Bolthole Index

Hockley County, Texas

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Sundown, Texas

Sundown, Texas (Hockley County) requires a building permit before construction starts, and the city issues permits only for lots it can serve with community sewer unless the city manager approves an on-site system in writing12. Sundown also has a city zoning ordinance3. Septic systems still need an OSSF permit, handled through Hockley County's septic inspector4.

At a glance

Building permit
Required inside Sundown; permits issue only for lots on community sewer unless the city manager approves an on-site system in writing12
Zoning
Yes, the city has a zoning ordinance; district tables not confirmed3
Septic
City manager written approval plus a TCEQ-licensed system, only where community sewer is unavailable5
RV living
Permanent RV dwellings prohibited; temporary use only, one RV per lot6
Manufactured home
Temporary one-year placement only, after a board of adjustment hardship finding7
Subdividing
Plat required; divisions into parts larger than 5 acres excluded when each part has access8
Owner-builder
State trade-license exemptions for your own home; city exemption not confirmed9

Who to call

Septic permits

Hockley County Septic Inspector

OSSF (septic) permit applications and inspections for Hockley County as the TCEQ-authorized local agent

806-241-5066

[email protected]

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 Sundown means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Sundown, Texas have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and tiny homes?

Sundown has a city zoning ordinance, and the city's subdivision rules require development to comply with it3. That applies inside city limits only; unincorporated Hockley County has adopted no county zoning ordinance10.

RVs: Sundown prohibits recreational vehicles as permanent dwellings in every zoning district, and allows them only as temporary dwellings, limited to one RV on a legally existing lot6. Manufactured homes: the city allows only a temporary, one-year placement of a HUD-code home, which must be skirted, supported and anchored, and only after the board of adjustment finds a bona fide personal hardship7.

We could not confirm Sundown's district tables, so minimum lot size, minimum home size, setbacks and rules for tiny homes or accessory dwellings are unconfirmed. Ask Sundown City Hall before you buy.

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

Yes. Sundown's code states that no construction shall be undertaken without a building permit1. The city issues building permits for a structure on a subdivision lot only if the lot can be served by the community sanitary sewer collection system2.

Sundown's building permits come from the city, not Hockley County. Hockley County does not issue building permits in unincorporated areas11, so the county is the wrong counter for a lot inside city limits.

We could not confirm the city's full application steps, its adopted building codes, inspection requirements, or whether a certificate of occupancy is required12. Ask Sundown City Hall for the current application and fee schedule.

How do septic permits work inside Sundown?

Inside Sundown, septic is the exception, not the default. If community sewer is unavailable, the city manager may authorize an approved on-site sewer facility in writing, provided it is licensed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality or its applicable agent13.

The state separately requires an OSSF permit and approved plan to construct, alter, repair, extend or operate a septic system14. Hockley County's septic inspector reviews OSSF applications and conducts inspections as the local authorized agent4. Reach that office at the number below15.

A 10-acre exemption from OSSF permitting exists under state rules, but it requires a single-family dwelling on a tract of 10 acres or larger and other conditions14. It is unlikely to fit an ordinary city lot, and we could not confirm that the city allows it.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Sundown?

Not permanently in an RV. Sundown prohibits recreational vehicles as permanent dwellings in all zoning districts and permits only temporary use, with one RV per legally existing lot6. A HUD-code manufactured home can be placed for one year only if the board of adjustment finds a bona fide personal hardship7.

We could not confirm any Sundown rule on tiny homes or temporary camping, so ask Sundown City Hall before you plan around either one. Outside city limits, unincorporated Hockley County sets no zoning rule on these uses10; see the Hockley County page for the county's answers.

Building a home in Sundown: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the lot is inside Sundown city limits and, if you plan to divide it, check the plat requirement; divisions into parts larger than 5 acres are excluded only when each part has access and no public improvement is dedicated8.
  2. Ask Sundown City Hall whether the lot is served by community sewer, because building permits issue only for such lots2.
  3. If sewer is unavailable, request written approval from the city manager for an on-site system licensed through TCEQ or its agent13.
  4. Apply to the city for the building permit1.
  5. Arrange a potable on-site water source and fresh-water distribution system for the building1.
  6. Call the Hockley County septic inspector for the OSSF permit and inspections15.

