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

Unincorporated Concho County does not require a county building permit for a home¹. No separate county building-inspection requirement or certificate-of-occupancy rule could be confirmed, so ask the County Judge / Commissioners Court about current county practice before construction⁷. Texas gives counties only limited building authority: qualifying counties may adopt fire-code permits for commercial buildings, public buildings and larger multifamily projects, while a separate residential framework requires county adoption⁸.

Because the county requires no building permit for an unincorporated home, there is no county owner-builder exemption to apply for¹. Separately, Texas licensing exemptions let an owner do electrical work on a dwelling the owner lives in, and plumbing in the owner's homestead, without a state trade license⁹. Eden parcels require a city-level zoning check, and parcels in other incorporated cities also need a separate municipal review². Factory-built industrialized housing and modular components can also fall under a partial statewide code program even where a conventional site-built home has no county permit¹⁰.

Concho County does not list a separate building, planning or zoning department, which is consistent with the finding that a home-building permit is not required on unincorporated land¹. For a parcel-specific question, contact the Concho County Judge / Commissioners Court at 152 N. Roberts in Paint Rock or call (325) 732-4322⁷.

Septic work has its own contact: the Concho County OSSF Program handles county inspections outside incorporated cities at 325-456-4607⁴. Water-well questions require another jurisdiction check. In the part of Concho County within Hickory Underground Water Conservation District No. 1, contact the district in Brady before drilling^6,11. Another part of the county lies inside the Lipan-Kickapoo Water Conservation District, which requires permits for new non-exempt wells and registration of every well; check the district's boundary map for your parcel¹². A new or modified driveway connecting to a Texas state highway goes through the local TxDOT district using Form 1058, and right-of-way construction cannot begin until the permit is executed¹³.

Unincorporated Concho County has no county zoning ordinance¹. Texas county zoning authority is limited to specifically authorized places and subjects rather than being a general statewide county power⁵. As a result, Concho County sets no zoning-based minimum dwelling size, minimum lot size, setback, lot-coverage limit or building-height limit on unincorporated land⁵.

Eden is different: the city has a zoning ordinance with zoning districts, a zoning map and a board of adjustment². The unincorporated-county conclusion still applies to county zoning restrictions on accessory dwellings, manufactured homes, tiny homes, RV occupancy and temporary camping⁵. County subdivision and platting regulations also apply when land is divided, although the detailed requirements could not be confirmed from the county's published document³. County zoning freedom does not remove septic rules, groundwater-district rules, state-highway access permits or private deed restrictions. Ask the County Judge / Commissioners Court about subdivision review and any parcel-specific county process⁷.

The Concho County OSSF Program handles septic inspections in unincorporated Concho County and expressly excludes incorporated cities⁴. Texas generally requires a permit to construct, install, alter, extend or repair a septic system, and an authorized agent inspects construction after authorization^14,15. Contact the county program at 325-456-4607 before choosing or installing a system⁴. The county's published fee for a single-family residence septic permit is $350, and every other listed permit type is also $350, payable by check or money order before the Notice of Approval is issued¹⁶.

The Texas exemption for a single-family home on a tract of at least 10 acres is narrow: it also requires a licensed site evaluation, at least 100 feet between every system part and the property line, on-property effluent disposal, no nuisance or groundwater pollution, and no other dwelling on the tract¹⁴. Concho County's soils add practical risk because only about 9% are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field¹⁷. Budget for a site evaluation before treating a conventional system as feasible.

Unincorporated Concho County has no county zoning restriction on RV occupancy, tiny-home occupancy, manufactured-home occupancy or temporary camping⁵. Concho County also sets no zoning-based minimum dwelling size or setback on unincorporated land⁵. Eden is not covered by that answer because the city has its own zoning ordinance².

Wastewater remains regulated even when the dwelling type is not restricted by county zoning. Septic systems and holding tanks generally require approval, while the state's acreage exemption applies only when every listed condition is satisfied¹⁴. The Concho County OSSF Program serves locations outside incorporated cities, so call that office before planning an RV hookup or tiny-home wastewater system⁴. No separate county certificate-of-occupancy or utility-connection rule could be confirmed. Ask the County Judge / Commissioners Court about current county practice, and ask the city about zoning before placing an RV or tiny home in Eden^2,7.

1. Confirm whether the parcel is unincorporated; the county permit and zoning answers here apply only outside cities, and Eden has its own zoning ordinance^1,2.
2. If the project divides land or relies on a newly created lot, ask the County Judge / Commissioners Court about subdivision and platting review before finalizing the site plan^3,7.
3. Call the Concho County OSSF Program before septic design or installation, and determine whether the state acreage exemption actually fits the tract^4,14.
4. Determine whether a groundwater conservation district covers the parcel because district rules can require permits for non-exempt wells, spacing and other conditions¹⁸. In the Hickory district's portion of Concho County, submit a Notice of Intent before drilling any well; non-exempt wells need a permit before drilling⁶.
5. If access will connect to a Texas state highway, contact the local TxDOT district and submit Form 1058 before work in the right of way¹³.
6. Ask the County Judge / Commissioners Court whether any parcel-specific floodplain process applies, because a published county floodplain-development rule could not be confirmed⁷.

Start with water and septic feasibility. Only about 9% of Concho County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field, annual precipitation is about 25 inches, and severe drought occurs in roughly 19% of years¹⁷. Texas has no statewide minimum acreage for drilling a well, but groundwater districts and other local entities may impose requirements; identify the parcel's jurisdiction before relying on a well plan¹⁸. Parts of Concho County lie inside Hickory Underground Water Conservation District No. 1, where every well needs a Notice of Intent and non-exempt wells need permits⁶.

Verify that the parcel was lawfully created because Concho County regulates subdivision and platting in unincorporated areas³. The terrain is mostly gentle, with about 97% of land at a slope of 15% or less, but legal access still needs verification¹⁷. A driveway onto a state highway requires the TxDOT process¹³. Concho County is sparsely settled at about 3.4 people per square mile, and the nearest city of 100,000 or more is about 82 miles from the county center¹⁷. The typical effective property-tax rate is about 1.5%, with a median annual bill near $1,600¹⁷.