Ground up construction loans for builders in Corpus Christi.
Built for spec home builders and developers. We fund the land and the vertical build up to 70% LTV and 85% of cost, with draws that keep pace with the job. A Corpus Christi build carries engineer-sealed windstorm drawings, and the WPI-8 is what gets the finished house wind coverage. Business-purpose only, and every structure is set in underwriting.
Typical figures, subject to underwriting and market conditions. Not a commitment to lend.
How it works
We finance both the land and the vertical construction, with a draw schedule built around your timeline. Experienced builders can access higher leverage on cost.
Ground-Up Construction in Corpus Christi, answered.
What does a Corpus Christi building permit actually cost on a new house?
About $1,740 all-in on a 2,000 square foot house. The city's FY2026 fee schedule (effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026) prices plan review at $0.146 per square foot and the building permit at $0.461 per square foot with a $146.41 minimum, plus separate electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits at $0.075 per square foot each. On a 2,000 square foot house that totals $1,664 before a 4.5% surcharge on the starred fees, which brings it to roughly $1,738.88. Add $100 if a floodplain review applies. Fees are indexed to the August Construction Index published in the Engineering News-Record and automatically increase every October 1, so budget the current schedule, not last year's.
Yes, and it is a real lever most Texas cities do not offer. The city sells expedited plan review at 150% of the standard plan review rate, with a customized option at 150% plus $150 per hour on a two-hour minimum, available for both residential and commercial. That is a genuine schedule tool for sizing a construction-loan draw calendar. One caution: a multiple plan review fee of 15% of the plan review fee kicks in starting on the fourth review submittal, so a design that keeps getting kicked back for revisions erodes the time you bought.
Why does my new build need a WPI-1 form and where does the WPI-8 fit in the draw schedule?
Because Nueces County is a TWIA first-tier windstorm county, and the certification trail starts at permit, not at closing. The city's own residential permit submittal list requires a completed Texas Department of Insurance WPI-1 form plus engineer-sealed drawings showing hold-down locations and uplift connections. That WPI-1 gets filed with the permit, before the work starts, and the inspections that follow through the build produce the WPI-8 (or WPI-8-E for completed work) that TWIA requires before it will write wind coverage. Build the inspection points into your draw schedule alongside the framing and rough-in draws. A house that reaches completion without that trail can leave the buyer unable to get wind coverage, which means unable to close.
What changes about the build if my lot sits in a VE flood zone?
Fill is prohibited, and the elevation math is stricter than an AE lot. Under the city's flood development standards (current FIRMs effective October 13, 2022), a VE-zone build needs V-zone design and construction certificates, and the bottom of the lowest horizontal member must sit at or above base flood elevation plus 1 foot of freeboard, which applies to mechanical equipment too, not just the floor. Breakaway walls below BFE must be engineered, and a non-conversion agreement may be required. Compare that to an AE lot, where fill is allowed and only the finished floor needs to clear BFE plus 1 foot. A Beachfront Construction Certificate or Dune Protection Permit applies on top of that where the site requires it. Get the elevation certificate at final construction either way; it is required before certificate of occupancy.
Should I worry about water availability for a new build here?
It is worth checking the city's drought stage before you finalize a landscaping or irrigation plan, not the structure itself. Corpus Christi spent 20 months under Stage 3 drought restrictions from December 2024 to August 2026 before easing to Stage 2 on August 4, 2026, when the Western Reservoirs reached 36.9%, above the 30% threshold in the city's Drought Contingency Plan. As of August 13, 2026 the city reports Stage 2 with Choke Canyon at 24.4%, Lake Corpus Christi at 91.7%, and a combined level of 43.1%; Stage 2 limits lawn watering to once every two weeks before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. The city is also in contracting on a roughly $979 million desalination plant that is permitted but not yet built. This is a live number that moves, so check the current stage before you set irrigation specs on a build-to-rent exit.
Does the Corpus Christi permit bill sit inside the 85% of cost you fund?
Yes, it belongs inside the cost number, and you fund about 15% of that total. We fund up to 85% of cost and up to 70% of value, whichever is lower. On a $600,000 all-in Corpus Christi build that is up to $510,000 from us and $90,000 from you (600,000 x 85% = 510,000), released in draws against the build schedule rather than in one advance. Put the permit line inside that cost number, not beside it: a 2,000 square foot house permits for roughly $1,740 here before any floodplain review. Subject to underwriting.
Do I need a building track record to get a Corpus Christi construction loan?
No, but experience buys leverage.Experienced builders can access higher leverage; a first build gets underwritten on the plans, the budget and the contractor you are using. Credit works the same way it does on our other asset-based programs: we run it, there is no minimum score, and weaker credit is usually met with lower leverage rather than a decline. No hard pull to start. Subject to underwriting.
Should I size the term around Corpus Christi's expedited plan review?
Yes, and the loan runs up to $5M on a 12 to 24 month term. That covers spec or build-to-rent, with draws released on the build schedule. Size the term against plan review rather than against the framing calendar alone: the city sells expedited plan review at 150% of the standard rate, which is a real schedule lever, and a design that keeps getting kicked back eats the time you bought. Subject to underwriting.
Local rules move. Every tax rate, fee, ordinance and market figure here comes from a primary source and carries the date we read it, and we correct them as the rules change. Where a number is mid-change or we could not verify it, we say so rather than guess. Before you commit a budget, confirm anything that drives it with the city or county, and talk to your attorney or CPA on questions of law or tax.
Published by USA Mortgage Funding, LLC, NMLS #152588. Researched from primary sources by our team, drafted with AI assistance, and every figure checked against its source before publishing. Where an answer rests on a public record, that record is linked under it. Figures read on 2026-08-13.
Funding Corpus Christi deals fast.
Get real terms, usually same day. No obligation, no hard credit pull to start.
