Residential and commercial construction projects in San Antonio face some of nation’s thickest bureaucratic red tape, according to a study released last week by construction consulting firm Labrynth.
In its second-annual Red Tape Index Report, Labrynth used AI to rank the 500 biggest U.S. cities based on how difficult it is to get permit approvals for new residential and commercial projects and remodeling.
Labrynth ranked cities using regulatory data across five categories, including the average speed of permit approval, population growth over the past two decades and permits approved per capita.
San Antonio came in at No. 383, scoring in the bottom half. The speed with which city bureaucrats green light projects hurt the Alamo City’s overall score, the numbers show.
It takes an average of 30 to 90 days to get projects approved in San Antonio, according to Labrynth, putting the city near the bottom when it came to the number of approved projects per capita,
Meanwhile, Fort Worth ranked No. 1 for developers looking to break ground quickly, with builders receiving commercial and residential permit approvals in as little as 6 to 10 days.
“At a time when cities across the country are under pressure to accelerate housing delivery, infrastructure buildout, and AI-driven economic growth, Fort Worth is showing what’s possible,” Labyrinth wrote in its report.
Although no other major Texas city cracked the top 100, several smaller Lone Star State municipalities, including Grand Prairie, Frisco, Edinburg, Burleson, Irving, McKinney and Mesquite, all landed in the top 50 best places for developers.
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