Bolthole Index

Floyd County, Texas

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Lockney, Texas

The Town of Lockney, Texas, in Floyd County, has its own zoning ordinance and adopts the 2018 International Building Code for buildings inside town limits.12 A new or altered building needs a certificate of occupancy from the city inspector before anyone uses it.3 Septic permits inside town limits are unconfirmed, so ask Lockney City Hall and TCEQ's Region 2 office.45 Outside town limits, Floyd County sets no zoning.6

At a glance

Zoning
Yes. The town's zoning ordinance divides Lockney into use districts with a zoning map17
Building code
2018 International Building Code adopted by the town2
Certificate of occupancy
Required before a new or altered building is used3
Mobile homes
Limited to mobile home parks unless the zoning commission grants a variance8
Minimum dwelling size
1,200 square feet for new construction in the A Dwelling District9
Front setback (A District)
At least 25 feet from property line to building10
Septic inside town limits
Authority not confirmed; ask City Hall and TCEQ Region 24
Outside town limits
Floyd County has adopted no zoning ordinance6

Who to call

Building permits

City of Lockney City Hall

Town of Lockney main office: ask here for building permits, the city building inspector, certificates of occupancy and zoning questions inside town limits

(806) 652-2355

[email protected]

218 E Locust St Lockney, TX 79241

Septic permits

TCEQ Region 2 Office (Lubbock)

Regional environmental office serving Floyd County; contact it to confirm who currently permits on-site sewage facilities (septic systems) at a Lockney address

806-796-7092

5012 50th St, Ste 100, Lubbock, TX 79414-3426

Online permits →

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Lockney means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Lockney, Texas have zoning, and what does it mean for homes and mobile homes?

Yes. The Town of Lockney has a zoning ordinance that establishes districts and regulates the size of buildings, the share of a lot that may be occupied, yards and uses.1 The zoning map is part of the ordinance, and newly annexed land is treated as the A Dwelling District until the governing body zones it permanently.7

In the A Dwelling District, new construction may not contain less than 1,200 square feet of living area.9 The front yard must be at least 25 feet deep, measured from the property line to the building, and any structure also needs 5 feet between the side and rear property lines and its roof drip line.10

Mobile homes inside Lockney must be placed in mobile home parks unless the zoning commission grants an individual variance, and every mobile home must be skirted with material the city building inspector approves.8 We could not confirm lot-size, height or lot-coverage numbers, accessory dwelling rules or tiny-home rules, so ask Lockney City Hall before you plan around them.11

Do you need a building permit in Lockney, and who issues it?

Inside Lockney town limits, yes, expect the town's own process. The town adopts the 2018 International Building Code for property, buildings and structures in Lockney.2 The zoning ordinance refers to an application for a building permit and says the city inspector issues the certificate of occupancy.123

The certificate must issue within 10 days after the work is finished in conformity with the regulations, and no excavation permit for a building may issue before the certificate application is filed.12 We could not confirm permit fees or an owner-builder exemption inside town limits; Lockney City Hall is the office to ask.11

The town's rules stop at the town limits. For land outside town in unincorporated Floyd County, Texas counties generally cannot require residential building permits, and Floyd County's website lists no building-permit office, so a permit appears not to be required there.13

How do septic permits work inside Lockney?

We could not confirm which office permits septic systems at a Lockney address. Texas requires a permit and approved plan to construct, alter, repair, extend or operate an on-site sewage facility, and in most areas local governments act as TCEQ-authorized agents, with the TCEQ regional office stepping in where no local program is authorized.144

The state exemption known as the 10-acre rule requires one single-family dwelling on a tract of at least 10 acres, and every part of the system must be at least 100 feet from the property line, among other conditions.15

Floyd County's soils matter too: about 9% of soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so most sites will need a site evaluation and may need an engineered system.16 Call TCEQ Region 2 in Lubbock to confirm the permitting agent before you buy.5

Building a home in Lockney: the steps, in order

  1. Call Lockney City Hall to confirm the zoning district of the lot and ask for the building permit application.11
  2. Check the district rules: in the A Dwelling District, 1,200 square feet minimum for new construction and a 25-foot front yard.910
  3. If the lot is new, confirm it has been platted: additions and subdivisions inside Lockney must be approved by the zoning commission and board of adjustment.17
  4. Confirm the septic permitting agent with TCEQ Region 2 before you finalize plans.5
  5. Build to the adopted 2018 International Building Code.2
  6. Apply for the certificate of occupancy; the city inspector issues it, and no one may use the building until it exists.3

What stays with Floyd County, and what should you check before you buy near Lockney?

Land outside Lockney town limits is unincorporated Floyd County, where no county rule sets minimum dwelling size, setbacks, RV or tiny-home occupancy because the county has adopted no zoning ordinance.6 Floyd County publishes its own Floyd County Subdivision Rules for land divisions; see the Floyd County page for the county's answers.18

A driveway onto a state highway needs a TxDOT driveway permit on Form 1058 before any work in the right of way.19 In the part of Floyd County inside the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District, a permit is required before drilling any well expected to produce 17.5 gallons per minute or more.20

Floyd County's effective property tax rate is 1.1%, and the median bill is about $1,090 a year.2122 The nearest city of 100,000 or more is about 43 miles from the county center.23

Watch-outs

  • Septic permitting inside Lockney town limits is unconfirmed; confirm the agent with TCEQ Region 2 before you buy.5
  • RV living, tiny homes, accessory dwellings and temporary camping inside Lockney are not confirmed, and mobile homes are limited to mobile home parks unless the zoning commission grants a variance.8
  • Floodplain rules inside Lockney could not be confirmed; ask Lockney City Hall.11

