Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-09-29
177 of Texas's 254 counties — 70% — require no residential building permit and have no county-wide zoning in their unincorporated areas. That is the largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Cherokee County (88/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.
Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 563 counties nationwide → Texas: no building codes → Texas: no zoning → Texas: owner-builder → Texas: rv living → Texas: tiny homes → Texas: no minimum home size → Full Texas profile →
177 of 254 Texas counties · sorted by Index score
Texas counties have no general authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas, and Cherokee County's list of offices includes no building or code-enforcement depa…
Cherokee County, TX - County Offices ↗Sabine County's official department list includes no building-permit, inspection, or code-enforcement office, consistent with Texas law that gives counties no general authority …
Sabine County official website (county departments) ↗Texas counties have only limited permissive building-code authority in unincorporated areas and Rusk County has no adopted county residential building permit.
Texas Real Estate Research Center (Texas A&M) - Land-Use Restrictions in Texas ↗Texas counties generally lack authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas; the unincorporated county has no residential building code unless adopted through a …
Texas State Law Library - Building Codes (Texas) ↗Building permits administered by Jasper County for construction in unincorporated areas of the county. The county statement applies to unincorporated areas only; incorporated mu…
County Judge — Jasper County, Texas ↗Unincorporated Angelina County has no county building code or building-permit program; building permits apply only within incorporated cities such as Lufkin.
Angelina & Neches River Authority - OSSF Overview ↗Texas counties have no general building-code authority in unincorporated areas and Shelby County lists no building/permit department; single-family construction outside city lim…
Texas Real Estate Research Center (Texas A&M) - Land-Use Restrictions in Texas ↗Building permits for construction in unincorporated areas of San Augustine County, Texas. This claim does not address incorporated municipalities, which may impose their own req…
Zoning and County Permits plus Septic Systems Information ↗Cass County's official department listing shows no building/permit department; Texas counties generally lack authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas.
Cass County TX - Official Website (Departments) ↗Anderson County has no building-permit, zoning, or development-services department; Texas counties lack statutory authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas. …
Anderson County, Texas - Official Website (department listing) ↗Texas counties have no authority to require building permits or prior approval for new residential construction in unincorporated areas; Titus County administers OSSF/environmen…
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov) ↗Texas counties have no authority to require building permits or prior approval for new residential construction in unincorporated areas; Houston County lists no county building-…
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov) ↗Texas counties cannot require residential building permits in unincorporated areas and Robertson County publishes no building-permit program.
Robertson County official website ↗Panola County's official list of county offices includes no building, permit, inspection, or code-enforcement department, consistent with Texas law under which counties have no …
Panola County, TX - County Offices ↗Texas counties lack authority to require general building permits in unincorporated areas; Walker County's Planning & Development controls are development/floodplain permits, su…
Walker County TX - Permits (Planning & Development) ↗Texas counties generally lack authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; the Marion County official site lists no building/permitting department.
Marion County, Texas - Official County Website ↗Texas counties generally cannot require building permits or enforce building codes in unincorporated areas; statewide residential code enforcement was abolished in 2009, so no c…
Texas Real Estate Research Center (Texas A&M), Land-Use Restrictions in Texas ↗Trinity County's official site shows no county building department or building-permit program; under Texas law counties cannot require residential building permits in unincorpor…
Trinity County, Texas - Septic Permit Process / County site ↗Texas counties have no authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas; Bowie County's county government offers no building-permit program (permits are municipal, …
Bowie County, Texas ↗Texas counties have no general statutory authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; Wood County regulates plats via subdivision rules but no coun…
Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233 - County Regulation of Housing and Other Structures ↗Franklin County lists no building, permit, inspection, or code-enforcement department (only a Septic Inspector and Fire Marshal), and Texas counties generally lack authority to …
Franklin County Government ↗Upshur County, Texas has no building department; its only construction-related permit in unincorporated areas is a floodplain (flood damage prevention) permit within mapped floo…
Upshur County (TX) Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance ↗Texas counties lack authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; the only construction-related county permit found is the OSSF (septic) permit.
