Do I need a permit from the City of Sherman to build a house?

Inside the city limits, yes. A new single-family permit is applied for through the city’s online Self Service Portal, and the checklist asks for a full plan set, Manual J load calculations for the air conditioning, an energy code compliance report, a stormwater plan and the impact fee worksheet.

What building code does Sherman use?

Since February 5, 2024 the City of Sherman has used the 2021 International Code Council building codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code.

My lot is just outside Sherman. Does the city still have a say?

Often, yes. Sherman extends its subdivision regulations into its extraterritorial jurisdiction, the band of land just outside the city limits. If your lot needs to be platted, the plat goes through the city even though the house will not be inside it.

Can I get my land out of Sherman’s ETJ?

Texas law has allowed it since September 1, 2023. A resident, or the owners of a majority in value of an area, can petition for release, and if the city does not act in time the release happens by law. Some areas are excluded, including industrial districts. It is a legal step with trade-offs, so talk to Randy and to a real estate attorney before relying on it.

What impact fees apply to a new house in Sherman?

Sherman charges roadway, water and wastewater impact fees. The roadway fee is collected at the building permit and the water and wastewater fees when you apply for a water meter. The amount depends on the land use and meter size, so it gets priced for your lot rather than guessed.

Sherman, Texas

Custom home builder in Sherman

28 years building in Grayson County, and every finished house in the portfolio is here in Sherman. Randy is your contact from the first walk of your lot through to the day he hands you the keys, including the part most people do not see coming, which is which government your lot answers to.

Call 903.821.2482 Start your build

The Wester House, a custom home built in Sherman, Texas, at dusk

Building here specifically

In Sherman, where the city line falls decides your whole process.

Two lots ten minutes apart can go through completely different approvals. Before anything gets priced, Randy works out which of these three your land is in.

Inside the city limits

Sherman permits the house

The permit goes in through the city’s online Self Service Portal. The checklist for a new single-family home asks for a full plan set including foundation and framing plans, Manual J load calculations for the air conditioning, an energy code compliance report, a stormwater plan, and the impact fee worksheet.

The house is inspected against the 2021 ICC codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code, which Sherman adopted in February 2024.

Just outside, in the ETJ

The county permits, the city still plats

Sherman extends its subdivision regulations into its extraterritorial jurisdiction, the band of land beyond the city limits. So a rural-looking lot can still need a plat approved by the city, and the city’s code says no building permit or utility connection is issued for land that needs one until that plat is approved.

This is the step that quietly adds weeks. Finding it before closing is far cheaper than finding it after.

Further out

Grayson County, septic, and a well or tap

Beyond the ETJ you are dealing with the county, and almost always with an aerobic septic system, because conventional drain fields fail on this clay. Water is a well or a rural water supply tap. Both are real line items that depend on the lot.

Since September 2023, Texas law lets landowners petition to be released from a city’s ETJ. It can simplify a build, it has trade-offs, and some areas are excluded. Ask before you count on it.

The ground

Every one of those zones sits on the same clay.

Sherman is on Blackland Prairie soil, a heavy clay with a plasticity index in the 40 to 60 range. It swells when it rains and shrinks hard when it does not, which is what cracks slabs. The foundation plans the city asks for are engineered off a soil report here, and post-tension slabs and drilled piers are the norm rather than an upgrade.

How foundations get engineered on this clay

The cost nobody quotes

Sherman’s impact fees land at two different moments.

The city charges roadway, water and wastewater impact fees. The roadway fee is collected when the building permit is issued. Water and wastewater are collected later, when the water meter is applied for. They vary with land use and meter size, which is why Randy prices them for your lot instead of leaving them out of the number.

Built in Sherman

Finished houses you can go and look at.

The Wester House

Sherman · 3 bed · 2.5 bath · 2,000 sq ft

Dark board-and-batten, cedar posts, 8-foot interior doors and custom casings throughout.

See the house →

The Lugo House

Sherman

Modern farmhouse on acreage with exposed beams, built-ins, and a porch built for evenings.

See the house →

The Dahl House

Sherman · 3 bed · 3 bath · 1,880 sq ft

Craftsman charm under cathedral ceilings, with an open plan that lives larger than its footprint.

See the house →

Sherman questions

What people building here ask.

Do I need a permit from the City of Sherman to build a house?: Inside the city limits, yes. A new single-family permit is applied for through the city’s online Self Service Portal, and the checklist asks for a full plan set, Manual J load calculations for the air conditioning, an energy code compliance report, a stormwater plan and the impact fee worksheet.
What building code does Sherman use?: Since February 5, 2024 the City of Sherman has used the 2021 International Code Council building codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code.
My lot is just outside Sherman. Does the city still have a say?: Often, yes. Sherman extends its subdivision regulations into its extraterritorial jurisdiction, the band of land just outside the city limits. If your lot needs to be platted, the plat goes through the city even though the house will not be inside it.
Can I get my land out of Sherman’s ETJ?: Texas law has allowed it since September 1, 2023. A resident, or the owners of a majority in value of an area, can petition for release, and if the city does not act in time the release happens by law. Some areas are excluded, including industrial districts. It is a legal step with trade-offs, so talk to Randy and to a real estate attorney before relying on it.
What impact fees apply to a new house in Sherman?: Sherman charges roadway, water and wastewater impact fees. The roadway fee is collected at the building permit and the water and wastewater fees when you apply for a water meter. The amount depends on the land use and meter size, so it gets priced for your lot rather than guessed.

From a client

Randy walked the slab with me before the pour and explained every line on it. I’d never had a builder do that.
Mike C.O’Brien homeowner

Watch the full interviews

Also worth reading

Buying land in Grayson CountyCheck the city line and the plat before you close.
Moving to Sherman and buildingFor anyone relocating who has not lived in Texoma before.
Building in DenisonSherman’s neighbor to the north, toward Lake Texoma.
Aerobic septic systemsWhat the county side of the line usually means.

Send Randy the lot address before you close He will tell you which side of the line it is on, at no charge 903.821.2482