OSSF permit and site-evaluation fees and typical review timelines.
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.
Two different numbers, and they vary.
Permit fees are set by each county, not by the state, and they differ enough to matter. Hood County publishes $475 for a new residential system and $310 for a modification. Others differ, and several do not publish a schedule at all. Where we have verified a county's fees, they are on that county's page.
Site evaluation is a separate cost, paid to the licensed site evaluator or engineer rather than to the county.
On timeline, the number to plan against is 30 days for permit review — that is the rule. Design runs a few weeks ahead of that, and installation follows once the Authorization to Construct is issued.
Fees change, so check the county page and then confirm with the county before you write the cheque.
Reviewed August 2026. Links go to the sources this answer was checked against.
More on permitting & regulations
- Do I need a permit to install a septic system in a Texas county, and who issues it?
- 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?
- 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