Short answer

McKinney requires a permit for any foundation leveling, pier replacement, shimming or floor system replacement, on slabs and pier and beam homes alike. You need an engineer's letter and drawings to get the permit, and the permit only closes once the engineer's final report is uploaded. About 40% of McKinney's land is Houston Black clay, with more creek-bottom Tinn clay than the other cities in this guide.

McKinney at a glance for foundations

McKinney is the Collin County seat. Most of its homes are recent, but it also keeps a noticeably larger stock of older houses than its neighbors. For foundations, that means two quite different housing stocks in one city, on soils that change from upland clay to creek-bottom clay as you move toward the East Fork of the Trinity and its tributaries. This page covers what is specific to McKinney. It does not diagnose any home; for that, you need a Texas-licensed professional engineer who has seen the house.

Map of McKinney, Texas, and nearby citiesMcKinney is highlighted, with Frisco, Allen, Plano and Prosper also shown. Prosper and Frisco are in the west, McKinney in the north and east, Allen in the middle and Plano in the south. Nearby places shown for context include Celina, Little Elm, The Colony, Carrollton, Richardson, Murphy, Wylie, Lucas, Fairview, Melissa, Princeton and Anna. Dashed lines mark the Collin, Denton and Dallas county lines: Frisco, Plano and Prosper extend into Denton County, and Plano and Richardson reach into Dallas County. Major roads: US 75 runs north to south through Plano, Allen and McKinney; SH 121 (Sam Rayburn Tollway) runs southwest to northeast through Frisco, Plano, Allen and McKinney; US 380 runs east to west through Prosper and McKinney; the Dallas North Tollway runs north through Plano, Frisco and Prosper; the President George Bush Turnpike crosses the south of Plano; SH 289 (Preston Road) runs north through Plano, Frisco and Prosper.COLLIN COUNTYDENTON COUNTYDALLAS COUNTYCelinaAnnaCarrolltonLittle ElmWylieDallasRichardsonLucasThe ColonyPrincetonMelissaGarlandParkerFairviewMurphy75121380DNTPGBT289McKinneyPlanoFriscoAllenProsper5 milesN
  • McKinney city limits
  • Other cities this guide covers
  • Other nearby cities
  • Major highway or tollway
  • County line
City limits, county lines and roads from US Census Bureau TIGER data. Whether a company serves a particular address depends on that company.

McKinney's permit rules

McKinney publishes a one-page General Guidelines for Foundation Repair. It is short and specific:

  • What needs a permit. Foundation repair is defined as "any leveling, replacement of piers, footings, shimming, or replacement of any part of the floor system," and any of these requires a permit.
  • Both foundation types. The requirements apply to slab-on-grade and pier and beam foundations alike.
  • Only the repaired sections. The rules cover the sections you repair. Existing piers, beams and floor systems that aren't touched don't have to be brought up to the same standard.
  • Engineering first. To get the permit, you must first submit an engineer's letter and drawings showing the affected areas, and state whether any affected plumbing (water, sewer or gas) will need testing. The guideline says repaired foundations are required to be engineered by a licensed professional registered in Texas.
  • Engineer's final report to close. The permit is closed out by uploading the Final Engineer's Report to the permit in the city's CSS portal.

Applications go through the city's online portal. McKinney's Home Repairs and Permit Information page says to search the portal's Application Assistant for "Residential Foundation Repair" to start. This guide hasn't found a published fee for that permit type, so ask the city.

Questions go to Building Inspections at 469-617-4800, 401 E. Virginia St. (Building Inspections).

The soil under McKinney

We calculated soil shares for land inside McKinney's city limits from the USDA's Collin County soil survey (NRCS Web Soil Survey; data pulled through Soil Data Access, survey area TX085):

  • Houston Black: about 40%
  • Austin: about 22%
  • Altoga: about 8%
  • Tinn: about 7%
  • Heiden: about 6%
  • Lewisville: about 5%

The mix is what sets McKinney apart. Houston Black is the Blackland Prairie clay with high shrink-swell potential and deep cracks in dry spells (USDA series description). Tinn is a flood plain clay formed in alluvium along streams, and the USDA notes that flooding is common except where the soil is protected (Tinn series description). Altoga forms on stream terraces in clayey alluvium (Altoga series description), and Lewisville is also a stream terrace soil (Lewisville series description). McKinney has more of these creek and terrace soils than Plano, Allen or Frisco.