Sources

  1. Exhibit 14A Zoning Ordinance - City of Lockney, TX (Town of Lockney), quoted and re-checked
  2. Division 2 Building Code - City of Lockney, TX (Town of Lockney), quoted and re-checked
  3. Exhibit 14A Zoning Ordinance, Section 9 - City of Lockney, TX (Town of Lockney), quoted and re-checked
  4. Getting a Permit for an OSSF - Such as a Septic System (Texas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  5. TCEQ Region 2 Office (Lubbock) (tceq.texas.gov)
  6. Texas law on county zoning and building authority
  7. Exhibit 14A Zoning Ordinance - City of Lockney, TX (Town of Lockney), quoted and re-checked
  8. Division 1 Generally - City of Lockney, TX (Town of Lockney), quoted and re-checked
  9. Exhibit 14A Zoning Ordinance - City of Lockney, TX (Town of Lockney), quoted and re-checked
  10. Exhibit 14A Zoning Ordinance - City of Lockney, TX (Town of Lockney), quoted and re-checked
  11. City of Lockney City Hall (cityoflockney.com)
  12. Exhibit 14A Zoning Ordinance, Section 9 - City of Lockney, TX (Town of Lockney), quoted and re-checked
  13. Floyd County, Texas (2026 county census)
  14. Getting a Permit for an OSSF - Such as a Septic System, quoted and re-checked
  15. Getting a Permit for an OSSF - Such as a Septic System, quoted and re-checked
  16. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  17. Chapter 10 Subdivision Regulation - City of Lockney, TX (Town of Lockney), quoted and re-checked
  18. Floyd County, Texas, quoted and re-checked
  19. General Access Driveway Policy, quoted and re-checked
  20. Elections - High Plains Underground Water Conservation District #1, quoted and re-checked
  21. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  22. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  23. Straight-line distance from the county center to the nearest city of 100,000+ people: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 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.

Answers from the rulebook for Town of Lockney

Town of Lockney’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    Property, buildings, and structures in Lockney town.

    • The adopted code regulates design, construction, materials, erection, installation, alteration, repair, location, relocation, replacement, additions, use, and maintenance.

    adopted building code edition: 2018 International Building Code

    “The 2018 edition of the International Building Code is hereby adopted as the code of the city”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    A building erected or structurally altered, before use, occupancy, or change in use inside Lockney town limits.

    • The certificate is issued by the city inspector and must state compliance with building laws and the zoning regulations.
    “No building hereafter erected or structurally altered shall be used, occupied or changed in use until a certificate of occupancy and compliance shall have been issued”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Lockney town limits.

    • Ordinance 93A establishes districts and regulates building size, lot occupancy, yards, uses, and a zoning map.
    “This is an ordinance establishing zoning districts, regulating the size of buildings and other structures and percentage of lot that may be occupied and for what purposes.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Zoning districts inside Lockney town limits.

    • The zoning map is adopted as part of the ordinance and the original is kept in the municipal building.
    • Newly annexed territory is classified as A Dwelling District until permanently zoned by the governing body.
    “The City of Lockney is hereby divided into classes and Use Districts, as shown upon the Zoning Map which is adopted with and is declared to be a part of this Ordinance”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Mobile homes inside Lockney town limits.

    • Mobile homes must be placed or kept in mobile home parks unless the zoning commission grants an individual variance.
    • All mobile homes in the city must be skirted with city-building-inspector-approved material maintained in good condition.
    “Require that mobile homes shall not be placed or kept anywhere except in mobile home parks. The zoning commission shall be able to grant individuals variances.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Additions and subdivisions created or platted inside Lockney town limits.

    • Plats and field notes from an actual and accurate survey, with corner monuments placed under the personal supervision of a registered surveyor, must be filed with the zoning commission and board of adjustment.
    • The commission and board approve or disapprove the filing, and approval is noted on the plat with the chairman's and secretary's signatures.
    “All additions and subdivisions hereafter created or platted must be approved by the zoning commission and board of adjustment of the city.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Building work requiring a certificate of occupancy and compliance inside Lockney town limits.

    • A certificate application may be required at the same time as the building-permit application.
    • The certificate must issue within 10 days after erection or structural alteration is completed in conformity with the regulations.
    • No excavation permit for a building may issue before certificate application.

    certificate issuance period: <= 10 days (after work is completed in conformity with the regulations)

    “shall be issued within ten (10) days after the erection or structural alterations of such building shall have been completed in conformity with the provisions of these regulations.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Lockney

Town of Lockney does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    New dwelling construction in the A Dwelling District inside Lockney town limits.

    • Applies to new construction.

    minimum living area: >= 1200 square feet (new construction)

    “New Construction. No new construction of dwelling containing less than 1200 square feet of living area.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Structures in the A Dwelling District inside Lockney town limits.

    • A 5-foot minimum also applies between side and rear property lines and the roof drip line of any structure constructed on the lot.

    front yard: >= 25 feet (property line to building) · side and rear roof-drip-line distance: >= 5 feet (any structure constructed on the lot)

    “In the “A” Districts there shall be a front yard having a depth of not less than 25 feet from property line to building.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Lockney or Floyd County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Lockney town limits.
  • Minimum lot size — Residential lots inside Lockney town limits.
  • Lot coverage — Lots inside Lockney town limits.
  • Building height — Buildings inside Lockney town limits.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Lockney town limits.
12 more unanswered
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Town of Lockney publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Floyd County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Floyd County: county rules, score and offices