Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Gregg County, Texas

Gregg County, Texas does not require a building permit for a house in an unincorporated area¹. Texas gives counties only limited authority to require building permits or codes outside incorporated cities: fire-code permitting for certain large buildings applies only in counties over 250,000 people or next to one, and residential standards require a commissioners court resolution⁹. We could not confirm that Gregg County adopted such a resolution, so ask the County Judge's office at 903-236-8420 about unusual projects¹⁰. State law requires three inspections of new residential construction only in a county that has adopted a resolution or order applying Subchapter F, and we could not confirm that Gregg County has¹¹. City limits change the answer: Kilgore has adopted and enforces a municipal building code⁴.

There is no separate building department to call for an ordinary house in unincorporated Gregg County¹. The office a rural land buyer usually needs is the Gregg County Health Department's Septic Systems program, reached at (903) 237-2621, 405 East Marshall Avenue, Longview⁵. The Health Department reviews on-site sewage facility applications and issues the Permit to Operate after inspection⁷. If the parcel is inside Kilgore, use the city's development process because Kilgore has zoning and an adopted building code^4,6. Inside Longview, the city handles zoning changes and variances through its Planning and Zoning Division³. In either city, ask the Health Department whether the address falls under its septic program, because a separately authorized municipal jurisdiction may have its own authority⁵. A driveway connecting to a state highway requires TxDOT's Form 1058¹².

Gregg County has no countywide zoning ordinance¹. On unincorporated land, county zoning sets no minimum home size, setbacks, lot coverage limits, or restrictions on accessory dwellings, RVs, tiny homes, manufactured homes, and temporary camping². Local zoning nevertheless varies across Gregg County because incorporated cities may apply their own rules⁶. Kilgore, for example, has municipal zoning requirements⁶. Confirm the parcel's jurisdiction before relying on the unincorporated-area answer; the absence of county zoning also does not remove septic or state-highway-access requirements.

Every on-site sewage facility (OSSF) in Texas needs a permit before it is built, altered, extended, or repaired, and the Gregg County Health Department issues local permits^5,13. A conventional-design permit costs $350 and generally requires at least a half-acre with community water or a full acre with a well; undersized lots platted before January 1, 1988 may receive individual review⁵. Professionally designed systems cost $350 for a single-family home and $450 for commercial use⁵. Only about 5.3% of Gregg County soils lack severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so get the site evaluated before assuming a conventional design will work¹⁴. A Registered Sanitarian or Professional Engineer must prepare the site evaluation and design plan, and approval is required before construction¹⁵. Call the office at least 1 working day ahead for the inspection before the system is covered; if someone other than the owner builds it, that person must hold a Texas Installer Certificate¹⁵. The system cannot be used until inspection and approval⁷. The state 10-acre exemption applies only when all stated conditions are met, including keeping the OSSF at least 100 feet from every property line¹³.

Gregg County's lack of zoning authority means the county itself does not restrict RV, manufactured home or tiny-home occupancy on unincorporated land². That does not exempt you from Texas's septic rules: any wastewater from an RV, tiny home or off-grid dwelling still has to go through an approved OSSF, and a holding tank is only allowed where other sewage disposal is not feasible, must have a high-level alarm at 75% capacity, and needs a pumping contract on file before installation¹⁵. Confirm with the Gregg County Health Department how your specific setup will be permitted before you move a camper or tiny home onto raw land⁵.

1. Confirm whether the parcel is unincorporated or inside a city; local zoning varies, and Kilgore has zoning and an adopted building code^4,6.
2. For an ordinary house on unincorporated land, Gregg County does not require a building permit¹.
3. Apply for the septic permit before fixing the house site, because the approved layout affects where construction can go⁵.
4. Complete the required site evaluation and design, then obtain authorization before installing the system⁵.
5. File TxDOT Form 1058 before building a driveway that connects to a state highway¹².
6. Schedule the septic inspection with at least one working day's notice and leave the system uncovered until approval⁵.

Budget for septic first: with only 5.3% of county soils free of severe limitations for a conventional drain field, get a site evaluation before you commit to a parcel¹⁴. Farmland in Gregg County has recently averaged about $6,992 an acre and a typical home is valued around $225,144, so weigh raw-land and septic costs together¹⁴. The county sees severe drought in roughly 14.9% of years, which matters for a private well or pond¹⁴, and it sits about 29 miles from the nearest metro area¹⁴. Property taxes run about 1.2% of value¹⁴, with a median bill near $2,271¹⁴. Floodplain development rules and a countywide certificate-of-occupancy requirement were not confirmed on the county's official site as of this review, so ask the County Judge's office or Emergency Management directly if your parcel is anywhere near a floodplain.