What a pier job is
Piers are supports set beneath a foundation, and underpinning means adding support under one that's already built. Dallas's glossary names piers, underpinning systems and slab corrections as the work its Foundation Repair Permit is for. Grand Prairie lists installation or replacement of piers among the repairs that require a permit.
Per-pier prices in Texas: what seven companies publish
One pier comes to $695 to $1,300 per pier, installed in our range. Seven Texas companies publish a per-pier price; the range is the middle half of those prices, except that our national estimate sets the low end because the companies' lowest quarter sits below it. A whole job is that figure times the pier count, and none of it is a quote.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $695 to $1,300 per pier, installed | The middle half of 7 Texas company prices for this job (25th to 75th percentile, $300 to $1,300); the low end is held at our national estimate ($695: built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Texas cement mason wage ratio (0.82)) because the companies' lower quarter falls below it. Ten Texas foundation companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: company sample (n=7), interquartile range, national estimate as the floor. |
| Estimated range per underpinning job, not a quote | $6,975 to $28,300 per underpinning job | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Texas cement mason wage ratio (0.82). Ten Texas foundation companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: no state company sample (no counted Texas company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Texas hourly mean, cement masons and concrete finishers | $23.69 an hour | BLS May 2025 wage for the occupation closest to pier crews in Texas; a wage, which is not the price of a pier. |
| National hourly mean, cement masons and concrete finishers | $28.87 an hour | BLS nationwide figure from May 2025, used as the divisor for the Texas ratio. |
| Foundation repair permit application, Killeen | $50 plus a $10 technology fee | From the city's March 2022 announcement; contractors also pay a yearly registration, and work done without a permit pays double. |
| Foundation repair permit, Garland | Required at repairs of $2,000 or more | Garland adds a 4.5% Technology/Equipment Surcharge to every permit Building Inspections issues. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (2 sources), adjusted by Texas's cement mason wage ratio to the US (0.82, BLS May 2025). Not a quote. Ten Texas foundation companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Seven Texas companies publish a price we could count for this job, so the range runs from the lower quarter to the upper quarter of those prices (the middle half of them), with the low end held at our national estimate because the companies' lower quarter falls below it. Full method. Prices as of Oct 23, 2026.
The engineer's drawing cities ask for
Garland wants the engineer's letter with a stamped pier diagram and a foundation and elevation assessment plan. Once the piers are in, the repair company emails the engineer's final report.
Killeen gives two routes. You can file a floor and pier type diagram and hand in an engineer-stamped acceptance letter at the end, in lieu of city inspections. Or you can file engineer-stamped drawings up front and have the city inspect at the rough stage, meaning pre-pour and pier placement, and again at the final.
Who may set piers in Texas
There's no foundation repair, concrete or general contractor program among the 41 TDLR regulates. Killeen adds a city layer: a March 1, 2022 announcement has foundation repair contractors register every year, for $80 plus a $10 technology fee. Ask your city whether it keeps a list like that.
Where the ASCE Texas guidelines fit
The Texas Section of ASCE adopted Version 3 of its evaluation and repair guidelines in April 2022 and calls them guidelines only. City permit desks work from their own submittal lists, and the 25 cities' pages don't name the guidelines.
Pier problems to call about now
- Part of a floor or a wall has dropped since you last checked it.
- A pier or post you can see under the house has shifted or tipped.
- Water is standing against the foundation within reach of an outlet or the panel.
- Comparing pier counts from two or three companies on a house that hasn't moved in months.
Before you agree to a pier count
- Ask who counted the piers, and where each one goes on a drawing.
- Ask your city which engineer's letter or diagram it accepts.
- Have the permit written into the price.
Permits and the engineer's paperwork for piers
Setting piers falls inside the foundation repair permits San Antonio, Garland, Grand Prairie, Killeen and Denton print, and all five want an engineer's letter, plan or diagram. Get the city's submittal list before a contractor writes the price.
Texas has no state license for foundation repair, so ask for the contractor's certificate of insurance and call the insurer listed on it before you sign anything.
Questions people ask
Does putting in piers need a permit in Texas?
In Grand Prairie, yes, and other large cities treat it as a foundation repair permit. Grand Prairie names leveling and the installation or replacement of piers as repairs that require a permit. Garland, Killeen, San Antonio and Denton fold pier work into their foundation repair permits, with an engineer's paperwork.
How much is one foundation pier in Texas?
We put a pier at $695 to $1,300 per pier, installed, a range drawn from seven Texas company prices. The range is the middle half of those prices with our national figure as the floor. Multiply by the pier count the engineer's drawing shows.
Who inspects pier work?
In some cities, the engineer does instead of the city. Killeen accepts an engineer-stamped acceptance letter in lieu of city inspections. Mesquite's permit page still links a July 2006 letter to foundation repair contractors, revised 11-22-06, which says its inspectors have chosen not to inspect foundation repairs since 2002 and final the permit on the engineer's letter. Mesquite Building Inspection is at 972-288-7711.
What if the piers don't hold?
Property Code chapter 27 sets out a notice step before a lawsuit, as the statute read in an April 2018 copy. In that copy, the contractor gets 35 days after your written notice to inspect, and has until the 45th day to make a written offer, which may include an agreement to repair.
- Dallas Planning & Development: DallasNow Terminology Reference Guide Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Grand Prairie: Residential Foundation Repair Permit Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Garland: Foundation Repair Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Killeen: Foundation repair contractor announcement Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDLR: Programs Licensed and Regulated by TDLR Read Oct 23, 2026.
- ASCE Texas Section: Texas Residential Foundations Guidelines Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Amarillo: Panhandle Residential Foundation Manual (April 2017) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (SOC 47-2051), Texas, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (SOC 47-2051), United States, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- FoundationMatch: how we estimate costs, Texas (editorial policy) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- San Antonio DSD: Information Bulletin 172 Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Denton: Foundation Repair Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Mesquite: Foundation Repair letter (2006) Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm it with the source itself before relying on it.
- Mesquite: Permit Process Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Texas Property Code ch. 27 (Wayback copy of 2018-04-12) Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm it with the source itself before relying on it.