Freestone County On-Site Sewage Facilities Program ↗Texas counties have no authority to require building permits or prior approval for new residential construction in unincorporated areas (only limited permissive code authority u…
Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233 ↗The county issues only OSSF (septic) and driveway/culvert permits; Environmental Services states its authority is limited to septic oversight, and Texas counties do not require …
Grimes County Environmental Permits ↗Lamar County's department listing includes no building-permit, building-inspection, planning, or zoning office; Texas counties lack statutory authority to require building permi…
Lamar County, Texas - Official Website (site map / departments) ↗Texas counties cannot mandate single-family residential building permits in unincorporated areas (Local Gov Code Ch. 233); Harrison County only administers floodplain-developmen…
Bexar County (official) - County Building Permit Authority FAQ (Texas statewide statute) ↗Texas counties generally lack authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas; per TCEQ, counties cannot dictate what kind of home you place on your land, and no C…
TCEQ OSSF Information for Homeowners ↗The county's permits page lists septic, electrical, solar, driveway, and floodplain permits but no building permit; consistent with Texas counties lacking authority to require b…
Madison County TX - Permits ↗Texas counties cannot enforce residential building codes or require building permits in unincorporated areas; Delta County's Development Services lists only subdivision, drivewa…
Delta County TX - Development Services ↗Bee County issues only OSSF (septic), development/floodplain, and mobile-unit permits for unincorporated areas; Texas counties lack general authority to require residential buil…
Bee County Community Affairs ↗Texas counties have no general authority to require building permits or prior approval for new residential construction in unincorporated areas; LGC Chapter 233's permissive cou…
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233 (County Regulation) ↗Under Texas law counties generally lack authority to require residential building permits or inspections in unincorporated areas; Limestone County publishes no residential build…
Texas county building-permit authority (Local Gov't Code Ch. 233; Bexar County FAQ) ↗As a rural Texas county, Stephens County has no general residential building code for unincorporated areas; its official site posts only proposed Subdivision Rules and Regulatio…
Stephens County, Texas (official county website) ↗Texas counties have no authority to require building permits/inspections in unincorporated areas; Young County's regulations cover only floodplain, subdivision, manufactured hom…
Young County - County Policy & Regulations ↗Texas counties have no authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas, and San Saba County publishes no building-permit program.
San Saba County, Texas official website ↗Texas counties have no general building-permit authority in unincorporated areas; the county's permits page lists OSSF, floodplain, subdivision and utility permits but no reside…
Atascosa County — Permits and Forms ↗Under Texas law counties cannot require general building permits in unincorporated areas; Hopkins County's regulatory functions cover Subdivision Regulations, OSSF (septic), and…
Hopkins County - Environmental Services ↗Under Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233, counties generally cannot require building permits or inspections in unincorporated areas; Goliad County publishes no residential buil…
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233 ↗County-issued building permits in Jack County; the source does not separately describe municipal permitting. Incorporated municipalities may administer their own rules; this sou…
Jack County Commissioners — Public Works ↗Texas counties have no authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas, and Refugio County publishes no building-permit program.
Refugio County official website ↗Texas counties generally lack authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; Eastland County lists no building-permit department, so no county buildi…
Bexar County FAQ — County authority to require building permits (Texas framework) ↗Texas counties lack statutory authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas; the county's Development & Permitting office issues only OSSF/septic permits, not bu…
Colorado County TX - OSSF / Development & Permitting ↗Texas counties have no general building-permit authority in unincorporated areas; Milam County issues only targeted permits (floodplain/development, county road entrance, subdiv…
Milam County Development Permit Application (floodplain) ↗McCulloch County's official site lists elected offices and permits limited to right-of-way/culvert work, with no county building-inspection department; Texas counties have no ge…
McCulloch County, Texas (official site) ↗The county's regulatory role over rural construction is limited to OSSF/septic via its Sewage Inspector; consistent with Texas law, the county does not require general residenti…
Montague County Sewage Inspector ↗The county's Development & Permit Guidelines require only floodplain, storm water, and OSSF permits in unincorporated Victoria County; as a Texas county it does not issue a gene…
Victoria County Development & Permit Guidelines ↗Texas counties generally lack authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas; Mason County's official pages show only OSSF and floodplain permitting, not building…
Mason County - Sanitation/Floodplain (OSSF) ↗Unincorporated Somervell County has no county building department or building-permit program; permits/zoning apply only within the City of Glen Rose.
