Inside Sherman, Denison, or McKinney, yes for new construction, additions, structural work, and most electrical, plumbing, and mechanical changes, and the registered contractor doing the work normally pulls it. Sherman also permits fences, re-roofs, and water heaters. County land needs no house permit, but septic and floodplain permits apply.
More detail
Permit rules are set by the city, or by the county outside city limits, and in this corridor they differ more than most people expect. Inside Sherman, the city's published list of required permits covers new homes and commercial buildings, residential additions and remodels that involve new framing, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work, any electrical replacement or addition from outlets to panels, water heater replacements, HVAC equipment and ductwork, irrigation, pools that need a pump, accessory buildings over 100 square feet or on a permanent foundation, every re-roof, every new fence, and a demolition permit for interior demolition during a remodel. Painting and new floor coverings need no permit. Denison and McKinney have adopted the 2024 ICC codes and run their own online portals, and Denison lets a homeowner pull a permit only on a homesteaded house. Unincorporated Grayson County does not require building permits for single-family homes, but its Development Services office issues the 911 address and driveway certificate, the septic permit, and floodplain permits, and the county fire marshal permits commercial buildings; Collin County issues development permits for any ground disturbance and requires third-party inspections on new homes. State-licensed electricians and plumbers are required everywhere, permit or not. On who pulls it: the contractor performing the work should pull the permit in its own name, which puts that contractor on the hook for passing inspection. Sherman accepts permits from an owner, an owner acting as builder, or a city-registered contractor, and on residential remodels the trade subcontractors pull their own permits. When a contractor asks you to pull the permit as the owner, ask why, because the inspections and the liability then become yours. Unpermitted work tends to surface at resale or after an insurance claim, when retroactive permitting can mean opening finished walls. The Sherman and Grayson County permit guide maps every office, and the kitchen remodel permit, retaining wall permit, and fence permit FAQs cover the common cases.