Mission Statement

Our Department's mission is to facilitate and provide the tools necessary to plan and develop commercial and residential projects through approachable and compassionate City staff, using Zoning Ordinances (UDO) and Development Guidelines to ensure a safe and healthy community, and to provide equity and fairness to all.  Staff provides transparent and ethical service to help grow Ennis in a way we can continue our thriving economy and vibrant lifestyles. 

PRE-DEVELOPMENT MEETINGS

***EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY***

The City of Ennis is now holding Pre-Development meetings to guide and assist those seeking to build developments/projects in Ennis.  Pre-Development Meetings are scheduled the first and third Thursday of every month starting at 9:15 a.m.  The developer(s) can request an in-person meeting or a virtual meeting.  

The in-person meetings are held at the Planning and Development Department located at 108 W Knox St., Ennis, TX 75119.  Virtual meetings are held via Microsoft Teams.  Each meeting is scheduled for 45 minutes.

The purpose of these meetings is to introduce the developer(s) to local development and building regulations, and the City officials responsible for all aspects of development in the City of Ennis. The developer(s) is given the opportunity to discuss a project with City Officials and receive input. Staff will answer your questions about the various City Ordinances pertinent to your project, the permitting and development processes and rules and regulations adopted by the City. 

These meetings are optional and informal meetings offered to assist the developer(s) in preparing to make their application to our City. These meetings are NOT required but encouraged.  

No approval of the proposed development/project will be given at the time.

Representatives of the following City departments may be present at the meeting to answer any questions and/or to provide feedback: City Engineer, Building Official, Planning and Development, Fire Marshal, Public Works, Utilities, Economic Development and Health Department (when appropriate).

To schedule a pre-development meeting, please complete the Pre-Development Meeting Request Form. 

In addition, and prior to the meeting, we also ask you to please review our Pre-Development Meeting Checklist (see below) or click here to access it. 

PRE-DEVELOPMENT MEETING CHECKLIST

Staff have prepared a Pre-Development Meeting Checklist to help developers understand and prepare for the City's development process by outlining requirements, regulations and potential hurdles before formally applying for any entitlement process. 

Please click here to access our Checklist.  

PLANNED DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES

Please Click Here And Read First Before Submitting An Application Through The Online Portal

PLANNING AND BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS PROCESSED ONLINE (NEW)

Effective June 5, 2024, any planning and building permit application you typically complete in paper form is now available online. This easy-to-use system, OpenGov, provides applicants with the ability to submit requests any time of day, any day of the week. Applicants can easily track the status of their request and communicate with the appropriate City staff about their application.

This system offers a simpler, more transparent and expeditious permit planning process. If you’re ready to get started, please log in to https://ennistx.portal.opengov.com to create an account in just a few simple steps. 

View instructions to learn how to create an account, apply and submit an application, track the progress of your application, make a payment or communicate with City staff about your application.

For your convenience, the Department has made a kiosk available in our lobby area for your use and staff will gladly assist should you need help submitting your application using the kiosk.