Somervell County - On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) ↗Texas counties lack statutory authority to require residential building permits or enforce building codes in unincorporated areas; Lampasas County's official land-development re…
Lampasas County Subdivision Regulations (2021) ↗Texas counties cannot require permits for single-family residential construction in unincorporated areas; Palo Pinto County's Public Works handles only OSSF and subdivision revi…
Palo Pinto County TX - Public Works Department ↗Brown County's permitting page lists only OSSF (septic), development, and floodplain development permits; consistent with Texas law, the county does not issue general residentia…
Brown County Permitting ↗Comanche County's department listing shows no building/permit department; Texas counties generally lack authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas.
Comanche County TX - Departments ↗Texas counties have no general authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas; Hamilton County's permits/regulations page lists only septic (OSSF) permitting, not…
Hamilton County TX - Permits & Regulations ↗Business and residential construction in unincorporated Erath County outside municipalities and their extraterritorial jurisdictions. Erath County does not issue building permit…
County Clerk | Erath County, TX ↗Texas counties cannot require structural building permits in unincorporated areas; the county services directory lists no building permit or inspection department, only Septic S…
Gregg County Services Overview ↗Under Texas law counties have no legal authority to require permits or inspections for single-family residential construction in unincorporated areas; Coryell County regulates s…
Bexar County, TX - County authority to require building permits (Texas law) ↗Coke County's official site lists no building/inspection department, consistent with Texas unincorporated counties which lack authority to require residential building permits.
Coke County, Texas - Official County Website ↗Under Texas law counties generally lack authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas, and Live Oak County's official site lists no building/permit d…
Live Oak County Official Website ↗Under Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233, counties cannot mandate residential building permits for single-family homes in unincorporated areas; Frio County has no published cou…
Bexar County (official) - County Building Permit Authority FAQ (Texas statewide statute) ↗Under Texas law counties cannot require general building permits in unincorporated areas; DeWitt County's own regulatory documents cover only On-Site Sewage Facilities and Flood…
DeWitt County - official site (Permits/Regulations/Applications) ↗The Wharton County Permit & Inspection Department issues only OSSF (septic), floodplain, and 911-addressing permits; consistent with Texas law, the county does not require a res…
Wharton County Permit & Inspection Department ↗Callahan County lists no building or zoning department among its offices and Texas counties lack general building-permit authority in unincorporated areas; no county residential…
Callahan County, Texas - Commissioners Court (County Offices) ↗The county's 2023 building-permit notice states: "There is no record of Jim Wells County adopting a policy or ordinance adopting building codes or requiring certificates of occu…
Jim Wells County Safety & Inspection Department, Building Permit notice (2023) ↗General building permits for construction in Wise County areas outside incorporated cities and their extraterritorial jurisdictions. Incorporated cities and ETJs may have separa…
FAQs - Who issues Building Permits in Wise County? ↗The County Development office issues only subdivision/plat, culvert, floodplain, and Lake Tawakoni permits; Texas counties lack authority to require general building permits in …
Hunt County Development ↗Texas counties have no general statutory authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas, and Kimble County lists no building/permitting department on …
Kimble County official website ↗Texas counties have no general statutory authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; Real County's official site lists no building/permit departme…
Real County, Texas official website ↗Nolan County's official site lists no building department or building permit (only burn permits); Texas counties lack general authority to require residential building-code perm…
Nolan County, Texas - Official Site ↗Single-family residential structures in Grayson County; the page places the statement in its county development-services context and separately identifies unincorporated-area pe…
Grayson County Development Services ↗Duval County's official department list includes no building/permitting or planning department; as a Texas county it has no general building code authority in unincorporated areas.
