San Antonio contractor registration, permits and water rules

Texas licenses electricians, HVAC contractors, plumbers and pest applicators, and leaves general contracting to cities. San Antonio uses a registration system for the rest. Everything below comes from the city's Development Services Department, Solid Waste Management Department, the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) and the state Comptroller, as of October 2026. Treat it as general information and not legal advice. Fees and drought stages change, so confirm with the office before you act.

What the state licenses and what San Antonio registers

The state side is covered on our Texas page and in the Texas contractor licenses guide. San Antonio requires every city or state licensed contractor to register with Development Services before any permit is issued. Electrical, mechanical, plumbing (including irrigation) and sign contractors register their state license with the city. Residential builders and remodelers have no state license to register, so the city created its own two categories.

Two residential registrations, priced by what you build

Both require the city to be named certificate holder on the insurance. The page lists no ICC certification for the home improvement category. San Antonio also runs an optional Contractor Connect program for residential firms, with a registered tier, a plus tier that asks for current permit fees, no verified complaints and training attendance, and a premier tier that adds the ICC certification. Residents can search the list when choosing a contractor.

Roofs and fences need permits here

Development Services says a roof repair or replacement needs a permit. A homeowner can pull it or hire a registered Home Improvement Contractor. A re-roof with no change in pitch is issued over the counter with a site plan and proof of ownership, and a pitch change requires full plan review. New fences need a permit, and repairing or replacing an existing fence needs one only when the work covers more than 25% of its continuous length. The city's sources disagree on the accessory structure line: the Getting Started page says a permit is required above 300 square feet, while the permit table lists structures above 400 square feet as an over-the-counter type, so ask before you build a shed or carport. The Getting Started page says a deck avoids a building permit only if it is 200 square feet or less, 30 inches or less above grade at every point, detached and not serving an exit door. The city's adopted code and Information Bulletin 151 use 300 square feet for uncovered decks, so confirm which figure Development Services applies.

Trade work is stricter. New electrical, plumbing and HVAC components go to licensed trade contractors, and a homeowner can pull a plumbing permit only for an existing homestead and only to do the work personally. Questions about whether a job needs a permit go to Development Services at 210-207-1111, at the Cliff Morton Development and Business Services Center, 1901 S. Alamo St.

Power washing: SAWS registration, drought stage and the storm drain

Anyone using a power washer commercially or for pay in San Antonio must register with SAWS and obtain a certificate, done online. The registration form requires best practices: sweep solids first, berm or divert wastewater, and keep water out of streets and catch basins. The city's own business guidance cites Section 34-702, which bans discharging liquid pollutants from business operations into the storm sewer system. It tells washers to vacuum or pump soapy wastewater to the sanitary sewer or onto soil or landscaped areas, and to avoid acids, sodium hydroxide and bleach, which can turn wastewater into hazardous waste.

The drought rules add a second layer. SAWS's Stage 3 page states that washing impervious cover such as parking lots, driveways, streets or sidewalks is prohibited, with health and safety exceptions available through a power washing variance request. Its Water Waste page says pressure washing is allowed as long as street runoff does not occur. Because the two pages disagree, check the current stage at saws.org before you quote a driveway job.

Hauling junk or debris needs a vehicle permit

The Solid Waste Management Department requires a Commercial Solid Waste Hauler Vehicle Permit for anyone hauling commercial solid waste in the city under Article IV of Chapter 14. The annual fee is $150 per vehicle at a gross vehicle weight of 6,999 pounds or less and $2,250 per vehicle at 7,000 pounds or more, paid in installments due May 1, August 1, November 1 and February 1, with no proration. Heavier vehicles need $500,000 of liability insurance. Permits last twelve months. The page requires an application from all commercial haulers, including those that claim an exemption. The department does not name junk removal specifically, so call to confirm how your trucks are classified. The page prints 210-207-6420, but its dialing link ends in 6422, so verify the number.

Sales tax, climate and digging

The Comptroller lists San Antonio at a 1.125% city rate plus 0.375% for the advanced transportation district and 0.5% for the transit authority, for a combined 8.25% with the 6.25% state rate. Lawn care, house cleaning, pressure washing and pool service are taxable under the state rules summarized on our Texas page, so that 8.25% is what you collect on a taxable San Antonio invoice. For the digging notice, Texas Utilities Code section 251.151 requires notice to the 811 center at least 48 hours before excavation, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. The Railroad Commission's homeowner page words that as two business days. Texas811 and the 811 center can confirm how they count the days for your ticket.

NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for San Antonio International Airport show 32.38 inches of precipitation in an average year, just 0.2 inches of snow, about 122 days that hit 90 degrees F, and only 14 freezing nights. Hot-weather work (lawn, pool, air conditioning, exterior washing) runs for most of the year, and cold-snap pipe and irrigation repairs come in short bursts.

What this means for your setup

Keep your registration tier, insurance certificate, SAWS certificate and hauler permit on one page you can show a customer. If you serve both Bexar County and neighboring cities, remember that each city sets its own registration rules. A website with a page for each service and the area you cover gives homeowners the proof they look for, and our Texas pressure washing guide covers the state side of the trade.

Frequently asked questions