Frequently Asked Questions

1. Complete the Credit Card Authorization Form found here.
2. Email the completed form to:  Permits@ArgyleTX.com.
3. Credit Card payments are run daily at close of business.
4. Should you need assistance with this process, please contact Permits Department at 940-464-7273.

Yes, public water systems issue Boil Water Orders to notify their users when the drinking water is not safe to consume. A boil water order is issued when there is a coliform bacteria violation, when the water turbidity is over 5.0 NTU, when the water pressure is less than 20 PSI, or when there is a waterborne disease outbreak.

The retail food establishment manager is responsible for ensuring compliance with food safety requirements when under a Boil Water Order.

Following are temporary measures that can be taken under a Boil Water Order:

Drinking Water

• Use commercially bottled water; or
• Use water that has been kept at a rolling boil for at least 1 minute, or
• Use water brought in from an approved public water supply in a covered, sanitized container.

Beverages Made with Water

• Do not use post-mix carbonated beverage machines, auto-fill coffee makers, instant hot water heaters, ice machines, etc. using auto-fill methods 

Ice Making

• Discard existing ice and do not make more ice.
• Use commercially manufactured ice.

Cooking

• Use commercially bottled water, or
• Use water that has been kept at a rolling boil for at least one minute; or
• Use water brought in from an approved public water supply in a covered, sanitized container.

Handwashing

• Use commercially bottled water, or
• Use water that has been kept at a rolling boil for at least 1 minute; or
• Use water brought in from an approved public water supply in a covered, sanitized container.
• Handwashing procedures must follow the Texas Food Establishment Rules. The water temperature for handwashing must be a minimum of 100° Fahrenheit.

Cleaning and Sanitizing Tableware and Utensils

• Only use single-service items.

After the Public Water System lifts the Boil Order Notice, the Retail Food Establishment Must:

• Flush pipes / faucets for at least 5 minutes.
• Flush, clean and sanitize equipment with water line connections according to manufacturer’s directions
• Flush drinking water fountains for at least 5 minutes.
• Clean and sanitize the ice machine. Discard the first batch of new ice.

Additional questions or concerns can be directed to the Retail Food Safety Group at 512-834-6753

Please visit the interactive zoning map by clicking here  and locate your property on the map. Click on the arrow on the top-left side. From the options, click on the icon next to the Zoning Category and it will show the legends for each zoning district.

Please visit the interactive map by clicking here  and locate your property on the map. If the property is identified as a colored parcel, it will be within the Town Limits. If it is identified in the red hatched area, it would be in the ETJ.

Additionally you may visit the Denton CAD Map Search page by clicking here and locate your property on the map. Click on the parcel and click “View Detailed Property Information”. On the details page, click on the Taxing Jurisdiction tab, if it includes C26 Town of Argyle, it is within the Town Limits. 

The Town of Argyle and all other cities/towns across the country use the building permit process to verify that construction or development will comply with building codes and Town development standards. The building codes and development standards are adopted by the Town Council and become the law of the Town. The development projects are also inspected to ensure compliance.

Below are examples of projects that require a permit. This is not a comprehensive list. Please contact us at 940-464-7273 for specific permitting questions.

• Accessory structures 
• Arbors/Pergolas
• Commercial projects 
• Electrical systems and repairs
• Fences
• Home additions
• HVAC
• New home construction
• Plumbing systems/repairs
• Ponds/Tanks
• Irrigation
• Pools
• Signs

One must submit plans describing the work with an application.  Staff is available for help when applying. 

To submit applications, please click on the link here.

Homeowners may do all the work themselves if they so wish. A homeowner is not required to register with the Town as a contractor, however, they must still comply with all applicable codes. Homeowners wanting to complete plumbing, electrical, or mechanical work will still need to be licensed for such work by the appropriate state agency. Homeowners should carefully consider the complexity of a project when considering whether or not to hire a contractor.

The Town of Argyle requires that a contractor be registered as a business in order to obtain permits. The registration does not necessarily mean that a contractor is a reputable businessperson. Homeowners should always check references before hiring a contractor. Homeowners should always require their contractors to obtain the proper permits and inspections. Homeowners may choose to pay a contractor based upon approval of Town inspections. Individuals or business entities wanting to register as a contractor with the community development department, must provide a complete contractor registration application, a valid trade license, or driver’s license if not a trade, and a certificate of insurance with a minimum coverage of $500,000.

Basically, inspections are required before any part of the construction may be covered up and at the completion of the project. Work such as plumbing, electrical, mechanical work, framing, and irrigation must be inspected before concealing.

A list of inspections for one and two-family dwellings is provided below:

• Frame, mechanical rough, electrical rough, and plumbing top out inspection. Termite treatment letter and energy code compliance paperwork on site.

Town of Argyle does not provide water connections. You may contact Argyle Water Supply Corporation at 940-464-0518.

A map that represents a tract of land, showing the boundaries and location of individual properties, streets, easements and other pertinent information. After a plat is approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission, it is filed with the county clerk and becomes a legal lot of record for which a building permit can be issued.

Platting is required for any division of land into two or more parcels or development on one or more contiguous parcels not previously platted, or for development that involves the construction of any public improvements to be dedicated to the Town.

A Preliminary Plat is required on all unplatted tracts:

- that are larger than ten acres, or

- that do not conform with tract dimensions shown on Denton Central Appraisal District Maps, or

- the development of which involves dedication or construction of streets, drainage ways, or utilities.

