Hiring local businesses in Dallas

The City of Dallas Development Services issues residential building permits, and every application goes through DallasNow. A contractor who pulls a permit here must be registered with the city, and the city's general contractor category takes in residential builders, roofers, fence, foundation, demolition and pool contractors. Ask for the permit number before work starts and look it up on DallasNow yourself.

You can pull a homeowner's permit for your own homestead without registering, but only if nobody is paid to help with any part of the job.

Dallas floodplain and tree rules

Fill, a new structure, excavation or any other development in the 100-year floodplain needs a City of Dallas floodplain fill permit, handled by the Floodplain Management team at Dallas Water Utilities. Check your address on FEMA's flood map first. Dallas's Article X rules protect most trees in the city and generally require inch-for-inch replacement, but the tree-removal division doesn't apply to lots under two acres with a single-family or duplex use. Those rules come from a 2019 city manual, so confirm the current code first.

PowerToChoose lists Oncor as the delivery company for every retail plan in ZIP 75201, inside ERCOT's retail-choice market, so residents there pick a retail electricity provider. A ZIP can cross city lines, so enter your own before you sign. Water and wastewater come from Dallas Water Utilities, a city department.

As of October 2026, the city's standing year-round rule allows sprinklers on two days a week, and a drought stage could tighten it. Even-numbered addresses water on Sundays and Thursdays, odd-numbered ones on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and no sprinkler runs between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on any day. Every lawn sprinkler system needs a city sprinkler permit. DWU customers can get a free irrigation evaluation from a licensed irrigation specialist, plus a voucher or bill rebate for replacing up to two toilets installed before January 1, 1994.

Dallas Sanitation collects brush and bulky items once a month, up to 10 cubic yards. Waste from a contractor's project is the contractor's to haul away, and roofing materials and construction debris aren't taken at the curb.

Dallas property tax and court offices

The Dallas Central Appraisal District values property in the county. The 2026 protest deadline for residential real property was May 15, 2026, and DCAD prefers protests filed online through uFile. Civil and family cases go to the Dallas County District Clerk at 600 Commerce Street. NCTCOG lists Dallas's 2020 U.S. Census population as 1,304,238.

Each trade page covers the state license and the Dallas permit or city rule for that work.

• Inside the house: AC repair, plumbers, electricians, pest control and cleaning services
• Roof and yard: roofing companies, tree service, pool service and pressure washing
• Moving and everyday: movers and gyms
• Professional: divorce lawyers, dentists and real estate agents

The Preston Hollow neighborhood has its own page. Dallas surrounds the Town of Highland Park but doesn't govern it, so the Town's own permit rules and OpenGov portal apply there. For the wider metro, start at Dallas-Fort Worth or look west to Irving.