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

Kaufman County requires a Fire Marshal building-permit application for new public buildings, commercial establishments and multifamily dwellings with more than 3 units in unincorporated areas; a typical single-family house is not included in that published list¹. Ask the Fire Marshal to confirm the project's classification and Development Services which septic, culvert, floodplain and addressing applications apply¹. Inside Terrell, the city handles building permits, including new construction and specified remodeling or accessory work, and also administers septic within city limits^8,9.

The Kaufman County Fire Marshal's Office handles covered building applications and inspections in unincorporated areas; call 469-376-4122 or email firemarshal@kaufmancounty.net¹. Kaufman County adopted the 2024 International Fire Code with amendments for commercial and public buildings under the Fire Marshal's jurisdiction¹. Subcontractors schedule required inspections, including tests and visual checks before work is buried or covered¹. Covered public, commercial and multifamily buildings with more than 3 units need a Certificate of Occupancy before use and annual renewal following a fire-hazard inspection; a new business or ownership change also triggers the requirement, with stated exceptions for certain home businesses and projects already undergoing building-permit review^1,10.

Unincorporated Kaufman County has no county zoning ordinance, so county zoning does not set minimum dwelling size, lot size, setbacks, lot coverage, height or land-use districts, or prohibit accessory dwellings, RVs, tiny homes, manufactured homes or temporary camping². Terrell, Mabank and Kemp have municipal zoning; Mesquite, mainly in Dallas County but extending into Kaufman County, also sets its own zoning^11,12,13,14. Development Services retains septic permitting outside Oak Ridge and Terrell⁶. Dividing unincorporated land can require county platting review, subject to state exceptions and municipal jurisdictional limits¹⁵.

Kaufman County Development Services handles septic permits for unincorporated land and city addresses except Oak Ridge and Terrell, which are separate authorized agents; a septic system must be permitted before operation^3,6. Call (469) 376-4127 about county OSSF rules³. Installation or repair of any system portion, including sprinklers, requires a TCEQ-licensed installer or repairer³. Texas's narrow exemption for a single-family dwelling on at least 10 acres requires every condition, including a licensed site evaluation and system components at least 100 feet from property lines; ask Development Services whether county requirements allow it¹⁶. Only about 3% of Kaufman County soils rate 'not limited' for a conventional drain field, so arrange a site evaluation early; poor ratings do not mean septic is impossible¹⁷.

For an RV or tiny home on unincorporated Kaufman County land, septic, floodplain, access and platting requirements still need attention even without county zoning^3,4,5,15. We could not confirm county requirements for long-term RV occupancy, utility connections or off-grid sanitation, so ask Development Services how the proposed water and wastewater setup will be treated before moving onto the parcel³. Inside Terrell, permitted uses depend on the city's zoning district, and the city administers septic^9,11.

1. Confirm whether the parcel is unincorporated or inside a city or its permitting jurisdiction¹⁵.
2. Ask the Fire Marshal whether the proposed building is one of the public, commercial or larger multifamily projects requiring its building application¹.
3. If the county construction process applies, submit the Pre-Development Questionnaire, attend the pre-development meeting and file the applicable applications¹.
4. Allow up to 30 days for each submittal review, then attend the pre-construction meeting before building-permit issuance¹.
5. Arrange septic, floodplain and county-right-of-way approvals that fit the site^3,4,5.
6. For a covered project, have subcontractors schedule required inspections and complete final acceptance before the Certificate of Compliance¹.

Development in an unincorporated FEMA-designated floodplain requires a Kaufman County floodplain permit, with fees based on project scope⁴. A driveway or culvert within the county right-of-way requires a Culvert Application and $75 fee; Development Services requests payment after reviewing the required documents^5,7. The precinct commissioner determines culvert size, and the permit expires after 12 months⁵. State-highway access instead requires a fully executed state driveway permit before right-of-way construction¹⁸. Confirm plat status before buying or dividing acreage¹⁵. For covered county building projects, the building-permit fee uses gross square footage, the county's cost-per-square-foot chart and a 0.3% factor¹⁹.