Duval County, Texas - Official County Website ↗Under Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233 counties cannot require permits/inspections for new residential construction in unincorporated areas; Uvalde County lists no building/i…
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233 (County Regulation of Housing and Other Structures) ↗Texas counties have no authority to require building permits or prior approval for new residential construction in unincorporated areas (only limited permissive code authority u…
Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233 ↗Building a house on a lot in the unincorporated area of Hood County, Texas. A septic permit from the Hood County Environmental Health Department is required. A Road Access Permi…
FAQs ↗In unincorporated Bastrop County there is no county building permit or building inspection; Development Services issues development, OSSF, driveway and right-of-way permits only…
Bastrop County Development Services - Forms & Applications ↗In unincorporated Karnes County the permitting office issues only development-determination, OSSF (septic), floodplain and road/bridge permits; Texas counties lack general autho…
Karnes County Special Projects & Permits ↗Consistent with Texas law, the county's Permit Office administers OSSF, floodplain/development and subdivision permits in unincorporated areas rather than a general residential …
Gonzales County - OSSF/Permits ↗Brooks County's official site lists no building, permitting, or planning department; consistent with Texas law, counties generally cannot require building permits in unincorpora…
Brooks County TX - Official Website ↗Texas counties lack general authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas, and Edwards County's official site lists only subdivision/land-development…
Edwards County, Texas - Official County Website ↗Texas counties cannot mandate single-family residential building permits in unincorporated areas (permits are voluntary only); rural Jeff Davis County has no building department.
Texas county authority FAQ (Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233) ↗Under Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233 counties have no authority to require prior approval, permits or inspections for new residential construction in unincorporated areas; …
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233 (County Regulation of Housing and Other Structures) ↗Texas counties have no general authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; county building/fire code authority under LG Code Ch. 233 is limited an…
Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233 (County Regulation of Housing and Other Structures) ↗In unincorporated Texas counties there is no county building permit; Austin County's permit page covers only floodplain development and OSSF, not general building permits.
Austin County Permits ↗Texas counties have no general authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas, and Sutton County lists no building/permitting department among its off…
Sutton County, TX - Official Website ↗Texas counties have no general authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas; Hill County's only construction-related permit program is OSSF/septic, and no count…
Hill County - OSSF Permits & 911 Signage ↗New residential construction or additions to existing structures in unincorporated Washington County, Texas. A floodplain permit is required for building in the floodplain. An O…
Washington County Engineering and Development Services ↗The official Coleman County office directory lists no building, permit, inspection, or code-enforcement department, and Texas counties generally lack authority to require buildi…
Coleman County Government ↗Menard County's official site lists no building-permit department or program, consistent with Texas statute under which counties generally cannot require residential building pe…
Menard County, Texas (official county website) ↗Rural Knox County (seat Benjamin, TX) shows no county building-permit program; Texas counties generally lack authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated …
Knox County, Texas official website ↗The county's official site lists no building department, permit office, or building-code enforcement; Texas counties generally cannot require residential building permits in uni…
Jones County, TX Official Website ↗Tom Green County's adopted regulations enumerate its authority as subdivision platting, OSSF/septic, roads/drainage, and floodplain only, with no building-permit power; Texas co…
Tom Green County Subdivision Regulations ↗Gray County's office list includes no building department, consistent with Texas counties' general lack of authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas.
Gray County, Texas - County Offices ↗Texas counties cannot require general building permits in unincorporated areas; Archer County's site lists only a Flood Plain Permit, On-Site Sewer permit, and Subdivision Regul…
Archer County, Texas (official county site) ↗Building permits issued by Parker County for construction in Parker County. Parker County does not issue building permits. Prior to construction of any commercial or multifamily…
Permitting | Parker County, TX - Official Website ↗Runnels County lists no building department or building-permit program among its offices, consistent with Texas counties lacking general authority to require building permits in…
Runnels County official website ↗Texas counties have no general authority to require building permits or prior approval for new residential construction in unincorporated areas; the limited permissive building-…
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233 (County Regulation) ↗Under Texas law counties have only limited authority over residential construction in unincorporated areas and rural counties like Hardeman do not issue county building permits;…
Bexar County (official) FAQ explaining Texas county building-permit authority (statewide rule) ↗Texas counties have only limited permissive authority over building codes and the residential code does not apply in unincorporated areas unless the county specifically adopts i…
Texas Real Estate Research Center (Texas A&M) - Land-Use Restrictions in Texas ↗Under Texas law counties lack authority to regulate residential construction in unincorporated areas (no residential building permit/inspection unless voluntary); Scurry County …
Texas county building-permit authority (Bexar County FAQ, TX LG Code Ch. 233) ↗Texas counties lack authority to require structural building-code permits in unincorporated areas; Ellis County Department of Development administers OSSF/septic, floodplain and…
Ellis County Department of Development - Regulations ↗Fisher County's official site lists no building/permit department; Texas counties generally lack authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas.
