i30 Builders · Dallas, TX
Steam Showers and Curbless Showers in Dallas
We build custom showers in Dallas: steam showers, curbless showers and full wet rooms. This is what the city asks for when the drain moves or a steam unit goes in.
Permits handled · Written scope and price before any deposit
Free site visit · written scope · lump-sum price
Rated 5.0 on Google$1M GL + $1M Umbrella1-year workmanship warranty
Get a written estimate
Four fields. We call back within one business day to set up the site visit.
- GL + umbrella coverage
- $1M + $1M
- Workmanship warranty
- 1-yr
- Cities served
- 33
What does Dallas require for a custom or steam shower?
Swapping a valve or fixture where it already sits needs no permit in Dallas. A curbless shower usually moves the drain, and any change to the rough-in is plumbing permit work, drawn on the plans. A steam unit adds electrical load, and Dallas wants load calculations whenever load is added.
When a Dallas shower job needs a permit
Dallas writes its permit exemptions into Chapter 52 of the city code. Anything not on the list needs a permit.
- Replacing a fitting, valve or plumbing fixture in kind is exempt, as long as the number of fixtures and the rough-in locations stay the same. Move the drain to go curbless and the exemption is gone. City of Dallas, Chapter 52 Administrative Procedures for the Construction Codes (booklet current through March 27, 2024), 301.2.2, items 1 and 5
- Floor coverings, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work are exempt on the building side, and so is interior remodeling of walls that carry no load in a house, when no floor area is added. City of Dallas, Chapter 52 Administrative Procedures for the Construction Codes (booklet current through March 27, 2024), 301.2.1, items 1 and 8
- A bathroom exhaust fan in a single-family home or duplex can go in without a mechanical permit. City of Dallas, Chapter 52 Administrative Procedures for the Construction Codes (booklet current through March 27, 2024), 301.2.3, item 5
- On a house, Dallas charges an alterations permit of $181 for the dwelling, plus $100 for each additional trade on it. The plumbing and electrical work a wet room brings is what adds to the base. City of Dallas Planning and Development Permit Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2025, Table B-II
Read from the city’s own documents on the dates linked. Codes and fees change and city staff interpret them, so we confirm for your address before we pull the permit.
What the city wants to see on paper
- The remodel application takes two copies of dimensioned plans that show the walls staying, the walls coming out and the new walls, with every room labeled. City of Dallas One and Two Family Dwellings Remodel/Renovation Application Checklist, Item 2
- In a house with gas appliances, the plans also show where the carbon monoxide alarms go, next to the existing and new smoke detectors. City of Dallas One and Two Family Dwellings Remodel/Renovation Application Checklist, Item 2
- When the drain moves under a slab, the plumbing plans show the layout, size and material of that piping, plus a riser diagram, which is a drawing of the drain and vent pipes as they stand in the walls. City of Dallas Plumbing Permit Application Checklist (for plumbing plan review), Items 2 and 3
- If the city flags something missing, answer within five working days. After that the application can be delayed and finally discarded, and a resubmittal waits in line as a new one. City of Dallas One and Two Family Dwellings Remodel/Renovation Application Checklist
- A Conservation District Work Review Form is only required when the project touches the outside of the house, such as a new window. A shower kept inside the walls skips that step. City of Dallas One and Two Family Dwellings Remodel/Renovation Application Checklist, Additional requirement 2
Read from the city’s own documents on the dates linked. Codes and fees change and city staff interpret them, so we confirm for your address before we pull the permit.
Dallas rules that reach the shower itself
- Dallas's residential code wants a finish that does not soak up water on shower floors and walls, carried at least 6 feet above the floor. City of Dallas Ordinance No. 32424, Chapter 57 Dallas One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code, R307.2
- Dallas adds a rule of its own: one toilet at grade level gets solid blocking in the back wall and one side wall, so grab bars can be mounted later. If the wet room holds the downstairs toilet, the blocking goes in while the walls are open. City of Dallas Ordinance No. 32424, Chapter 57 Dallas One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code, R307.3 and R307.4
- Dallas moved to the 2023 National Electrical Code on May 23, 2025. Its local amendment asks for load calculations whenever loads are added, which is what a steam generator does. City of Dallas letter to electrical contractors on the adoption of the 2023 NEC, April 23, 2025, Ch. 56 No. 13, article 220
- Open an outside wall and the city's energy code form says to fill the cavity with insulation. Replacing more than 10 percent of the light fixtures in a space can bring in a third-party energy code inspector. City of Dallas, Residential Remodels/Renovations and the Energy Code form, 10/01/2025, Items 8 and 9
Read from the city’s own documents on the dates linked. Codes and fees change and city staff interpret them, so we confirm for your address before we pull the permit.
Who can pull the permit
- Dallas issues remodel permits only to a registered contractor holding the licenses the work calls for. City of Dallas One and Two Family Dwellings Remodel/Renovation Application Checklist, Additional requirement 4
- An owner can take out a homeowner's permit for interior remodeling or plumbing on their own homestead without registering, but has to do that work personally, with no one paid to help. City of Dallas Homeowner's Exemption from Registration as a Contractor
Read from the city’s own documents on the dates linked. Codes and fees change and city staff interpret them, so we confirm for your address before we pull the permit.
Dallas Questions
What people in Dallas ask us
Does a steam shower need a permit in Dallas?
Almost always. The steam unit needs its own power and adds load, which Dallas wants calculated, and the shower around it usually changes the plumbing rough-in. We put the whole job on one permit.
Can I go curbless on a slab in Dallas?
Yes. It usually means cutting the slab to drop the floor and move the drain. That changes the rough-in, so it is permit work, with the piping under the slab drawn on the plumbing plans.
I live in a conservation district. Does that affect my shower?
Not if the work stays inside. Dallas asks for the Conservation District Work Review Form when a project changes the outside, like a new or resized window.
What is the blocking rule I keep hearing about?
Dallas requires solid backing behind and beside one toilet at grade level so grab bars can be added later. If your remodel includes that toilet, we put it in while the walls are open.
How do you price a steam shower or wet room in Dallas?
We look at the floor, the drains and the panel first. Then you get one written price for that scope, and it holds unless the scope changes.
Keep reading
Get a written estimate in Dallas
Tell us what you want built and roughly how big. We check the city and HOA rules for your address and price the scope in writing.
indicates a required field
Step 1 of 2: Project info