Unincorporated Custer County, Oklahoma does not require a county building permit for ordinary construction, but work in a county right-of-way and development in a special flood hazard area require separate county permits12. The county has no zoning, while Oklahoma DEQ issues septic authorizations34. City ordinances still control inside incorporated municipalities3.
At a glance
- Building permit
- Not required for ordinary construction in unincorporated areas; right-of-way and floodplain permits are separate12
- Zoning
- No county zoning in unincorporated Custer County; city ordinances may apply inside municipalities3
- Septic
- Authorization to Construct required from Oklahoma DEQ before installation or modification5
- RV and temporary camping
- No county zoning restriction in unincorporated areas; septic, health and floodplain rules may still apply67
- Tiny home
- No county zoning restriction in unincorporated areas; other applicable rules remain8
- Minimum home size
- No county zoning minimum in unincorporated Custer County9
- Domestic well
- No state water permit for qualifying domestic groundwater use10
Who to call
Building permits
Custer County Clerk and Board of County Commissioners
County ingress and egress permits; the Commissioner’s Office also holds special-flood-hazard-area development permit information
PO Box 300, 675 W. B Street Arapaho, OK 73620
Septic permits
Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality - Environmental Complaints & Local Services
On-site sewage reports, soil evaluation, Authorization to Construct review and septic installation inspection
707 N Robinson Oklahoma City, OK, 73102
Also useful
Oklahoma State Fire Marshal - unincorporated home permit exemption
Confirms the State Fire Marshal permit exemption for specified residential and accessory structures in unincorporated county areas
Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 27, 2026.
Do you need a building permit in Custer County, Oklahoma?
No county building permit is required for ordinary construction in unincorporated Custer County1. A single-family dwelling, duplex, barn, shed or attached carport in an unincorporated county area also does not require the Oklahoma State Fire Marshal permit that can apply to other projects11. Two county approvals remain important: an encroachment on or into a county right-of-way requires a permit and applicable fees, and a project in a special flood hazard area requires a development permit12. Custer County has not confirmed whether it has adopted a building code, requires construction inspections or issues certificates of occupancy, so ask the County Clerk and the relevant commissioner before finalizing plans. Inside a city or town, municipal ordinances may produce a different answer3.
Who handles Custer County permits, and how do you reach them?
Custer County directs ingress and egress permit questions to the County Clerk, reachable at 580.323.4420 or at PO Box 300, 675 W. B Street, Arapaho, OK 7362012. The county’s forms page provides an ingress and egress permit and a floodplain permit application12. For a project in a special flood hazard area, the County Commissioner’s Office at the Arapaho courthouse holds the development-permit information2. Oklahoma DEQ, rather than the county, handles septic authorization and assigns an application to the local environmental specialist based on the property location513. A driveway connecting to a federal or state highway requires an approved Oklahoma Department of Transportation Driveway Agreement before work begins in the highway right-of-way14.
Does Custer County have zoning?
Unincorporated Custer County has no county zoning ordinance, and the county’s statement expressly leaves state statutes and city ordinances in place3. As a result, county zoning does not set a minimum dwelling size, setbacks, lot coverage or building height on land outside incorporated municipalities9151617. The same county zoning baseline does not restrict tiny-home occupancy, accessory dwellings or manufactured-home occupancy in unincorporated areas, but septic, floodplain, health and state installation rules can still control a project81819. An occupied manufactured home is treated as a permanent installation under Oklahoma rules and must follow the applicable approved installation standard20. For newly platted residential development outside municipal limits, state plat rules can require agency approval for smaller lots even though Custer County has no zoning minimum21.
How do septic permits work in Custer County?
Oklahoma DEQ issues the septic approval for Custer County: before a new system is installed or an existing system is modified, an Authorization to Construct must be purchased and issued513. DEQ first reviews the on-site sewage report, then assigns the authorization to the local environmental specialist based on the property location, and the installation must be inspected and approved before operation unless a certified installer follows the state’s self-inspection route13. Only 18.8% of Custer County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so do not assume a standard lateral field will fit a parcel before soil evaluation22. Contact Environmental Complaints & Local Services at 405-702-6100 for the specialist covering the property13. A qualifying domestic groundwater well does not need a state water permit, while a non-domestic well needs OWRB authorization and approval before drilling1023.
Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Custer County?
County zoning does not restrict RV occupancy, temporary camping or tiny-home occupancy on land in unincorporated Custer County678. That answer is limited to county zoning: septic, public-health, floodplain and other property-specific rules can still apply, and city ordinances govern land inside incorporated municipalities673. A tiny home has no county zoning minimum dwelling size in unincorporated Custer County, but the county has not confirmed a building code, inspection requirement or certificate-of-occupancy process9. Ask the County Clerk about those unresolved construction questions and contact DEQ before installing or changing any on-site sewage system125. An occupied manufactured home must comply with Oklahoma’s permanent-installation requirements even though county zoning does not bar the use2019.
Building a home in Custer County: the steps, in order
- Confirm that the parcel is outside an incorporated municipality; city ordinances can apply inside city limits even though unincorporated Custer County has no zoning3.
- Ask the County Clerk whether the site touches a county right-of-way or special flood hazard area, because those conditions trigger separate county permits12.
- Arrange the DEQ on-site sewage report and obtain an Authorization to Construct before installing or modifying septic513.
- If access connects to a federal or state highway, obtain the ODOT Driveway Agreement before right-of-way work begins14.
- Confirm water: qualifying domestic groundwater use needs no state water permit, but non-domestic drilling requires prior OWRB authorization1023.
- Ask the County Clerk about building-code, inspection and occupancy questions that Custer County has not confirmed.
What should you check before buying land in Custer County?
Check legal access, flood status, septic feasibility and water before closing. County right-of-way encroachments require a permit, and projects in a special flood hazard area require a development permit12. With only 18.8% of county soils rated without severe conventional-drain-field limitations, a soil evaluation can materially change the usable building area and system choice22. Custer County averages 28.6 inches of annual precipitation and experiences severe drought in 38.7% of years, so verify actual well records and water reliability for the parcel2425. About 98.3% of county land is at a slope of 15% or less, but parcel-level drainage and flood conditions still matter26. For budgeting, the effective property-tax rate is about 0.7%, and the median annual property-tax bill is $1,1972728.
Watch-outs
- Custer County has not confirmed a building-code adoption, inspection requirement, certificate-of-occupancy process or owner-builder exemption for unincorporated land; ask the County Clerk before construction2912.
- No county zoning does not waive the separate right-of-way, floodplain or septic approvals that may apply to a rural project125.
- The county has not published the amount of its right-of-way permit fee in the reviewed material, so request the current fee from the County Clerk112.
Sources
- Custer County Zoning Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Custer County Zoning Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Custer County Zoning Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Oklahoma DEQ On-Site Sewage Treatment (2026 county census)
- On-Site Sewage Information, quoted and re-checked
- Custer County Zoning Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Custer County Zoning Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Custer County Zoning Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Custer County Zoning Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Apply for a Water Permit, quoted and re-checked
- Oklahoma State Fire Marshal - unincorporated home permit exemption (oklahoma.gov)
- Custer County Clerk and Board of County Commissioners (custer.okcounties.org)
- Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality - Environmental Complaints & Local Services (oklahoma.gov)
- Instructions for Driveway Permit Application (Oklahoma statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Custer County Zoning Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Custer County Zoning Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Custer County Zoning Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Custer County Zoning Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Custer County Zoning Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Title 765 Oklahoma Used Motor Vehicle and Parts Commission Rules and Regulations (Oklahoma statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Oklahoma Statutes, Title 27A — Environment and Natural Resources (Oklahoma statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
- Wells & Licensing, quoted and re-checked
- Annual precipitation: Bolthole Index county data
- Share of years in severe drought: Bolthole Index county data
- Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
- Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
- Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
- (2026 county census)
Written September 27, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.