Fisher County, Texas official website ↗Texas counties cannot mandate single-family residential building permits in unincorporated areas (voluntary only); building code enforcement in Ochiltree County exists only with…
Texas county authority FAQ (Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233) ↗The official Concho County site lists no building-permit or inspection department; under Texas law counties generally cannot require building permits in unincorporated areas.
Concho County, Texas - Official County Website ↗Texas counties cannot require building permits in unincorporated areas; Crane County lists no building/code office, and building permits are handled municipally by the City of C…
Crane County, TX - County Website ↗Building in the unincorporated areas of Bell County, Texas, outside all cities located in Bell County. The statement applies only to unincorporated areas and not areas within Be…
Frequently Asked Questions — Bell County Engineer ↗Texas counties generally lack authority to require residential building permits or prior approval for new construction in unincorporated areas; Dimmit County has no building-per…
Bexar County FAQ — County authority to require building permits (Texas framework) ↗County-administered building-permit requirements in Schleicher County, Texas. The county page states that the listed permits and regulations are the only ones Schleicher County …
Permits & Regulations | Schleicher County, TX ↗Texas counties have no authority to require prior approval (building permits) for new residential construction in unincorporated areas; Howard County operates an OSSF (septic) o…
Texas Real Estate Research Center (Texas A&M) - Land-Use Restrictions in Texas ↗Texas counties have no authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas, and Winkler County lists no building/permitting department.
Winkler County Departments ↗Andrews County lists no building permit or inspection department, and under Texas law counties have no general authority to require single-family building permits in unincorpora…
Andrews County government website ↗Texas counties cannot require building permits in unincorporated areas; Floyd County's office listing includes no building-permit or code office (only Subdivision Rules).
Floyd County, Texas ↗Texas counties have no general authority to require building permits for single-family residential construction in unincorporated areas; Briscoe County has no county building de…
Texas Real Estate Research Center (Texas A&M) - Land-Use Restrictions in Texas ↗Ward County's official site lists no building permit or inspections department; under Texas law counties generally lack authority to require residential building permits in unin…
Ward County, Texas official website (departments) ↗Texas counties cannot require permits or inspections for single-family residential construction in unincorporated areas, and Zavala County lists no building-inspection department.
Bexar County TX - County Building Permit Authority (Texas law) ↗Texas counties generally lack authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; Shackelford County's official site lists no building or permitting depar…
Shackelford County, Texas - Official County Website ↗Unincorporated Comal County requires no general/structural building permit; only specific permits may apply (OSSF, floodplain development, driveway/right-of-way, utility, fire m…
Comal County TX - Permits ↗Texas counties lack general authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas, and Throckmorton County's official site lists no building or permitting de…
Throckmorton County Official Website ↗Texas counties have only limited, permissive authority to enforce building codes in unincorporated areas and rural Stonewall County has no known building-code/permit program.
Bexar County FAQ - When is a building permit required in the unincorporated area (Texas county authority) ↗County-administered building permits for construction in unincorporated Pecos County, Texas. Pecos County states that its only required permits are for on-site sewage facilities…
Rules, Regulations, and Guidelines – Pecos County ↗Under Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233, Texas counties generally lack authority to require building permits or inspections in unincorporated areas; rural Baylor County publis…
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233 ↗In unincorporated Bexar County the FAQ states that unless a residential permit is sought voluntarily, the County has no legal authority to regulate single-family residential con…
Bexar County FAQ - When is a building permit required in the unincorporated areas ↗Texas counties cannot require residential building permits in unincorporated areas, and Mitchell County lists no building or inspection department among its offices.