What stays with Hockley County, and what to check before you buy?

Hockley County handles septic permits and inspections for the area4. A driveway onto a state highway needs a TxDOT permit, using Form 1058, whether the land is in the city or not16. Wells may fall under the South Plains Underground Water Conservation District, which requires registration of all existing and proposed wells in its annexed area of Hockley County17; we could not confirm a Sundown rule on water wells.

County figures, not city figures: Hockley County's effective property tax rate is 1.5%18, and the median property tax bill is $1,668 a year19. Annual precipitation is 17.9 inches20.

Watch-outs

  • Sundown's building permits depend on sewer service: the city issues them only for subdivision lots that community sewer can serve, so an unsewered lot needs the city manager's written approval first2.
  • RV and manufactured-home living are temporary-only in Sundown, so do not plan to move onto a lot in either while you build without confirming the hardship and temporary-use conditions with the city67.
  • We could not confirm Sundown's lot sizes, setbacks, building codes, inspections or fees, because the published code exposes only the sewer prerequisite for permits12; call Sundown City Hall before you close.

Sources

  1. Chapter 10: Subdivision Regulation - City of Sundown, TX (Sundown), quoted and re-checked
  2. Chapter 10: Subdivision Regulation - City of Sundown, TX (Sundown), quoted and re-checked
  3. Chapter 10: Subdivision Regulation - City of Sundown, TX (Sundown), quoted and re-checked
  4. How to Become a Texas On-Site Sewage Facility (Septic System) Authorized Agent, quoted and re-checked
  5. Chapter 10: Subdivision Regulation - City of Sundown, TX (Sundown), quoted and re-checked
  6. Chapter 14: Zoning - City of Sundown, TX (Sundown), quoted and re-checked
  7. Chapter 14: Zoning - City of Sundown, TX (Sundown), quoted and re-checked
  8. Chapter 10: Subdivision Regulation - City of Sundown, TX (Sundown), quoted and re-checked
  9. Exemptions to Electrician Licensing (2026 county census)
  10. Texas law on county zoning and building authority
  11. Hockley County, Texas - County Departments (2026 county census)
  12. Chapter 10: Subdivision Regulation - City of Sundown, TX (Sundown), quoted and re-checked
  13. Chapter 10: Subdivision Regulation - City of Sundown, TX (Sundown), quoted and re-checked
  14. Getting a Permit for an OSSF - Such as a Septic System, quoted and re-checked
  15. Hockley County Septic Inspector (co.hockley.tx.us)
  16. General Access Driveway Policy, quoted and re-checked
  17. About Us - South Plains Underground Water District, quoted and re-checked
  18. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  19. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  20. Annual precipitation: 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 Sundown

Sundown’s own rules

  • Building permitLimited

    Structures on lots in subdivisions inside Sundown city limits.

    • The lot must be serviceable by the community sanitary sewer collection system, unless the city manager authorizes an approved on-site sewer facility system in writing.
    • The on-site system must be licensed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality or its applicable agent.
    • All buildings must have a potable on-site water source and fresh-water distribution system; on-site facilities require approval by the duly authorized governmental authority.
    “No construction shall be undertaken without a building permit.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Sundown city limits.

    • Development and subdivisions must comply with the city zoning ordinance.
    “All subdivisions and development shall comply with other adopted ordinances whether specified herein or not, including, but not limited to the city zoning ordinance.”
  • Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

    Recreational vehicle use as a dwelling where the cited zoning conditional-use provision applies inside Sundown city limits.

    • Only one recreational vehicle on a legally existing lot or combination of legally existing lots.
    • Use is as a temporary dwelling and is subject to the following conditions in the zoning ordinance.

    number of recreational vehicles: 1 vehicle (on a legally existing lot or combination of legally existing lots)

    “The use of recreational vehicles as permanent dwellings is strictly prohibited within all zoning districts of the City of Sundown. Recreational vehicles may only be used as temporary dwellings in accordance with the provisions of Section 14.106(d)(6).”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    HUD-code manufactured-home placement under the cited city zoning conditional-use provision.

