Arlington | Plats, Permits and Fees
Arlington Plats, Permits and Fees: Plat Types, Deadlines, Impact Fees and 2026 Charges
A new home on a new or changed lot in Arlington passes two City reviews. The first is the plat, the recorded map that creates the lot, under Articles 6 and 10 of the Unified Development Code (UDC). The second is the building permit. Along the way the City charges application fees, impact fees for water, sewer and roads, and park fees. This page gives the plat types, the deadlines and the amounts, with the source for each. The Arlington overview gives the short version.
Arlington plats and fees in six facts
- A plat counts as filed only when the Zoning Administrator finds it complete, and it must then be approved, approved with conditions or disapproved within the 30 days set by Local Government Code 212.009. Source: Arlington UDC, Sec. 10.4.11
- A minor plat of four or fewer lots on an existing street is approved by the Zoning Administrator, and the fee is $600 plus $45 per acre. Source: Arlington UDC, Sec. 10.4.16; Fee Schedule eff. Oct. 1, 2026
- The City must say in writing within 10 business days whether an application is complete, or it is deemed complete. Source: Arlington UDC, Sec. 10.3.5.C
- A one- or two-family home of more than 2,000 square feet pays a building permit fee of $1,375 plus $0.40 per square foot, plus a plan review fee of 35 percent of that fee. Source: Arlington Fee Schedule, Resolution No. 26-288
- The Impact Fees chapter sets collection rates of $828.13 for water and $418.00 for sewer per 5/8-inch meter equivalent, collected at the building permit. Source: Arlington Impact Fees chapter, Sec. 1.12 and Exhibit E
- Park fees, in force since May 1, 2024, total $1,532 to $1,806 per unit depending on the park benefit district. Source: City of Arlington, park fee sheet
Plat Types and Who Decides
Section 6.1.3 says "no person shall subdivide land without making and recording a plat." Section 6.1.4 adds that dividing a tract "into two or more parts" requires a plat even when done by deed. Article 10 offers several kinds:
| Type | When it applies | Who decides | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conveyance plat | Divides or sells land with no plan for immediate building | Zoning Administrator | No building permit or utility service; expires in 6 months if not recorded |
| Preliminary plat | Required before a final plat; any plat mixing platted and unplatted land | Planning and Zoning Commission | Not recorded |
| Final plat | Follows an approved preliminary plat | Planning and Zoning Commission | Each lot must meet its district minimums |
| Minor plat | Unplatted tract into 4 or fewer lots on an existing street, no new street or extension of City facilities | Zoning Administrator; a disapproval goes to the commission | No public hearing |
| Replat | Changes a recorded plat | Planning and Zoning Commission | Lots must match the block pattern; notice to owners within 200 ft for some residential replats |
| Amending plat | Purposes listed in Local Government Code 212.016, signed by the owners | Zoning Administrator | May not add lots |
| SB 15 or SB 840 plat | Small-lot, multi-family or mixed-use project under Sections 5.5.6, 5.12 or 5.13 | Zoning Administrator | Approved development plan required with the plat |
Source: Arlington UDC, Sections 10.4.11 to 10.4.18 and Table 10.2-1, PDF amended by Ordinance No. 25-059.
The City's Platting page adds working rules. "Combination Plats are no longer accepted. Preliminary plats and final plats must be submitted and processed separately." Plats are filed only through ArlingtonPermits.com, and "the applicant must schedule and attend a mandatory Plat Pre-Application Meeting (PAM) prior to submitting a plat." "Final plat approval requires approval of site plans and public improvement plans." The page also says that the City Council "adopted Ordinance No. 23-010" on "February 28, 2023," which made lot lines follow zoning boundaries; the UDC's own ordinance history lists 23-010 with an adoption date of 03/07/23. The ordinance history is the code's record, so treat March 7, 2023 as the adoption date.
Completeness and the 30-Day Clock
Every application starts with a completeness check under Section 10.3.5. "No later than 10 business days after an application is filed, the Zoning Administrator shall determine whether the application is complete." If no written determination is made in that time, "the application is deemed complete." If it is incomplete, the notice lists what is missing, and the application "expires on or after the 45th day after the date the application is filed" if the items do not arrive by the date in the notice. "An application is not considered filed until it is complete," and all fees must be paid.
For plats, Section 10.4.11 says "the plat shall be scheduled for consideration within 30 days after the date it is filed," and "plats shall be approved or disapproved within the timeframe established in Chapter 212," unless the applicant asks for a 30-day extension. Local Government Code 212.009 requires action "within 30 days after the date the plat is filed," and "a plat is approved by the municipal authority unless it is disapproved within that period." A conditional approval or a disapproval must come with a written statement of each condition or reason (Section 212.0091).