Mitchell County, Texas official website ↗Cottle County's official site lists no building-permit or code-enforcement department, consistent with Texas statute under which counties generally cannot require residential bu…
Cottle County, Texas (official county website) ↗Texas counties have only limited land-use authority (platting, not building codes) and Bailey County maintains subdivision and groundwater platting regulations with no building …
Texas Real Estate Research Center (Texas A&M) - Land-Use Restrictions in Texas ↗Moore County lists no building-permit or code-enforcement department, consistent with Texas law under which counties lack general authority to require building permits in uninco…
Moore County, Texas (official county government site) ↗Under Texas law counties lack general authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; Randall County's development authority is limited to plat/subdiv…
Randall County Subdivision Regulations (2023) ↗Texas counties cannot require permits or inspections for single-family residential construction in unincorporated areas, and Presidio County lists no building-inspection departm…
Bexar County TX - County Building Permit Authority (Texas law) ↗Texas counties have no general authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; Nueces County Public Works regulates only subdivision platting and floo…
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233 (County Regulation of Housing and Other Structures) ↗Texas counties lack general statutory authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas, and Sterling County's official site lists no building or permitting department.
Sterling County, Texas - Official County Offices ↗The county government site lists no building/permit department; under Texas law counties generally cannot require building permits for ordinary residential construction in uninc…
Deaf Smith County, Texas - Official Site ↗Under Texas Local Government Code, counties lack authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; Castro County's website shows no building/permitting …
Texas county authority for building permits/zoning (Local Gov't Code framework) ↗The county government site lists no building/permitting department; Texas counties lack general authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas.
Dawson County TX - Official Website ↗Under Texas law counties have no prior-approval authority over new residential construction in unincorporated areas, and no Wilbarger County residential building-permit program …
Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233 (county authority over unincorporated construction) ↗Texas counties generally have no authority to require building permits or enforce a building code in unincorporated areas; no Gaines County residential building permit program w…
Texas State Law Library - Building Codes guide ↗The official Donley County office listing shows no building, permit, inspection, or code-enforcement department, and Texas counties generally lack authority to require building …
Donley County Government ↗County-administered areas of Lamb County outside the city limits and extraterritorial jurisdictions of incorporated areas. Projects located within city limits or an incorporated…
Permits | Lamb County, Texas ↗Texas counties generally lack authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas, and Wheeler County's official site lists no building/code-enforcement department.
Wheeler County, Texas (official county website) ↗Texas counties have no general statutory authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas, and Crosby County's official government site lists no buildin…
Crosby County, Texas official website ↗Texas counties generally lack statutory authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas; the county's own permits page lists septic, utility, well and mass-gatheri…
Brewster County, Texas - Permits & Procedures ↗Texas counties have only limited residential building-code authority in unincorporated areas; rural counties like Childress generally do not require or publish a residential bui…
Texas Real Estate Research Center (Texas A&M) - Land-Use Restrictions in Texas ↗Texas counties have no authority to require building permits for single-family residential construction in unincorporated areas; county permit authority under LGC Ch. 233 is lim…
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233 ↗Hall County's official offices list includes no building or permit department; consistent with Texas law, counties do not issue building permits in unincorporated areas (the Cit…
Hall County, Texas official website (county offices) ↗Texas counties lack general authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; Lipscomb County's official office listing includes no building or permit d…
Lipscomb County, Texas - County Government ↗Under the Texas Local Government Code framework, a county lacks legal authority to regulate residential construction in unincorporated areas unless a residential permit is issue…
Texas county authority explainer (Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233) ↗Carson County lists no building or permitting department; under Texas law counties generally cannot require building permits in unincorporated areas.
Carson County official website ↗Texas counties cannot require residential building permits in unincorporated areas, and Dickens County lists no building or inspection department among its offices.
Dickens County, Texas official website ↗Texas counties lack general statutory authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas, and Kent County's official site lists no building or permitting department.
Kent County, Texas - Official County Offices ↗Texas counties have no general authority to require building permits or inspections in unincorporated areas, and the official Collingsworth County site lists no building/permit …
Collingsworth County, Texas (official county site) ↗Parmer County's official department list (Extension, Treasurer, Tax, Probation, etc.) includes no building-permit or code-enforcement office, consistent with Texas counties lack…
Parmer County - Departments (official county site) ↗Jim Hogg County's official department list includes no building/permitting or environmental health office; as a Texas county it has no general building code authority in unincor…
Jim Hogg County, Texas - Official County Website ↗Texas counties generally cannot require building permits or enforce building codes in unincorporated areas; statewide residential code enforcement was abolished in 2009, leaving…
Texas Real Estate Research Center (Texas A&M), Land-Use Restrictions in Texas ↗Texas counties have no general building-permit authority in unincorporated areas, and Sherman County lists no building/permitting department among its offices.
