Bolthole Index

Kaufman County, Texas

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Kemp, Texas

Kemp, Texas issues building permits for new construction and remodeling, with a city survey to determine whether a house remodel needs a permit.1 Kemp has its own zoning; Kaufman County Development Services handles septic permitting inside Kemp, while city approval is also required for private sewage facilities.234

At a glance

Building permits
City-issued for new construction; submit the city survey for house remodeling1
Zoning
City zoning applies inside Kemp2
Septic approval
Kaufman County septic permitting plus city approval for private sewage facilities34
Agricultural-district home lots
At least 2 acres, with adequate city utilities or on-lot septic5
Agricultural accessory buildings
In the A Agricultural District, total building and structure area is limited to 10% of the tract6
Owner electrical work
State licensing exemption for an owned, occupied dwelling; local requirements can still apply7

Who to call

Building permits

City of Kemp Permitting Department

City building-permit applications and questions about zoning approval; commercial plan-submittal instructions.

903-498-3191

[email protected]

304 South Main Street, Kemp, Texas 75143

Building permits

City of Kemp Building Plan Review and Inspections

City building-permit guidance, remodeling assessment, and Bureau Veritas inspection scheduling.

817-335-8111

[email protected]

Septic permits

Kaufman County Development Services

County OSSF applications and septic installation or repair questions; county authority includes Kemp city limits.

(469) 376-4127

101 N. Houston Street Kaufman , TX 75142

Also useful

City of Kemp Water Service

City water-service notices and current drought restrictions.

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in Kemp, Texas?

Kemp issues building permits for new construction and remodeling of existing buildings; for a house remodel inside city limits, submit the city’s survey so the Permitting Department can assess whether a building permit is required.1 Kemp’s permitting page identifies the adopted 2015 International Building Code and Bureau Veritas as the city’s plan-review and inspection provider.1

For commercial construction, Kemp’s packet requires a completed building-permit application, a final inspection and a certificate of occupancy before the building is occupied.8910 Ask the city for the application and inspection requirements for your particular house project rather than using the commercial checklist as a residential checklist.1

Who issues building permits in Kemp, and how do you reach them?

Contact the City of Kemp Permitting Department at 903-498-3191, or visit 304 South Main Street, Kemp, Texas 75143, for city building-permit questions.8 The commercial packet directs applicants to send a digital application, site plan and relevant paperwork to [email protected].8

Kemp uses Bureau Veritas for building plan reviews and inspections, and the city directs applicants to contact that provider rather than City Hall to schedule inspections.1 The inspection phone line is 817-335-8111 and the inspection email is [email protected].1 Calling by 4:00 p.m. allows an inspection on the next business day under the city’s published instructions.1

Does Kemp have zoning, minimum lot sizes and agricultural limits?

Kemp has municipal zoning, including an A Agricultural District; the city’s zoning applies to land inside Kemp city limits.2 In Kemp’s A Agricultural District, single-family dwellings require building lots of at least 2 acres and adequate service from city utilities or a septic tank on the building lot.5

Kemp’s A Agricultural District also limits the total area of agricultural accessory buildings and structures to 10% of the gross tract area; the provision includes barns, stables, equipment sheds and private garages.6 Ask the Kemp Permitting Department to identify your parcel’s district and confirm setbacks before drawing the house and outbuildings; the agricultural-district acreage rule is a district-specific requirement.85

How do septic permits work inside Kemp?

Kaufman County Development Services handles septic permitting inside Kemp, and a septic system must be permitted before operation.311 Kemp also requires a city permit for a septic tank or private sewage facility: the city council must determine that public sewage service is unavailable, and the applicant must show satisfactory soil conditions.4 Discuss sewer availability and city approval with Kemp before treating county septic approval as the entire process.4

Kaufman County’s soil data rates only 3.4% of soils not limited for conventional septic drain fields; this countywide rating supports budgeting for a site evaluation and potentially an engineered system, rather than assuming septic is impossible.12 Texas has a conditional 10-acre septic exemption, but local programs can impose stricter requirements, so ask Development Services whether any exemption applies alongside Kemp’s city approval.134

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

Kemp has city zoning, so the absence of general county zoning outside city limits does not answer an RV or tiny-home question inside Kemp.214 We could not confirm an affirmative rule allowing residential RV occupancy or tiny-home occupancy in Kemp; ask the Kemp Permitting Department about your proposed use, parcel district and construction type before buying a unit.8

Wastewater remains a separate approval: private sewage facilities in Kemp need city approval, and Kaufman County handles the septic permit.43 Texas’s owner-occupied electrical-work licensing exemption does not waive local building permits or inspections, and municipal requirements may override that licensing exemption.7

Building a home in Kemp: what should you do first?