The Platting page explains how the City runs the clock. Plat applications "shall be filed during the Submittal Period as shown on the Shot-Clock Calendar," and "incomplete submittals shall not be processed, and the 30-day shot-clock shall not commence." An extension is granted "for the longest period possible, but in no case longer than 28 days," because of the commission's meeting calendar. After a disapproval, a response filed during a posted response period starts a "15-day 'shot-clock,'" and "no new application is required for a resubmittal of a disapproved plat." If the commission cannot reach a quorum, the Zoning Administrator may act on the plats instead.
Plat Fees, October 1, 2026
Section 10.3.3 says all applications "shall be accompanied by a reasonable fee as established by resolution of the City Council." The current resolution is No. 26-288, the Planning and Development Services Fee Schedule effective October 1, 2026, linked from the City's Permit Fees and Calculator page. Its plat section starts: "Filing fees will be in accordance with Tarrant County fee schedule. There is a non refundable fee of $150 for all plats."
| Application | Fee, effective October 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Non-refundable fee on all plats | $150 |
| Minor plat | $600 + $45 per acre |
| Replat with property owner notification | $625 + $45 per acre |
| Replat without property owner notification | $500 + $45 per acre |
| Preliminary plat | $600 + $45 per acre |
| Final plat | $600 + $85 per acre |
| Amended plat correcting errors | $450 |
| Conveyance plat | $450 + $45 per acre |
| Staff consultation or pre-application meeting | $200 |
| Engineering review fee | $1,000 |
| Plat extension request | $50 |
Source: City of Arlington, Planning and Development Services Fee Schedule, Resolution No. 26-288, page 17.
For a 0.4-acre lot split into two lots by minor plat, the plat fee is $618 plus the $150 non-refundable fee, by VanPlex arithmetic, before county filing fees and any engineering review. Public infrastructure work carries its own administration and inspection fees: a residential project under one acre with no water or sewer lines "shall be classified as a small project and only pays a base fee of $2,000"; other projects pay a $3,000 base plus amounts per square yard of paving and per foot of pipe.
The Building Permit
A plat comes first. Section 6.1.4 says the Zoning Administrator "shall not issue permits for any construction activity or allow any public improvements for a development until a plat is approved and filed of record." The fee schedule offers a "Concurrent Review of Building Permit (before Final Plat is fully approved)" for $2,000. For one- and two-family homes, the permit fee is based on square feet under Table 2:
| Floor area | Residential building permit fee |
|---|---|
| 0 to 500 sq ft | $1.00 per sq ft or $300.00, whichever is greater |
| Row labeled "Effective June 1, 2026" (between the 500 and 1,001 sq ft rows) | $500.00 plus $0.75 per sq ft |
| 1,001 to 2,000 sq ft | $875.00 plus $0.50 per sq ft |
| 2,001 sq ft and up | $1,375.00 plus $0.40 per sq ft |
Source: City of Arlington, Fee Schedule effective October 1, 2026, Table 2, page 4. The second row prints "Effective June 1, 2026" where a size range would stand; read it with the City before relying on it.
- Plan review. "A non-refundable plan review fee shall be assessed" on single- and two-family permits "at 35% of the building permit fee," and "a building permit application is not considered received until the plan review fee has been paid."
- Apartments. Buildings of three or more homes are commercial permits based on "the declared valuation of the proposed work" under Table 1.
- Penalty. Work without a permit costs a penalty "equal to the permit fee," on top of the permit fee.
- State deadline. Local Government Code 214.904 requires a city, by the 45th day after a permit application, to grant or deny it, send written reasons for the delay, or agree on a deadline in writing. A city that misses the deadline "may not collect any permit fees associated with the application."
Section 10.3.10 sets how long approvals last. "An individual permit or approval under this article expires if no progress is made towards completion of the project within two years after it is approved," and a project expires "if no progress is made towards completion of the project by the fifth anniversary of the date that the first permit application was filed." Progress is defined by Local Government Code 245.005, which counts, for example, filing a final plat application or posting fiscal security. The Zoning Administrator "may grant one extension of an approval period of up to 12 months for good cause," requested 30 days before the approval runs out.