Sherman County Commissioners Court / county offices ↗As a Texas county, Hockley County has no building department and does not issue building permits in unincorporated areas; the county website lists no building/permit office (bui…
Hockley County, Texas - County Departments ↗Hutchinson County's official site lists no building-permit or inspections department; under Texas law counties do not issue general residential building permits in unincorporate…
Hutchinson County, Texas - official county site ↗Dallam County's only land-use controls are subdivision platting and OSSF; consistent with Texas counties lacking authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas, n…
Dallam County Subdivision Regulations 2025 ↗Texas counties generally lack authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas, and Cochran County's official site shows no building/permit department.
Cochran County, Texas (official) ↗Under Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233, counties' building-permit authority in unincorporated areas is limited to commercial, public, and multi-family structures; single-fami…
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233 ↗The county government site lists no building department or building-permit process; Texas counties lack authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas.
Hansford County, Texas (official site) ↗Yoakum County's official site lists no building or permitting department for unincorporated areas, consistent with Texas counties' lack of general residential building-code auth…
Yoakum County official website ↗Texas counties lack authority to require general building permits or inspections in unincorporated areas, and Hemphill County lists no building-permit or inspection department; …
Hemphill County, Texas - official county site ↗Under Texas law counties have no general authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; the OSSF (septic) permit is the principal state-mandated appr…
Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233 (County Regulation of Housing/Buildings) ↗Reagan County's official site lists only elected offices with no building, inspection, or permit department; Texas counties cannot require building permits in unincorporated areas.
Reagan County, TX - Official Website ↗Texas counties generally lack statutory authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; Lubbock County Public Works handles roads/bridges and OSSF, no…
Lubbock County Public Works / Road and Bridge ↗No county building/permitting department is listed on the official Swisher County site; Texas counties lack general building-permit authority in unincorporated areas.
Swisher County official website ↗King County's official department directory lists no building, planning, or inspections department, consistent with Texas general-law counties that lack authority to require bui…
King County TX official website (department directory) ↗Under Texas law counties lack authority to require permits or inspections for single-family residential construction in unincorporated areas, and Hartley County lists no buildin…
Bexar County TX - County Building Permit Authority (Texas law) ↗Roberts County's official site lists only elected offices with no county building-inspection department; Texas counties have no general authority to require building permits in …
Roberts County Texas (official site) ↗Texas counties have no general authority to require building permits or adopt building codes in unincorporated areas; county regulation is limited to subdivisions, floodplain, a…
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 232 - County Regulation of Subdivisions ↗Texas counties have no general statutory authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas, and no Lynn County building-permit program was identified.
Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233 - County Regulation of Housing and Other Structures ↗Texas counties have only narrow statutory authority over structures in unincorporated areas and generally do not issue residential building permits; Martin County runs no county…
Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233 - County Regulation of Housing and Other Structures ↗Texas counties have no general authority to require building permits in unincorporated areas (only limited, permissive authority under Local Government Code Ch. 233 Subch. C, wh…
Texas Local Government Code Ch. 233 ↗Under Texas law, counties have narrow land-use authority in unincorporated areas and generally cannot require residential building permits; Oldham County has no identified build…
Texas Real Estate Research Center (Texas A&M) - Land-Use Restrictions ↗The county's permits page lists only septic, pipeline-crossing, and driveway permits with no residential building permit, consistent with Texas counties lacking authority to req…
Glasscock County Permits ↗Texas counties lack general authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; Borden County's official office listing includes no building or permit dep…
Borden County, Texas - County Government ↗Terrell County's official site lists no building, permit, or inspection department, consistent with Texas law under which counties cannot require residential building permits in…
Terrell County, Texas - Official Site ↗Texas counties have no general authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas; Loving County is entirely unincorporated with no known local building-p…
Texas county authority - building permits (Bexar County FAQ) ↗Texas counties lack general authority to require residential building permits in unincorporated areas, and Culberson County lists no building/inspection department among its off…
Culberson County (official) ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Texas state page for all 254 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these Texas counties? The kit we'd start with:
These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.
General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
