San Antonio Strike Team

The Strike Team is an enforcement unit within the City of San Antonio Development Services Department (DSD). Led by the Strike Team Building Chief, this team actively investigates construction sites across San Antonio for unpermitted work, unlicensed contractors, and building code violations. Their mission is to protect public safety by ensuring all construction work meets the standards set by the International Residential Code (IRC) and Chapter 10 of the City of San Antonio Building-Related Codes.

The Strike Team focuses on four critical life-safety areas: electrical, plumbing, mechanical (HVAC), and structural/building. When violations are found, the consequences are severe — for both the contractor and the homeowner.

When the Strike Team discovers unpermitted work at a residential property, the homeowner bears the consequences — even if they were unaware the contractor was unlicensed. The DSD has documented actual cases across San Antonio where homeowners faced devastating outcomes:

• Occupied homes where finished remodels were torn apart — sheetrock removed, fixtures pulled, concrete broken open — to expose and inspect the underlying electrical, plumbing, and structural work.
• Homes listed for sale where beautiful renovations were flagged as unpermitted, stalling or killing the sale entirely until all work was brought up to code.
• Accessory structures (guest houses, ADUs) built without permits that required complete re-permitting and code corrections before they could be legally occupied.
• Scope violations where contractors used minor repair permits to perform full-scale remodels — kitchen and bathroom renovations discovered during Strike Team inspections.