Impact Fees for Water, Sewer and Roads
An impact fee is a one-time charge on new development that pays for the added water, sewer and road capacity it needs. Arlington's rules are in the Impact Fees chapter of the City Code, whose cover reads "Amended by Ordinance No. 17-002 (February 14, 2017)." The City's Impact Fees page, read October 8, 2026, still says the City "adopted a new Impact Fee Program for roadways, water, and sewer on February 14, 2017," effective July 1, 2017, and links the 2017 schedule. VanPlex found no later schedule on a City page.
| Facility | Service unit | Schedule 1, maximum | Schedule 2, collected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 5/8-inch water meter equivalent | $3,024.00 | $828.13 |
| Sewer | 5/8-inch water meter equivalent | $835.00 | $418.00 |
| Roadway, Service Area A | Vehicle mile, afternoon peak | $506.00 | $253.00 |
| Roadway, Service Areas B, C, E, F, G, H, I | Vehicle mile, afternoon peak | $714.00 to $4,572.00 | $312.50 |
| Roadway, Service Areas D and J | Vehicle mile, afternoon peak | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Source: City of Arlington, Impact Fees chapter, Exhibit E, "2016 Impact Fee Program, Schedule 1 & 2 Rates," and the City's 2017 impact fee schedule notice.
The chapter assesses the fee at Schedule 1 "at the time of final plat recordation" and collects it at Schedule 2 "at the time of issuance of the building permit" (Sections 1.11 and 1.12). "No building permit shall be issued, nor utility connection allowed, unless the applicant has paid the impact fee." For roads, the 2017 equivalency table in Exhibit D gives "Residential DU" 2.06 vehicle miles, so the road fee is $643.75 per home in Service Areas B, C and E to I and $521.18 in Service Area A, by VanPlex arithmetic. A home on one 5/8-inch meter equivalent in Service Area B would pay $828.13 water, $418.00 sewer and $643.75 roads, $1,889.88 in all, by the same arithmetic. Ask the Water Utilities Department which meter size and service units apply to a duplex.
One City document disagrees. The chapter and the 2017 notice both list water at $828.13, while a City summary sheet titled "2017 Impact Fee Program, Effective July 1, 2017" lists it at $828.00. The chapter is the adopted ordinance text, so this guide uses $828.13. Unspent fees are refunded with interest after ten years (Section 1.17). If a permit expires and no new application is filed within six months, the fee is refunded on written application, which must be made within 12 months of the expiration. Converted office, retail or warehouse buildings owe no new impact fee under UDC Section 5.12.3 unless the land already owed one.
Park Fees
Under UDC Section 6.2.2.E, parks are adequate for a subdivision when "park fees are paid," and linear park dedication is required for homes in or next to the 100-year floodplain of eight creeks and rivers, including Johnson Creek, Rush Creek and Village Creek. The City's park fee sheet, linked from its Impact Fees page, sets a revised schedule beginning May 1, 2024, by park benefit district:
- Trinity West, Trinity East, Randol Mill: $890 neighborhood fee plus $742 linear fee, $1,632 per unit.
- Six Flags, UTA, Lake Arlington, Tri-City, Johnson Station, Rush Creek: $1,064 plus $742, $1,806 per unit.
- Lynn Creek: $970 plus $742, $1,532 per unit.
A duplex in the UTA district would owe $3,612 in park fees, by VanPlex arithmetic. The UDC refers to an "Arlington Park Development Fee Ordinance" for these fees; VanPlex could not open that chapter of the City Code, so ask the Parks Department when the fee is collected.
Best For
- ✓ An unplatted tract split into four lots or fewer on an existing street, decided by staff as a minor plat.
- ✓ An applicant who files a complete plat in the posted submittal period, so the 30-day clock starts.
- ✓ A budget that adds impact and park fees per home before buying land.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ The plan files a combination preliminary and final plat, which the City no longer accepts.
- ✕ Construction is scheduled before the plat is recorded and no concurrent review was bought.
- ✕ The budget leaves out the 35 percent plan review fee due at submittal.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → The current shot-clock calendar and submittal period on the Platting page.
- → Whether the City has replaced the 2017 impact fee schedule.
- → The park benefit district for the lot and how the second row of Table 2 is read.
Where to Go Next
Related on VanPlex: the Arlington overview, how Texas zoning works, and other 2025 Texas housing laws.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Arlington take to approve a plat?
What is a minor plat in Arlington?
How much does a replat cost in Arlington?
Can I get an Arlington building permit before my plat is recorded?
What does a building permit cost for a new house in Arlington?
What are the impact fees for a new house in Arlington?
When are Arlington impact fees paid?
How much are park fees in Arlington?
How long does an Arlington approval last?
What happens if Arlington says my application is incomplete?
Official sources (checked October 2026)
Planning a multiplex in Arlington?
VanPlex builds multiplexes in British Columbia, Canada. For a lot in Arlington, our team makes a custom proforma by hand and emails it to you in 24 to 48 hours.
Get a proforma for your address