In the USDA's engineering data for the county, Tinn rates very high for shrink-swell and Lewisville rates high, while the chalk-derived Austin soils rate moderate. What that means for any one lot can only be answered on site.

McKinney's weather cycle

The long-term normals for McKinney's own airport show why summer is hard on clay. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the McKinney airport weather station give 38.30 inches of rain a year, with July (1.96 inches) and August (1.73 inches) the driest months and normal highs around 95 degrees, while May (4.77 inches) and October (4.41 inches) are the wettest (NOAA NCEI normals). Clay soils dry and shrink through late summer, then take on water again in fall. In 2026 the dry side was severe: Collin County had no drought on the August 11 map and 79% of the county in extreme drought by September 22 (US Drought Monitor county data).

Watering rules in McKinney

McKinney's WaterSmart FAQ says the city is currently in its summer water conservation plan:

  • No outdoor watering from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Outdoor watering on your trash day, and three days later if necessary, with residents asked to cut landscape watering by two minutes per zone.
  • Trees, flowers and gardens may be watered more often with targeted methods such as watering cans, hand-held hoses, soaker hoses, or dedicated drip zones.

The FAQ doesn't name foundations specifically, and it warns that more restrictions may follow if drought continues. Check the current FAQ before relying on a soaker hose routine, and see our foundation watering guide for the general approach.

Housing age in McKinney

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey puts the median year built for McKinney homes at 2007 (ACS 2020 to 2024, table B25035). The breakdown (table B25034) shows about 40% of homes built in 2010 or later, but also about 4,250 homes built before 1970, roughly 5.5% of the total, which is a larger older stock than Frisco, Allen or Prosper have.

Newer homes and older homes raise different questions. For a recent build, the questions are usually about the builder's warranty and its deadlines. For an older house, the Census can't say whether it's slab or pier and beam, so check; our pier and beam vs slab guide explains the difference, and McKinney's permit rules cover both.

Who should look at a McKinney foundation

McKinney's permit process puts an engineer at both ends of a repair, but you can also hire your own engineer before any repair company is involved. Texas's engineering board has said that analyzing the cause of a foundation problem and recommending repairs is the practice of engineering (TBPELS advisory opinion 43). An independent evaluation gives you a design to get bids against, rather than a repair company's own plan. You can check an engineer's license on the TBPELS roster, and our engineer report vs free inspection guide compares the two.

If you'd like bids from foundation repair companies that work in McKinney, this guide can pass your request along. See how it works and our referral disclosure.

This guide is independent and isn't affiliated with the City of McKinney.

Frequently asked questions

Does McKinney require a permit for foundation repair?

Yes. McKinney's foundation repair guidelines say any leveling, pier or footing replacement, shimming, or replacement of any part of the floor system needs a permit, for slab and pier and beam homes alike. The permit type in the city's portal is Residential Foundation Repair.

What engineering does McKinney require?

An engineer's letter and drawings of the affected areas before the permit is issued, including whether water, sewer or gas lines need testing. To close the permit, the Final Engineer's Report must be uploaded to the permit in the city's CSS portal.

How do I check whether a past McKinney repair was permitted?

Ask the seller or the repair company for the permit number and the engineer's final report. McKinney only closes a foundation repair permit once that report is uploaded, so a closed permit is a good sign. Building Inspections is on 469-617-4800.

Can I water my foundation during McKinney's summer water plan?

McKinney's current FAQ limits sprinklers to trash day and three days later if needed, never from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It allows extra targeted watering of trees, flowers and gardens by hand-held hose, soaker hose or drip. Foundations aren't named, so check the current FAQ.

What soils are under McKinney?

Our calculation from USDA soil survey data puts about 40% of McKinney's land on Houston Black clay and 22% on Austin soils, plus more creek-bottom Tinn clay and terrace soils such as Altoga and Lewisville than the other cities in this guide.