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

Unincorporated Hartley County does not require a county residential building permit¹. We could not confirm whether Hartley County has adopted residential construction standards or requires building inspections; ask the County Judge’s office before starting a home^3,10. Inside Dalhart, which reaches into Hartley County, the city handles building permits; its ordinance specifically requires city approval to construct, alter or expand manufactured-home and RV parks⁵. Dalhart’s Code Department requires submitted plans to comply with the 2015 International Building Codes; septic applications for Hartley County addresses remain with the County Judge’s office^3,11.

For questions about unincorporated Hartley County residential construction, contact the County Judge’s office at the courthouse in Channing; we could not confirm a separate county building-inspection program³. Hartley County’s septic application contact is the County Judge’s office at 806-235-3442, with applications mailed to PO Box 69, Channing, TX 79018⁴. The septic application must be submitted and approved before construction starts⁴. Inside Dalhart, the city’s Code Department receives building plans and applications for zoning changes or manufactured-home approval¹¹.

Unincorporated Hartley County has no county zoning rule setting minimum dwelling or lot size, setbacks, lot coverage, building height, or restrictions on RV, tiny-home, manufactured-home and temporary-camping use⁷. That does not remove subdivision, septic, deed-restriction or other applicable requirements¹². Dalhart, a city reaching into Hartley County, sets its own zoning: uses and structures must comply with the parcel’s zoning district⁶. Manufactured homes inside Dalhart need Planning and Zoning Board approval before placement and may need Special Use zoning; contact the Code Department for those applications¹¹. Septic applications for Hartley County addresses stay with the County Judge’s office³.

Hartley County handles OSSF septic applications through the County Judge’s office, and the application must be approved before construction starts^3,4. Texas requires a permit and approved plan for OSSF construction, alteration, repair, extension and operation unless an exemption applies; the permitting authority must approve or deny the application and planning materials within 30 days of receipt⁸. A county permit form requires a Designated Representative inspection before backfill¹³.

The state’s 10-acre exemption requires a licensed site evaluator or professional engineer’s evaluation, a single-family home as the tract’s only dwelling, every OSSF component at least 100 feet from property lines, on-property effluent disposal, and no nuisance or groundwater pollution⁸. Exempt systems still must meet planning, construction and installation standards; confirm applicability with the county because local programs can be stricter⁸. Listed emergency repairs can skip permitting but require written notice within 72 hours after repairs begin⁸. Secondary-treatment or drip systems need maintenance-company inspection every 4 months, unless single-family homeowner maintenance is allowed¹⁴.

Off-grid living in Hartley County still requires compliant wastewater disposal: the state’s OSSF rules cover septic systems and holding tanks, even where county zoning does not restrict the dwelling type^2,8. A qualifying off-grid single-family system may use the state permit exemption, but must meet all sanitation standards and site conditions; acreage alone does not establish eligibility⁸. Texas allows approved, certified composting toilets, but that treatment-system approval does not replace applicable OSSF permitting¹⁵. Inside Dalhart, city zoning governs land use, and manufactured-home placement requires Planning and Zoning Board approval^6,11.

1. Establish whether the parcel is unincorporated Hartley County land or inside Dalhart, where city zoning applies^2,6.
2. Ask the County Judge’s office about unconfirmed rural building-inspection requirements, or submit city building plans to Dalhart’s Code Department if inside city limits^3,11.
3. Submit septic plans and the application to the Hartley County Judge’s office and obtain approval before construction; confirm the current fee and any exemption first^4,8.
4. Register a domestic or livestock well with North Plains Groundwater Conservation District; wells not capable of producing more than 25,000 gallons daily are permit-exempt but still require registration⁹.
5. For state-highway access, submit TxDOT Form 1058 and receive the executed driveway permit before right-of-way construction¹⁶.
6. Before dividing land outside city limits, check the county plat requirements and statutory exceptions with commissioners court¹⁷.

About 76.2% of Hartley County’s soils are not rated very limited for conventional septic drain fields; that countywide measure does not replace a parcel-specific site evaluation^8,18. For an existing home, TCEQ does not require or regulate a pre-sale OSSF evaluation, though a mortgage company may require one¹⁴. Domestic and livestock wells not capable of producing more than 25,000 gallons daily must register with North Plains Groundwater Conservation District even when permit-exempt⁹. A new state-highway driveway needs TxDOT approval¹⁶. Hartley County’s effective property tax rate is about 1.2%, with a median annual bill near $2,604¹⁸. Ask the County Judge’s office about unconfirmed county-road access and floodplain requirements before committing to a parcel³.