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Texas · Tarrant County · City of Fort Worth

Where the Trinity bends,
the code changes.
 We read it for you.

Fort Worth is not Dallas with a different zip code. It runs its own Zoning Ordinance, its own Development Services Department, and its own submittal portal, and the letter you see stamped on a parcel here means something different than it does thirty miles east. JDJ verifies your district, prepares your site plan, and carries your application through the CFW Permit Tool from intake to issued permit.

Governing Code

Zoning Ordinance — UDC Chapter 5

Department

Development Services Department

Portal

CFW Permit Tool (Accela) / MyGovHub

Have a site in Fort Worth?

Tell us what you’re trying to build — we’ll verify your zoning district and manage the Development Services submittal.

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Call Us: ‪(818) 252-9610‬
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THE FRAMEWORK, IN JDJ'S WORDS

How Fort Worth regulates development

Every Texas city on this site uses its own code, its own department names, and its own review process. Here is the Fort Worth vocabulary you will see referenced throughout your project, stated plainly so nothing gets lost in translation between the plan set and the permit desk.

Governing Code

Zoning Ordinance, adopted as Appendix A of the Fort Worth City Code. District regulations live in Chapter 4, and supplemental use standards live in Chapter 5. Subdivision and platting rules are set out separately in Chapter 31 of the City Code.

Department

Development Services Department, located at 200 Texas Street. This is the front door for zoning, permits, plan review, platting, and inspections.

Approving Bodies

The Zoning Commission and City Council act on rezonings. The City Plan Commission holds final approval authority over subdivision plats.

The Board of Adjustment hears variances and special exceptions.

Portal

CFW Permit Tool, powered by Accela Citizen Access, with
MyGovHub used for residential permit application and status
tracking.

Fort Worth Service Offerings

What JDJ handles in Fort Worth

Fort Worth and Dallas share a metroplex name and almost nothing else at the permit counter. Different code, different department, different portal, different review culture. JDJ treats Fort Worth as its own jurisdiction from the first zoning lookup to the final issued permit.

01. Entitlements & Land Use

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Zoning Verification

District confirmation across the full Fort Worth system: "A" one-family districts (A-5, A-7.5, A-10, A-21, A-43), "B" through "D" medium-density residential, "E" through "K" commercial and industrial, and the MU-1 and MU-2 mixed-use districts. We pull your designation and any overlays against the official zoning map before you commit to a design.
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Site Plan Preparation & Review Coordination

Coordination across Development Services divisions,
including the conceptual site plan required for larger mixed-use parcels.

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Rezoning & Zoning Change Applications

Preparation and management of zoning change requests through the Zoning Commission and City Council, including form-based district requests where applicable.
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Floodplain Development Permit Coordination

Site screening and permit coordination for parcels touching the Trinity River, Village Creek, and other mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas.
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Platting Coordination

Preliminary and final plat management under Chapter 31, sequenced correctly ahead of zoning and permit approvals for undeveloped and re-subdivided land.

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Accessory & Secondary Unit Review

Coordination of accessory dwelling review under Zoning Ordinance §5.301, including the accessory-use limitations that apply inside one-family districts.
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HCLC Review Coordination

Certificate of Appropriateness coordination with the Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission for work in Fort Worth's locally designated historic districts and on designated landmarks.

02. Permit Expediting

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Plan Review Coordination

Active coordination across Development Services review divisions, including response management on correction cycles so a resubmittal does not restart the clock.
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CFW Permit Tool / Accela Submittal

Full application assembly, submittal, and management through the city's Accela-powered portal.
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MyGovHub Application Tracking

Residential permit application, fee handling, and real-time status tracking.
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03. Due Diligence & Feasibility

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FEMA Flood Map Screening

Special Flood Hazard Area exposure checks against the FEMA Flood Map Service Center for the Trinity River corridor and associated waterways.
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Tarrant County Clerk Deed Research

Recorded deed and restriction research through the Tarrant County Clerk.
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Zoning / Use Table Cross-Reference

Verification against the use tables in Chapter 4, Articles 6 and 8, and the supplemental use standards in Chapter 5.

Incentives & Programs Developers Ask About

Fort Worth is one of the most incentive-active large cities in Texas, and the tools available can materially change a project’s underwriting. JDJ helps you identify which programs a site may qualify for and coordinates the land use and permitting side of those agreements.

Chapter 380 Economic Development Grants

Authorized under Chapter 380 of the Texas Local Government Code, these agreements can return a portion of municipal sales, property, or business personal property tax as a grant to promote development. Recent Fort Worth 380 packages have supported large mixed-use projects, including a multi-year partial property tax abatement for westside development along the Trinity River.

Historic Tax Credits

Rehabilitation projects on qualifying historic structures may layer state historic tax credits with local review, which is particularly relevant in Fort Worth's historic districts and downtown.

