearing wall, new or altered electrical circuits, plumbing changes beyond a fixture swap, HVAC replacement or new ductwork, roof replacement in most jurisdictions, decks above a threshold height, fences above a threshold height, pools, and driveway approaches where the work meets a public road. Usually not required: paint, flooring, cabinet replacement in the same footprint, countertops, and like-for-like fixture swaps. On who pulls it. The contractor performing the work should pull the permit in their name. That puts them on the hook for passing inspection and for the work meeting code. When a contractor asks the homeowner to pull it as an owner-builder, the liability shifts to you, the inspections become your responsibility, and in many jurisdictions the owner-builder route carries a declaration that you are performing the work yourself. That request is often a sign the contractor cannot pull permits in that jurisdiction, and it is worth asking directly why. What unpermitted work costs later. It surfaces at resale, where an appraiser or inspector notes finished square footage that does not appear on the tax record, and buyers discount or demand retroactive permitting. Insurers can deny claims on damage traced to unpermitted work. And retroactive permitting sometimes requires opening finished walls for inspection. Permit requirements are set by the city the property sits in, or by the county for unincorporated areas, so confirm with that office before design.