Building permits, zoning and land rules in Comanche County, Texas

Unincorporated Comanche County does not require a general county building permit, although the county's adoption of residential building-code standards could not be confirmed¹. Separate approvals still matter: dividing land outside incorporated cities and their ETJs generally requires a county subdivision plat, septic construction generally requires a county OSSF permit, and driveway drain pipes in county-regulated subdivisions need written county approval^2,4. Inside a city or its ETJ, ask that city whether a building permit or zoning approval applies; Comanche County still handles septic permits countywide^2,3. A qualifying agricultural, ranch, wildlife-management or timber division may be exempt from platting, but the exemption ends when the qualifying use ends². A manufactured home cannot be occupied anywhere in Texas until it is installed⁷.

Comanche County has no county building department or county zoning department to call¹. For land outside an incorporated city and its ETJ, the Commissioners Court administers county subdivision plats and the County Clerk files them; preliminary-plat approval must come before subdivision construction². Published filing fees are $1,000 for a final plat with roads and 10 lots or fewer, plus $50 per additional lot; a plat revision is $300 and cancellation is $200². Reach the Commissioners Court at 101 W Central Avenue, Comanche, TX 76442, (325) 356-2466, and the County Clerk at (325) 356-2655^8,9. Inside municipal jurisdiction, ask the city about its building permit and zoning approval; the Comanche County Judge's Office remains the countywide contact for septic permits^2,3,10.

Comanche County does not have county zoning on unincorporated land¹. The county therefore does not impose zoning-based setbacks, building-height limits, minimum dwelling sizes or RV and tiny-home restrictions there⁵. Local authority changes at municipal boundaries: city zoning applies where municipal jurisdiction exists, while county subdivision rules apply outside incorporated cities and their ETJs². Those county plat rules can still shape a rural project without being zoning. Subdivision lots using individual septic systems must contain at least 43,560 square feet with community water or 87,120 square feet without it, subject to state requirements and proof that an acceptable system can be installed². A qualifying agricultural division may avoid county platting, but that exemption does not waive septic, floodplain or other applicable development rules². Comanche County handles the septic permit throughout the county even where city zoning applies³.

Comanche County handles OSSF permits throughout the county, including for property inside cities³. A completed application and technical information must reach the county before septic construction, and changes to approved plans need the Comanche County inspector's prior approval³. The installer or owner must contact the inspector 5 working days before completion to schedule the facility inspection; construction authorization lasts 1 year, after which a new application and fee are required if no final inspection occurred³. The state exemption for a single-family home on at least 10 acres has site-evaluation, use, disposal, pollution and 100-foot setback conditions⁴. Only 13.8% of county soils lack severe limits for a conventional drain field, so evaluate the site early¹¹. Owner installation is possible only if the local authority allows it and all stated conditions are met⁴. Contact the County Judge's Office for the application and inspection process¹⁰.

Unincorporated Comanche County has no county zoning restriction on RV or tiny-home occupancy⁵. That does not make an off-grid setup approval-free: a septic system or holding tank generally needs an approved plan and county OSSF permit, subject to narrow state exemptions^3,4. A manufactured home cannot be occupied anywhere in Texas until it is installed⁷. County subdivision rules also bar habitable structures in the flood plan for covered subdivision development². Inside municipal jurisdiction, city zoning may change the answer; Comanche County still handles the septic permit for those addresses^2,3. Comanche County's short-term-rental and certificate-of-occupancy requirements could not be confirmed; ask the Commissioners Court before committing to that use⁸.

1. Confirm whether the parcel is outside an incorporated city and its ETJ; unincorporated Comanche County has no county zoning or general county building permit, while municipal building permits or zoning approval may apply elsewhere^1,2.
2. If the project divides land outside a city and its ETJ, ask the Commissioners Court whether a county plat exemption applies, then file any required plat with the County Clerk and obtain preliminary-plat approval before construction^2,8,9.
3. If you plan a well, confirm whether the parcel is in the Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, where wells must be registered before drilling⁶.
4. Contact the County Judge's Office for the countywide OSSF application and septic permit before choosing the house site^3,10.
5. Order the septic site evaluation early because only 13.8% of county soils lack severe limits for a conventional drain field¹¹.
6. Get written approval from the County Precinct Commissioner before installing a driveway drain pipe in a county-regulated subdivision^2,8.
7. For state-highway access, submit Form 1058 to TxDOT and give 24 hours' notice before right-of-way construction¹².

Budget for a harder septic system than the county average suggests: fewer than 14% of Comanche County's soils carry no severe limitation for a conventional drain field, so an aerobic or alternative system is a realistic outcome on much of the county's land¹¹. The county sits in a region that spends roughly 31% of years in severe drought and gets under 32 inches of rain annually, so confirm a well or rural water access before you commit¹¹. If a well is part of the plan, check whether the parcel falls inside the Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, where every well, new or existing, must be registered before it is drilled, equipped or altered⁶. Almost all of the county's land sits at 15% slope or less, which is favorable for building and septic siting on most parcels, but a site-specific soil test still decides your system type¹¹. Comanche County's effective property tax rate runs about 1.5%, with a median annual bill near $2,082¹¹.