    • Placement is temporary and for one year.
    • The home must be skirted, supported, and anchored to current Texas Manufactured Housing Standards Act requirements.
    • The home must otherwise comply with applicable federal and state manufactured-housing laws.
    • The board of adjustment must find a bona fide personal hardship.

    temporary placement period: 1 year (HUD-code manufactured home under the cited conditional-use provision)

    “The temporary, one-year placement of a HUD-code manufactured home in the district, provided that the HUD-code manufactured home is skirted, and that it is supported and anchored meeting the current requirements of the Texas Manufactured Housing Standards Act as ministered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Manufactured Housing Division, or successor agency, and must otherwise comply with all federal and state laws concerning manufactured housing; and provided the board of adjustment finds that there is a bona fide personal hardship necessitating the placement of the HUD-code manufactured home.”
  • Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

    Approved on-site sewer facilities for subdivision lots inside Sundown city limits.

    • The city manager may authorize the on-site system in writing when community sanitary sewer is unavailable.
    • The system must be licensed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality or its applicable agent.
    “In the event the community sanitary sewer collection system is unavailable, the use of an approved on-site sewer facility system may be authorized in writing by the city manager, provided that the same is licensed by the state commission on environmental quality or its applicable agent.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    On-site sewer facilities serving subdivision lots inside Sundown city limits.

    • Only when the community sanitary sewer collection system is unavailable.
    • Written authorization by the city manager is required.
    • The on-site sewer facility system must be licensed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality or its applicable agent.
    “In the event the community sanitary sewer collection system is unavailable, the use of an approved on-site sewer facility system may be authorized in writing by the city manager, provided that the same is licensed by the state commission on environmental quality or its applicable agent.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    On-site sanitation for subdivision lots inside Sundown city limits.

    • Permitted only if community sanitary sewer is unavailable.
    • Requires city-manager written authorization and licensing by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality or its applicable agent.
    “In the event the community sanitary sewer collection system is unavailable, the use of an approved on-site sewer facility system may be authorized in writing by the city manager, provided that the same is licensed by the state commission on environmental quality or its applicable agent.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupConditional

    Structures on subdivision lots inside Sundown city limits.

    • Building permits are issued only for lots serviceable by the community sanitary sewer collection system.
    • When community sewer is unavailable, the city manager may authorize an approved, licensed on-site sewer facility in writing.
    • All buildings must have a potable on-site water source and fresh-water distribution system.
    “Building permits shall only be issued by the city for any structure on any lot in a subdivision that is serviceable by the community sanitary sewer collection system. In the event the community sanitary sewer collection system is unavailable, the use of an approved on-site sewer facility system may be authorized in writing by the city manager, provided that the same is licensed by the state commission on environmental quality or its applicable agent.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision of land inside Sundown city limits.

    • The cited provision also reaches the city’s exclusive extraterritorial jurisdiction where it does not overlap another city or its ETJ.
    • A division into parts greater than five acres is excluded when each part has access and no public improvement is dedicated.
    • A plat is required for qualifying division of a tract into two or more parts.

    excluded division size: > 5 acres (each part has access and no public improvement is dedicated)

    “No subdivider shall subdivide any tract of land that is located within the city or within its exclusive extraterritorial jurisdiction and neither within another city nor within the exclusive extraterritorial jurisdiction of another city, as defined by Chapter 42 of the Texas Local Government Code, except in conformity with the provisions of this article.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Building permits for structures on subdivision lots inside Sundown city limits.

    • The code publishes a sewer-service prerequisite for issuance, but this record did not locate the full general building-permit application process.
    “Building permits shall only be issued by the city for any structure on any lot in a subdivision that is serviceable by the community sanitary sewer collection system.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Sundown or Hockley County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Sundown city limits.
  • Building code adopted — Construction inside Sundown city limits.
  • Inspections — Building construction inside Sundown city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of structures inside Sundown city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Sundown city limits.
13 more unanswered
  • Minimum lot size
  • Setbacks
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Septic inspection
  • Well permit
  • 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 Sundown publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Hockley County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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