  1. Ask the Kemp Permitting Department to confirm the parcel’s zoning district and proposed residential use; in the A Agricultural District, confirm the 2-acre building-lot requirement and utility or septic service.85
  2. Confirm public sewer availability with Kemp; if private sewage is proposed, obtain the city’s required determination and approval and discuss septic permitting with Kaufman County Development Services.411
  3. Request Kemp’s building-permit requirements for the house, or submit the city survey for a house remodel.1
  4. Keep construction plans on-site and schedule city building inspections through Bureau Veritas.1

For land outside Kemp city limits, use the Kaufman County guide for the county’s unincorporated building-permit answer.15

Watch-outs

  • Kemp’s private-sewage approval and Kaufman County’s septic permitting are separate requirements to resolve before installation.411
  • We could not confirm Kemp’s residential building-permit fee amounts, minimum dwelling size or private-well requirements; ask the Kemp Permitting Department before budgeting or buying.8
  • A driveway onto state highway right-of-way needs the applicable access approval; contact the local TxDOT district office before construction.16
  • Kemp’s current city notice says Stage 3 severe water-shortage conditions are being enforced; ask City Hall how current water restrictions affect your plans.17

Sources

  1. City of Kemp Building Plan Review and Inspections (cityofkemp.org)
  2. Sec. 42-220. Permitted uses, A, Agricultural District (Kemp), quoted and re-checked
  3. FAQs - Development Services (Kemp), quoted and re-checked
  4. Sec. 16-4. Septic tanks and private sewage facilities (Kemp), quoted and re-checked
  5. Sec. 42-220. Permitted uses, A, Agricultural District (Kemp), quoted and re-checked
  6. Sec. 42-220. Permitted uses, A, Agricultural District (Kemp), quoted and re-checked
  7. Exemptions to Electrician Licensing (Texas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  8. City of Kemp Permitting Department (cityofkemp.org)
  9. Commercial Building Permit Procedure (Kemp), quoted and re-checked
  10. Commercial Building Permit Procedure (Kemp), quoted and re-checked
  11. On-Site Sewage Facilities (Kemp), quoted and re-checked
  12. 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
  13. Getting a Permit for an OSSF - Such as a Septic System (Texas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  14. Kaufman County Development Services (2026 county census)
  15. Permits and Inspections (2026 county census)
  16. Section 4: Driveway Permits, Design, and Materials (Texas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  17. City of Kemp Water Service (cityofkemp.org)

Written October 11, 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 Kemp

Kemp’s own rules

  • InspectionsRequired

    Commercial construction subject to the Kemp commercial permit packet.

    • The packet states that all permits require a final inspection.
    “All permits require final inspection. A certificate of occupancy must be issued before any building is occupied.”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Commercial buildings covered by the Kemp commercial permit packet before occupancy.

    • A certificate of occupancy must be issued before the building is occupied.
    “A certificate of occupancy must be issued before any building is occupied.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Kemp city limits; the city has an adopted Chapter 42 zoning code, including an A Agricultural District.

    “A building or premises shall be used only for the following purposes: (1) Single-family dwellings on building lots of two acres or more in areas where said dwellings can be adequately served by city utilities or septic tanks located on the building lot.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    Private sewage facilities inside Kemp city limits.

    • Private sewage facilities may be constructed only when the city council determines public sewage service is unavailable.
    • The applicant must present evidence of satisfactory soil conditions.
    • A city permit is required.
    • Facilities must comply with standards adopted by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
    “When it is determined by the city council that public sewage service is not available, private sewage facilities may be constructed upon presentation to the city of evidence that soil conditions are such that satisfactory sewage disposal can be provided by the use of septic tanks or similar devices. No septic tank or private sewage facilities may be installed without a permit from the city.”

Rules another office applies inside Kemp

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

  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Single-family dwellings in Kemp's A, Agricultural District.

    • The minimum building lot is two acres or more.
    • The dwelling must be adequately served by city utilities or by a septic tank located on the building lot.

    minimum building lot size: >= 2 acres

    “Single-family dwellings on building lots of two acres or more in areas where said dwellings can be adequately served by city utilities or septic tanks located on the building lot.”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Accessory buildings and structures incidental to agricultural operations in Kemp's A, Agricultural District.

    • The cited limit applies to agricultural accessory buildings and structures, including barns, stables, equipment sheds, granaries, private garages, pump houses, and servants' quarters not for rent.
    • The total area of buildings and structures is limited to ten percent of the gross land area of the tract.

    maximum total area of agricultural buildings and structures: <= 10 percent of gross land area (agricultural accessory buildings and structures)

    “Accessory buildings and structures clearly incidental to agricultural operations, including, but not limited to, barns, stables, equipment sheds, granaries, private garages, pump houses, and servants quarters not for rent, provided that the total area of buildings and structures shall be limited to ten percent of the gross land area of tract.”
  • Who permits septicCounty

    On-site sewage facilities inside Kemp city limits; Kaufman County Development Services handles all incorporated city limits in the county other than Oak Ridge and Terrell.

    • Kaufman County is an Authorized Agent for TCEQ septic permitting.
    • The county FAQ expressly excludes Oak Ridge and Terrell from county handling and states that all other city limits are handled by Development Services.
    “If you reside in the city limits of Oak Ridge or Terrell, then you would need to contact them. These two cities in Kaufman County are Authorized Agents. All other City Limits will be handled by Development Services.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    Installation and operation of septic systems inside Kemp city limits, administered by Kaufman County Development Services.

    • A septic system must be permitted before being put into operation.
    • The installer must be licensed by TCEQ to install or repair any portion of the system.
    • Kaufman County's municipal-city handling statement applies to Kemp because Kemp is not one of the two excluded cities named in the FAQ.
    “Kaufman County requires Septic Systems to be permitted prior to be being put into operation.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Kemp city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Residential dwellings inside Kemp city limits.
  • Setbacks — Residential and agricultural land inside Kemp city limits.
  • Building height — Buildings inside Kemp city limits.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Kemp city limits.
9 more unanswered
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Septic inspection
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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 Kemp publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Kaufman County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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