Texas has helped home owners and generator installers cut the cord on permit delays for generators. As of September 1, 2025, Texas law, specifically SB 1202, has supercharged the residential generator industry.
For years, the waiting game for city plan reviews and inspections has slowed down the process of getting backup power to Texas homes, leaving families unprotected during peak storm seasons. In the DFW Metroplex, cities like Dallas became synonymous with weeks-long permit backlogs, while cities like Southlake, Flower Mound, Arlington, Irving, Frisco, Plano, among others, created friction with complex requirements for site plans and over-detailed engineering plans. Add to that unpredictable inspection schedules and inconsistent inspectors that drove up costs and caused unnecessary delays. This law changes everything by putting the power of speed back into the hands of homeowners and qualified contractors.
What Is Changing? (The Fast Facts)
The new law applies to one- or two-family homes installing backup power (600V or less), including traditional generators and modern energy storage systems.
- Third-Party Power: We no longer have to wait for a city inspector to find a slot on their calendar or wait hours during the "8am - noon" or "noon - 5pm" window. Qualified third parties can now handle plan reviews and inspections independently without submitting plans to the city or requesting city inspections first.
- Green Light in 48 Hours: Once a city receives notice that a third-party review or inspection has approved the work, they are required by law to issue permits or approvals within two business days after submission.
- Start Building Immediately: Construction can begin as soon as the approval notice from the third party is submitted. No more waiting for a city desk to clear.
- No Extra Fees: Cities are prohibited from charging additional fees related to third-party plan reviews or inspections. Installers, take note! Cities like Arlington are still charging fees they should not. Guardian Home Generators is actively challenging local municipalities.
- Transparency First: Local authorities must publish all applicable codes, rules, and standards online or provide them electronically within two business days if requested.
- Notice Requirement: Third-party reviewers or inspectors must notify the city of results within 15 days of completing the review or inspection.
- Added Protection and Consistency: Site plans and electrical diagrams are reviewed for all installations, and inspections are more consistent and thorough.
Why This Matters for Homeowners
The city permitting nightmares are essentially over. This law ensures a faster and more predictable timeline so your family is protected before the next storm hits. Third-party inspections bring consistency and increased requirements to every project. We now submit site plans and electrical diagrams for all installations, even in cities that do not require them. While this takes more time up front, it saves many hours on the back end. Historically, expensive master plumbers and master electricians often waited on-site for hours for a city inspector to arrive. Those labor costs were ultimately passed through to homeowners. This new process eliminates that waste and keeps your project moving, and keeps you safer. If you talk to an installer not using third-party inspections, you have to wonder why?
Why This Matters for Installers
For the pros, this is about scalability and reliability. By utilizing third-party inspectors, we can maintain a consistent workflow without being sidelined by understaffed building departments. It allows us to give our clients firm start dates, clearer rules, and the ability to finish projects with confidence.
Our Third-Party Partner
Guardian Home Generators works exclusively with Texas Power Inspections (TPI) to ensure your system meets the highest possible standards. As a truly independent third party, TPI’s only priority is your safety. In fact, the TPI inspections we’ve conducted since September have consistently exceeded the scrutiny and standards of every city we’ve worked with. Best of all, their same-day inspection service provides this extra layer of protection without the typical city delays.
The Bottom Line
Texas is prioritizing grid resilience by making it easier for citizens to protect themselves. This law significantly speeds up residential generator permitting and inspections by allowing third-party reviews, limiting city delays, and prohibiting extra fees. As your local generator experts, we are thrilled to leverage these new rules to get your lights back on faster than ever before.
Did you also know Texas Law prohibits HOAs from blocking back up generator installs?
In Texas, an HOA cannot prevent a homeowner from installing a permanently installed whole-home standby electric generator. They can regulate its placement and appearance. For example, they may require a generator to be placed in the backyard or side yard and/or ensure it's not in plain sight to maintain the neighborhood's aesthetics.
Texas Property Code - PROP § 202.019. Standby Electric Generators:
(b) Except as provided by this section, a property owners' association may not adopt or enforce a dedicatory instrument provision that prohibits, restricts, or has the effect of prohibiting or restricting an owner from owning, operating, installing, or maintaining a permanently installed standby electric generator.