City of San Antonio plans-approval timing visualization. Tract homes had a typical duration of 7 days, with a middle half from 5 to 13 days. Single-family homes had a typical duration of 47 days, with a middle half from 23 to 88 days. San Antonio has gotten faster since 2023: the typical tract permit took 11 days in 2023, 8 in 2024, and 6 in 2025 and 2026 so far. Our example application went from Intake to Approved in 72 days: Accepted on day 2 and Building Plans Approved on day 29. Resubmittal came on day 45, Department Corrections on day 50, Resubmittal 2 on day 64, and Site Visit and Sign Off on day 66. Its milestones were Intake on day 0, Accepted on day 2, Building Plans Approved on day 29, and Approved on day 72. The City held the permit from day 2 to day 3, from day 45 to day 50, and from day 66 to day 71. How long each review takes for Single-family homes, from first review to sign-off: Building 29 days, Tree preservation 16 days, Sidewalk & Traffic 15 days, NCD 10 days, OHP 7 days, Zoning 2 days, Flood 1 day, and Completeness 1 day. 3 of the 11 reviews usually finish the same day they start. Of Single-family homes, 3% were never sent back, 33% once, 30% twice, 20% three times, 10% four times, and 5% five or more times. The finale compares San Antonio Single-family homes at 47 days with Houston Single-family homes at 63 days. The project destination is /sandbox.
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San Antonio
How long does a housing permit take?
City of San Antonio data
How long does a housing permit take?
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01 / 05
TurboPermit analyzed 14,621 City of San Antonio new home permits issued since 2023. We grouped them into: Tract homes, from production builders, and Single-family homes. We’re sharing our insights because it’s surprisingly difficult to get a clear answer to the question: “How long does a housing permit actually take?”
02 / 05
There’s a reason housing communities are booming in San Antonio. Typical Tract homes go through a plat review process taking weeks and building plans are approved in 7 days. Single-family homes received approval in 47 days.
03 / 05
Variation in individual permits was high across project types. The middle 50% of permits took between 5–13 days for Tract homes and 23–88 days for Single-family homes. San Antonio has gotten faster since 2023: the typical tract permit took 11 days in 2023, 8 in 2024, and 6 in 2025 and 2026 so far.
04 / 05
Our example application went from Intake to Approved in 72 days: Accepted on day 2 and Building Plans Approved on day 29. Resubmittal came on day 45, Department Corrections on day 50, Resubmittal 2 on day 64, and Site Visit and Sign Off on day 66.
Ball In Court
Even the fastest jurisdictions have trouble with intake. Most of the permit’s lifecycle was spent in the builder’s court. 61 of 72 days.All 1,261 Single-family homes; half done in 47 days.
How long each review takes
Building sets the pace: 29 days typical, 1 in 10 take 134+.
Building
Tree preservation
Sidewalk & Traffic
NCD
OHP
Zoning
Flood
Completeness
0100200 days
How many correction rounds?
One round is each time the City sent plans back to the builder for corrections.
0
3%
1
33%
2
30%
3
20%
4
10%
5+
5%
Share of 1,261 Single-family homes.
How many correction rounds?
Label
Value
0
3%
1
33%
2
30%
3
20%
4
10%
5+
5%
05 / 05
TurboPermit catches likely issues before you submit, organizes department feedback, prepares required forms, and guides your project through the permitting process; all from your phone or laptop.
