City Permits, County Records
The division here is simple to state and constantly misunderstood. The city your parcel sits in issues the building and demolition permits and enforces any overlay. The county your parcel sits in records the deed, holds the lien and judgment record, and values the property through its appraisal district.
Those two boundaries do not line up. Several metroplex cities span county lines, so two houses in the same city can record in different counties at different fees. Postal addresses are the least reliable guide of all.
The Cities Compared
| City | Primary county | Dominant stock | What complicates a fire file |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | Dallas | Very mixed, pre-war to new | Historic and conservation districts |
| Fort Worth | Tarrant | Mixed, older core | Separate code and cheaper recording |
| Arlington | Tarrant | Post-war and later | Its own department between two cities |
| Plano | Collin | Newer subdivisions | Deed restrictions and associations |
| Garland | Dallas | Post-war ranch | Uniform stock, slab questions |
| Irving | Dallas | Two eras at once | Older core beside newer development |
| Denton | Denton | Older core plus student rental | Different county entirely |
Areas We Cover
- DallasDemolition checklist, historic and conservation districts, Dallas County recording
- Fort WorthIts own code and department, Tarrant County recording at a lower rate
- ArlingtonIndependent department, post-war stock, Tarrant County
- PlanoCollin County, newer housing, deed restrictions and associations
- GarlandUniform post-war ranch stock, own department, Dallas County
- IrvingOlder core alongside newer development, own permitting
- DentonDenton County, older core and heavy rental conversion
If Your City Is Not Listed
We buy across the metroplex, including in cities without a page here. These are the areas where we hold enough verified local detail to publish something worth reading; a page that swapped one city name into the same sentences would waste your time.
Send the address and we will identify the city, the county and what applies. The regional layer is set out once on our page covering North Texas rules and county differences.