A preliminary plat allows staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission to review the overall layout of the lots and street pattern for the subdivision to ensure that the proposed layout complies with all applicable town requirements. In most cases, a preliminary plat is required for the subdivision of land for the purpose of single-family development.

A Major Subdivision Final Plat involves the creation of new streets, the extension of municipal facilities or the creation or more than four lots. Major subdivision plat may be applicable for residential and non-residential properties. The procedure for approving a major subdivision plat requires an approved preliminary plat.

A Minor Subdivision Plat is a final plat that creates no more than four lots and does not require the creation of a new street or a major extension of municipal facilities. A preliminary plat is not required prior to preparation of a minor subdivision plat. Minor subdivision plats may be approved for residential and nonresidential properties.

An Amending Plat can be filed to correct an error in the real property description on part of all of an officially recorded plat.

A Replat replaces part or all of an officially recorded final plat.

No, a building permit cannot be issued for a property that has not been platted or is not a legal lot of record.

In most cases, the average citizen does not have the experience or professional certification to prepare a plat by themselves and would be required to hire a professional to do the plat for them. A plat must be signed and sealed by a Registered Surveyor in the State of Texas. 

Applications are available at by clicking here. The application must be submitted in accordance with the Town’s established development schedule (click here to see current schedule). Once the application is deemed complete per the development schedule, the plat must be acted upon within 30 days.

Following the application deadline, the proposed plat is distributed to the Development Review Committee for review to determine the plat’s compliance with applicable Town regulations.

Once comments are collected from applicable reviewers, Town Staff shares those comments with the applicant to provide them an opportunity to address those comments.

Town staff then makes a recommendation to the Planning and Zoning Commission who will then approve, approve with conditions, or deny the plat at its regularly scheduled meeting (within 30 days of the official filing date per the Development Schedule). If the plat is approved with conditions, the applicant must resubmit the documents to meet those conditions, before filing the plat with the county clerk.

Once staff has determined that the revised plat complies with the conditions of approval by the Commission, the applicant can submit the required number of copies to obtain signatures from the Town. Once all the signatures are collected, the applicant will need to file the plat with Denton County.

For minor plats or minor replats, Town Staff has the ability to provide final approval. 

A plat must be filed with the County within two years after approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission or Town Staff, as applicable. After that time, the applicant must submit an application to the Department of Community Development to get their plat re-approved.

Zoning establishes the types of land uses permitted on a specific tract of land. Zoning also regulates the size, intensity, and height of development, as well as landscaping, screening, and parking related to development.

Argyle has 17 established zoning districts, which are broadly grouped into residential, non-residential and mixed-use, and overlay districts. Specific information regarding each district can be obtained in the Town Development Standards.

The zoning on a specific piece of property can change only through a public hearing process. This process allows public participation from the applicant, interested citizens, and decision makers. The process requires public notification, public hearings, and final approval by the Town Council.

An applicant may seek a change to establish a use not permitted in the current zoning district. The applicant may use the zoning process to request rezoning to a district that will permit the use outright, or by a Specific Use Permit.

Specific Use Permits are permitted exclusively by specific permit approval by the Council. Fees and processing of an SUP are similar to a zoning case.

Anyone may apply for a zoning change; however, permission of the property owner is required. A place is provided on the zoning application for the owner's signature, whether a single owner or a corporation. In all cases, the owner's notarized signature must be on the application.

During the public hearings of the zoning case at Planning and Zoning Commission and/or Town Council, the applicant and people in favor of or opposed to the request may present their views.

In addition to speaking at the public hearing, you may also send letters to the Commission and Council either directly or through the Department of Community Development, or you may discuss the case with the Planning and Zoning Commissioners or Council Members.

A petition is a more formal process of registering your support for or opposition to a request. A petition becomes a permanent part of the case and must be filed with the Town Secretary. 

Regardless of the type of petition, there is no legal effect on the Planning and Zoning Commission's vote. A simple majority vote recommending approval or denial of a zoning request is all that is required of the Commission. However, the Commission's decision may be influenced by petitions of support or opposition.

Petitions of support may influence final Council action, but they have no legal effect. Petitions of opposition (individual form, group form) submitted to the Town Secretary, that are properly notarized and meet state and local criteria will invoke a required three-fourths vote of approval to permit a change. In order to invoke the mandatory three-fourths approval, the petition must be signed by the owners of at least 20 percent of either:

• the land area covered by the proposed change; or,
• the land area within 200 feet of the subject property.

Only one vote per lot in support or opposition per owner is permitted. The "owner" is the owner shown on the most recently approved Town tax roll. For example, if John Doe appears as the owner on the tax rolls, then the signature on the petition should be John Doe. If joint ownership appears on the tax rolls, i.e., John and Mary Doe, then John Doe and/or Mary Doe should sign the petition. 

A Planned Development is a custom zoning district. The general purpose of the Planned Development to accommodate unique and creative developments, which the regulations on the Town’s established zoning districts cannot provide.

All Planned Developments have one or more base zoning districts, and then certain exceptions or enhancements to those regulations are specifically codified for the Planned Development.

Waterbrook, Lakes of Argyle, Argyle Landing, and 5T Ranch are some examples of existing Planned Developments within the Town.