Tax Abatements (Chapter 312)

The city may abate a share of the increase in appraised value on qualifying new construction and expansions for a term of up to ten years, under a General Tax Abatement Policy adopted pursuant to Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts

Fort Worth maintains multiple TIF districts, including the Downtown TIF, that direct captured incremental value toward infrastructure, parking, historic preservation, and residential development within their boundaries. Whether a site falls inside a TIF district is a first-order question for any downtown or corridor project.

M/WBE and Affordable Housing Conditions

Fort Worth tax abatements and Chapter 380 grants commonly require the use of certified M/WBE firms for a minimum share of construction costs, and mixed-use projects with rental residential units are typically expected to commit to an affordable housing component. These conditions should be modeled early, not discovered at the agreement stage.

Expedited Permitting

The city treats fast-tracked permitting as a named non-cash incentive available to qualifying projects, coordinated through Development Services.

Ordinances & Regulations That Shape a Fort Worth Project

Zoning Ordinance, Chapters 4 and 5

Chapter 4 sets district regulations, minimum lot sizes, required yards, and height limits, with residential use tables in Article 6 and non-residential use tables in Article 8. Chapter 5 carries the supplemental use standards, including the accessory dwelling provisions in §5.301.

Subdivision Ordinance, Chapter 31

Governs preliminary plats, final plats, concept plans for contiguous parcels over one square mile, and the City Plan Commission approval process. Platting is frequently the gating item for undeveloped land, and getting the sequence right protects the schedule.

Form-Based Districts

Fort Worth applies form-based codes in specific areas, including the Berry/University district and the MU-1 and MU-2 mixed-use districts, where conceptual site plan review and design standards apply differently than in conventional zoning.

Historic Preservation Overlays

Work in the Stockyards, Fairmount/Southside, Ryan Place, and other locally designated districts requires a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission before a building permit will issue.

Recent Texas Legislation (Effective 2025)

Senate Bill 15 and Senate Bill 840 took effect September 1, 2025. SB 15 eases minimum lot size, setback, and parking standards for qualifying small-lot subdivisions on larger unplatted tracts, and SB 840 enables housing by right in many commercial and mixed-use districts with capped parking and setback requirements. Neither creates a by-right accessory unit on a standard single-family lot, and Fort Worth continues to apply its own §5.301 accessory-use limits. Understanding which statute a given site can invoke is often the difference between a feasible density and a stalled one.
Local Terminology

Fort Worth’s terms, decoded

The vocabulary you’ll hear from city staff, in plain English.

MyGovHub

The residential-facing portal for applying, paying fees, and tracking permit status.

Zoning Ordinance (Appendix A)

Fort Worth's zoning code, adopted as Appendix A of the City Code. District rules sit in Chapter 4; supplemental use standards sit in Chapter 5.

MU-1 / MU-2

Low-intensity and high-intensity mixed-use districts governed by form-based standards.

A / B–D / E–K Districts

Fort Worth's lettered and alphanumeric zoning system, running from low-density single-family ("A") through medium-density residential ("B" to "D") to commercial and industrial intensities ("E" to "K").

CFW Permit Tool

Fort Worth's Accela-powered permitting portal for application, submittal, and review.

CPC

City Plan Commission, the body with final approval authority over subdivision plats.

HCLC

Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission, which reviews exterior work in historic overlay districts and on designated landmarks.
FAQ

Questions we hear most in Forth Worth

Q. Is Fort Worth zoning the same as Dallas?
No. Fort Worth and Dallas operate entirely separate codes, departments, and portals. A district letter in Fort Worth does not map to the same standards in Dallas, and permits do not transfer between the two.
Q. What code governs zoning in Fort Worth?
The Zoning Ordinance, adopted as Appendix A of the Fort Worth City Code. District regulations are in Chapter 4 and supplemental use standards are in Chapter 5. Subdivision and platting are governed separately by Chapter 31.
Q. Where are applications submitted?
Through the CFW Permit Tool, built on Accela Citizen Access, with MyGovHub used for residential permits. All are administered by the Development Services Department.
Q. Do I need to plat before I can build?
Frequently, yes. Undeveloped or re-subdivided land generally requires plat approval through the City Plan Commission under Chapter 31 before zoning and building approvals proceed. Sequencing this correctly is one of the most common ways to protect or lose a schedule.
Q. Can I build an ADU and rent it out?
An accessory dwelling is permitted as an accessory use in one-family districts under §5.301, but in those districts it cannot function as a separate, independent residence. Allowed use, setbacks, and size limits depend on your specific district, and every unit requires a building permit. Texas has no by-right ADU statute comparable to California’s.
Q. What incentives might my project qualify for?
Depending on location, use, and investment, a project may be eligible for a Chapter 380 grant, a Chapter 312 tax abatement, TIF district participation, expedited permitting, or historic tax credits. Eligibility often carries M/WBE and affordable housing conditions that should be modeled before the agreement stage.