Texas HB 14 Explained: The Third-Party Permit Review Law and How It Helps Builders

Texas House Bill 14, signed into law in 2023 and effective September 1, 2023, gives builders and developers a powerful tool when a city takes too long to review a building permit. Codified as Chapter 247 of the Texas Local Government Code, HB 14 allows applicants to engage a qualified third-party reviewer when a municipality misses its statutory review deadline. Here is how it works in practice.

What HB 14 Does

In plain terms: if a Texas city fails to complete its review of a building permit application within the statutory deadline — plus a 15-day grace period — the applicant has the right to hire a qualified third-party reviewer to complete the review instead. The city must accept the third-party reviewer's findings and cannot charge additional fees for this process.

This law was designed to address chronic permit backlogs in fast-growing Texas cities. Before HB 14, applicants had no formal recourse when a city missed its review deadlines. Now there is a defined process with teeth.

The Statutory Deadlines

HB 14 establishes specific deadlines depending on the type of application:

The clock starts on the date the city deems your application "complete" — not the date you submit it. If the city requests additional information during intake, the clock does not start until you provide it and the application is formally accepted.

The Math: How to Count the Days

Here is how the timeline works for a building permit:

• Day 1: City deems your application complete
• Day 45: Statutory deadline — the city should have completed review
• Day 46–60: 15-day grace period — the city has extra time to act
• Day 60: If the city has still not acted, you can formally notify the city and engage a third-party reviewer

"Acted" means the city has either approved, denied, or issued written comments requiring corrections. If the city has issued corrections, the clock resets when you resubmit — more on that below.

Who Qualifies as a Third-Party Reviewer?

Not just anyone can serve as your third-party reviewer. Under HB 14, the reviewer must be one of the following:

• A licensed professional engineer registered in Texas
• An ICC-certified (International Code Council) building inspector or plans examiner
• An employee of another political subdivision (city or county) that performs plan reviews

The reviewer must be independent — they cannot have a financial interest in the project beyond their review fee. Finding a qualified reviewer can take time, so it is worth identifying candidates before you hit the deadline.

What the City Cannot Do

HB 14 includes several protections for applicants:

• No extra fees: The city cannot charge you additional fees for using a third-party reviewer
• No required waivers: The city cannot require you to waive the deadline as a condition of permit review
• Must accept findings: The city must accept the third-party reviewer's findings if the reviewer determines the plans comply with applicable codes

This last point is significant. If your third-party reviewer certifies that your plans meet code, the city must issue the permit. They cannot reject the third-party review and start their own review from scratch.

The Appeal Process and 60-Day Auto-Approval

If a city denies a permit based on the third-party review findings, the applicant can appeal to the governing body (typically the city council). Here is the key provision: if the governing body does not affirm the denial within 60 days, the permit is automatically approved.

This creates a strong incentive for cities to either approve compliant applications or provide a clear, justified denial — they cannot simply let appeals languish in a queue.

Important Caveats

Correction Cycles Can Reset the Clock

If the city issues corrections within the 45-day window, the clock resets when you resubmit your revised plans. This means a city can stay within the law by issuing corrections on day 44, even if those corrections are minor. Each time you resubmit, a new review period begins.

Finding a Qualified Reviewer Takes Time

Licensed engineers and ICC-certified reviewers who are willing to serve as third-party reviewers are not always easy to find — especially for complex commercial projects. Start identifying potential reviewers early if you anticipate the city will miss the deadline.

Use It Diplomatically

HB 14 is a tool, not a weapon. In most cases, a professional follow-up with the plan review department will resolve delays before you reach day 60. Invoking the third-party review provision should be a last resort — not the first move. Building departments remember how you handle disputes, and you will be submitting permits to the same city on your next project.

How Monitoring Helps You Track the Deadline

To use HB 14 effectively, you need to know exactly when the clock starts, when it resets, and whether the city has "acted" within the window. That requires daily visibility into your permit status.

TrackingPermitsmonitors your permits daily across 9 Texas jurisdictions. Every status change, every reviewer comment, and every department sign-off appears in your morning digest. You will know the moment the city acts on your permit — or the moment they miss the deadline — so you can make informed decisions about when and whether to invoke HB 14.