# Waco Construction Cost 2026: What the New Code Changes **URL:** https://utsbuildpros.com/blog/commercial-construction-cost-waco-2026 **Summary:** Waco adopted the 2024 IBC in November 2025, a later edition than Dallas or Plano. What that changes for a DFW plan set, plus site work and trade costs. **Overview:** The City of Waco adopted the 2024 International Building Code and 2024 International Residential Code under Ordinance 2025-813, passed 4 November 2025 — a newer edition than Dallas or Plano, which are on the 2021 codes. A plan set prepared for a DFW project is therefore reviewed in Waco against a later code and warrants a compliance check before submittal. Permits inside the city are issued by Waco Inspection Services; unincorporated sites are reviewed by McLennan County. Material costs match DFW; the differences are site work on greenfield edges and a thinner specializt subcontractor base. --- Commercial Construction 7 min read 2026-09-08 # Waco Construction Cost in 2026: What the New Building Code Changes Josh Lawrence General Manager [jlawrence@utsbuildpros.com](mailto:jlawrence@utsbuildpros.com) | [719-924-2418](tel:7199242418) Share In This Article - Waco Is on the 2024 Codes - Inside the City or Outside It - What Drives a Waco Number - Material Prices Waco has been absorbing growth out of both DFW and Austin for years, and a lot of the projects we see here arrive as a set of drawings that worked somewhere else. Usually that is fine. In Waco specifically, there is one reason it might not be. ## Waco Is on the 2024 Codes The City of Waco adopted the 2024 International Building Code and 2024 International Residential Code under Ordinance 2025-813, passed 4 November 2025. Permits are handled by [Waco Inspection Services](https://www.waco-texas.com/Departments/Development-Services/Inspection-Services/Commercial-Construction-Permits), and the adopting ordinance sits in the [Waco Code of Ordinances](https://library.municode.com/tx/waco/codes/code_of_ordinances). That is a newer edition than most of North Texas. Dallas and Plano are on the 2021 codes. Irving moved to the 2024 edition in May 2026. Austin is on 2021. So a prototype drawn for a Dallas store and priced against Dallas review is being submitted in Waco against a later code, and the differences are real enough to be worth a compliance review before submittal rather than a resubmittal after. This is the general Texas problem in a specific place: there is no mandatory statewide building code, so adoption happens city by city on independent schedules. The Texas Department of Insurance maintains a public list of [adopted codes by jurisdiction](https://www.tdi.texas.gov/wind/adopted-codes.html), which is the fastest way to check before you assume. ## Inside the City or Outside It Waco sits in McLennan County, and the distinction matters more here than in a fully built-out metro because a lot of the land people are building on is at the edge. Inside the city limits, Waco Inspection Services reviews and permits. Outside them, [McLennan County](https://www.mclennan.gov/) applies its own building provisions for unincorporated areas. Establish which applies before design, not at submittal. It changes the reviewing authority, the applicable amendments and the timeline. ## What Actually Drives a Waco Number **Code edition, as above.** The compliance review is cheap. The resubmittal is not. **Foundation.** Central Texas soils vary considerably across short distances here, and the honest answer is that a geotechnical report is the only way to size a slab correctly. It is the least compressible line on the job. **Site work.** Grading, drainage, utilities and access. On the greenfield edges where a lot of Waco growth is happening, site work is a larger share of the total than an in-fill project would suggest. **Distance to trades.** Waco has a real subcontractor base but it is thinner than DFW s for specializt trades. On a scope needing something unusual, expect either a premium or a trade traveling from Dallas or Austin. **Certificate of occupancy.** If the use of a space is changing, that is a separate application from the building permit and it cannot issue until every trade inspection clears. ## Material Prices Material cost does not vary much between Waco and DFW; it varies over time. Track it directly rather than relying on assurances: the [BLS Producer Price Index](https://www.bls.gov/ppi/) is the primary series, with steel mill products published as [FRED series WPU1017](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WPU1017). ## How We Price Waco Waco is inside our regular working area and we have built there for years. Projects there do not carry the mobilization cost that Houston or San Antonio work does, and we will say so in the estimate rather than pricing distance we are not incurring. What we will flag on a Waco job, every time, is the code edition. If your drawings were prepared for another Texas city, tell us which one and when, and we will check the delta before anything goes to review. Frequently Asked Questions Quick answers to the most common questions about this topic What building code does Waco use? Who issues building permits in Waco? Is construction cheaper in Waco than in Dallas–Fort Worth? Have a question not answered here? 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