Metal Carport Builders in Dallas, TX

CarportBay Editorial Team Last verified October 2026

Dallas exempts a carport from a building permit at 200 square feet or less. The carport must serve a single-family or duplex home and stay out of the front and side setbacks. Larger carports fall outside the exemption. This page cites the City of Dallas rules and compares the metal carport builders serving Dallas.

Freestanding steel carport covering a 2023 Toyota Camry on a residential driveway — A freestanding steel carport over a driveway. Footprint, wall type and distance from the lot line decide whether a Dallas permit applies.

On this page

Dallas carport facts

Permit exemption: 200 square feet or less, accessory to a single-family or duplex home
Rear detached placement: Up to the side and rear lines, 3 ft from an alley
Fire separation: 5 ft setback unless the carport is all metal
Code basis: 2021 IBC and 2021 IRC with Dallas amendments, effective May 12, 2023
Wind design: ASCE 7-16, speed from the ASCE Hazard Tool for your address

Source: City of Dallas pages, checked October 5, 2026.

Last verified: October 2026

Do you need a permit for a carport in Dallas?

The City of Dallas exempts a carport from a building permit at 200 square feet or less when it is accessory to a single-family or duplex home. The carport must also stay out of the front-yard and side-yard setbacks, as the City's Building Inspection FAQ states.

The 200 sq ft exemption and its conditions

Dallas Chapter 52, Sec. 301.2.1(16) exempts freestanding detached carports of 200 square feet or less accessory to a single-family or duplex premises. The Building Inspection FAQ adds that the carport may not sit within a front-yard or side-yard setback.

Diagram of three Dallas carport permit exemption conditions: 200 sq ft or less, accessory to a home, outside setbacks — The three conditions for the Dallas permit exemption: size, use and placement, each taken from the City of Dallas rules cited in the table. Diagram: CarportBay.

The diagram lists three checks in order. The size is 200 square feet or less. The use is an accessory to a single-family or duplex home. The placement is outside the front and side setbacks.

City of Dallas carport permit exemption: conditions and sources
Condition	Rule	Source
Size	200 square feet or less	Chapter 52, Sec. 301.2.1(16); Building Inspection FAQ
Use	Accessory to a single-family or duplex dwelling	Chapter 52, Sec. 301.2.1(16); Building Inspection FAQ
Placement	Not within a front-yard or side-yard setback	Building Inspection FAQ
Form	Freestanding detached carport	Chapter 52, Sec. 301.2.1(16)

Last verified against City of Dallas pages on October 5, 2026.

What a carport over 200 sq ft involves

A 20x20 carport covers 400 square feet and falls outside the exemption. Area is length times width, so a 12x16 carport covers 192 square feet and a 12x20 carport covers 240 square feet. For a carport above 200 square feet, Dallas Building Inspection can confirm which permit steps apply.

To convert a footprint to square feet for your own lot, see the carport size and square footage guide.

How far from the property line can a Dallas carport sit?

A detached carport in Dallas counts as an accessory structure, and the City sets its placement rules by yard. These rules apply inside the City of Dallas limits, and nearby cities set their own.

Detached carports and alleys

In the rear yard, a detached carport can sit up to the side and rear property lines, with a 3 ft setback from an alley. The Building Inspection FAQ gives this rule for detached carports, which it treats as accessory structures.

Detached steel carport at the rear of a residential lot beside an alley, sheltering a 2022 Honda CR-V — A detached carport at the rear of a lot beside an alley. The City of Dallas sets a 3 ft setback from the alley for detached carports.

Lot plan view showing a detached rear-yard carport, the 3 ft alley setback and the 5 ft setback unless it is all metal — A detached rear-yard carport with the alley setback and the setback that applies unless the carport is all metal. Diagram: CarportBay.

The plan view shows a detached carport at the rear of a lot. It marks the 3 ft alley setback. It also marks the 5 ft setback that applies unless the carport is all metal. The plan is not to scale.

All-metal carports and fire separation

The Building Code asks for a one-hour firewall separation unless the structure is set back 5 feet. The City's FAQ says that unless a carport is all metal, it should be set back 5 feet.

Whether a carport is all metal therefore decides whether the 5 ft setback applies. A builder can state the wall and roof material for the carport in the quote.

Attached carports

An attached carport in Dallas follows the district setbacks for the main structure. Those setbacks depend on the district, so Dallas Building Inspection can confirm them for a specific address.

Attached steel carport on the side of a brick house sheltering a 2022 Mazda CX-5 — An attached carport on the side of a brick house. In Dallas, an attached carport follows the district setbacks.

Which building code and wind basis apply to a Dallas carport?

Dallas adopted the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) and 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) with Dallas amendments, effective May 12, 2023. The City publishes the adoption on its Know Your Code page.

