Do I need a permit to install a septic system in a Texas county, and who issues it?
State rules are the floor. Figures here are TCEQ minimums under 30 TAC Chapter 285. Your county can be stricter and around here most are — check your county before you rely on a number.
Yes — with narrow exceptions, a permit and approved plan are required to construct, install, alter, repair, extend, or operate an on-site sewage facility (OSSF) in Texas (TCEQ, Getting a Permit for an OSSF). The rule states a person must hold a permit and an approved plan unless an exception in 30 TAC §285.3(f) applies, and that the TCEQ executive director is the permitting authority unless a local governmental entity holds an OSSF order, ordinance, or resolution approved by the executive director (30 TAC §285.3). In practice most permits are issued locally: TCEQ notes it "is not often the OSSF permitting authority," and the TCEQ regional office issues permits only where no local program has been authorized (TCEQ, Getting a Permit for an OSSF).
Reviewed August 2026. Links go to the sources this answer was checked against.
More on permitting & regulations
- How do I identify my permitting authority — TCEQ regional office, county, river authority, or city (the Authorized Agent system)?
- Do I need a permit to REPAIR an existing system, and what counts as repair vs alteration vs extension?
- What is an Authorization to Construct, and what happens at final inspection / license to operate?
- OSSF permit and site-evaluation fees and typical review timelines.
- Buying property with an unpermitted or undocumented septic system — exposure and how to fix it.
- Aerobic maintenance contracts — who must hold one, for how long, and can homeowners self-maintain after two years?
All permitting & regulations questions · County permitting offices