Code basis for a Dallas carport
Item	Statement	Source
Building code	2021 International Building Code with Dallas amendments (Chapter 53)	City of Dallas Know Your Code
Residential code	2021 International Residential Code with Dallas amendments (Chapter 57)	City of Dallas Know Your Code
Effective date	May 12, 2023	City of Dallas Know Your Code
Wind design reference	ASCE 7-16, ultimate design wind speed for the site and its Risk Category; the ASCE Hazard Tool gives the value for an address	ASCE 7-16; ASCE Hazard Tool

Wind design under ASCE 7-16

The 2021 codes reference ASCE 7-16 for wind design, and the ASCE Hazard Tool gives the speed for an exact address. ASCE 7-16 is the engineering standard for design loads published by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Wind load is the lateral force a structure must be engineered to withstand, stated as a design wind speed in miles per hour. That speed depends on the site and its Risk Category, so the Hazard Tool starts from an address.

A builder's engineering certification should cite ASCE 7-16 and the wind speed it used for your address.

How do Dallas metal carport builders compare?

Dallas builders differ in who fabricates the carport, who installs it and what warranty they state. The table records what three companies that serve Dallas state on their own pages, with the date each page was read. Companies are listed alphabetically.

Metal carport builders serving Dallas, as each company states on its own page
Company	Builds	Installs	Fabricated by	Warranty, as the company states	Source and date
Daniel Carport & Patio Company	Yes, per its page	Yes, per its page	Designs and builds in house, per its page	Not stated on the page read	danielcarport.com, Oct 5, 2026
JW Carports	Not stated	Yes	Not named on the page	10-year manufactured and 1-year workmanship, on carports	jwcarports.com, Oct 5, 2026
Texas Metal Carports	Yes, on site	Yes, on site	Not stated	Mentioned, terms not stated	texasmetalcarports.co, Oct 5, 2026

All three companies state that they install. JW Carports is the only one of the three to state warranty terms, a 10-year manufactured warranty and a 1-year workmanship warranty on carports.

What to ask a builder before you sign

Five questions turn a quote into something you can compare line by line.

Which ASCE edition and which wind speed does your engineering certification cite for my address?
Who fabricates the carport, and who installs it?
Does the quote include the City of Dallas permit when one applies, and who handles it?
What does the warranty cover, for how long, and who honors it?
Is the carport all metal, and how does that meet the City of Dallas setback and fire-separation rule for my lot?

Request carport quotes

Share your ZIP code and project details in the form at the end of this page.

Where to confirm your requirements and what to do next

Dallas Building Inspection answers lot-specific questions. Bring the lot address, the carport footprint in square feet, whether the carport is attached or detached and whether it is all metal.

Ask each builder for the engineering certification that cites ASCE 7-16 before you sign.

Dallas carport questions

Do I need a permit to build a carport in Dallas?

A Dallas carport of 200 square feet or less needs no building permit. It must serve a single-family or duplex home and stay out of the front and side setbacks. Larger carports fall outside that exemption. Confirm your lot with Dallas Building Inspection before you order.

What size carport is exempt from a Dallas permit?

The exemption stops at 200 square feet. A 12x16 carport covers 192 square feet, so it fits. A 20x20 carport covers 400 square feet, so it does not. The carport must also be accessory to a single-family or duplex home.

How close to the property line can a Dallas carport sit?

A detached carport in the rear yard can sit up to the side and rear property lines, with a 3 ft setback from any alley. Unless the carport is all metal, the City says to set it back 5 feet. Attached carports follow the district setbacks.

Which building code applies to a Dallas carport?

Dallas uses the 2021 International Building Code and 2021 International Residential Code with Dallas amendments, effective May 12, 2023. Wind design under those codes references ASCE 7-16. Ask your builder which edition their engineering certification cites.

What wind speed must a Dallas carport be designed for?

Dallas carports are designed to the ASCE 7-16 wind speed for the site and its Risk Category, as the 2021 codes require. The ASCE Hazard Tool gives the value for your exact address. Ask your builder for the certification that cites it.

How do I compare carport builders in Dallas?

Compare who fabricates the carport, who installs it and the warranty terms in writing. Also ask whether the company handles the City of Dallas permit when one applies. The table above records what each named company states on its own page, with the date checked.

Sources and last check

Sources are listed with the date each was checked.

City of Dallas, Building Inspection FAQs: carport exemption, detached, attached and fire-separation sentences, checked October 5, 2026.
Dallas City Code, Chapter 52 (booklet as of 3-27-24), Sec. 301.2.1(16): freestanding detached carport exemption, checked October 5, 2026.
City of Dallas, Know Your Code: 2021 IBC and IRC with Dallas amendments, effective May 12, 2023, checked October 5, 2026.
ASCE Hazard Tool: address-level design wind speed under ASCE 7-16.

Company pages in the builder table were read on October 5, 2026.