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

No general building permit is required in unincorporated McCulloch County¹. The county instead identifies septic, culvert and right-of-way permits². Industrialized housing and buildings are different from ordinary site-built construction: units begun on or after July 1, 2024 must comply with the Texas industrialized-building code editions and approved design packages³. A buyer or lessee acquiring an industrialized unit for personal or company use may file for a state installation permit instead of registering as an industrialized builder⁴. Texas also has limited state licensing exemptions for owners doing electrical, plumbing, or air-conditioning work on their own residence or homestead, but those exemptions are not blanket permission for every trade⁸. City rules remain separate, including Brady's zoning code within city limits⁹.

McCulloch County has no building department, so land buyers work with two main offices. Septic (OSSF), culvert and right-of-way permit applications, along with subdivision plat submissions to the Commissioners Court, all go through the county at the courthouse in Brady². Water wells are handled separately: the Hickory Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 covers McCulloch County and requires a Notice of Intent to Drill before any well is started, whether or not the well ends up exempt from permitting¹⁰.

No. McCulloch County states that it has no zoning requirements, and it publishes no zoning districts for unincorporated land². That absence of county zoning leaves minimum dwelling size, minimum lot size, setbacks, lot coverage, building height, accessory dwellings, RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny-home occupancy and manufactured-home occupancy unrestricted at the county level⁷. The county's statement does not determine municipal zoning; the City of Brady separately administers a zoning code and design-review ordinances within city limits^2,9. Subdivision regulations remain separate from zoning, so dividing unincorporated land can still require county review⁶.

Apply to McCulloch County for an OSSF permit before septic work proceeds; the county publishes the local application intake and requires entities to apply². TCEQ serves only as the fallback permitting authority where no local jurisdiction has been authorized, while local programs may be stricter than state minimums¹¹. Take soil testing seriously: only 3.1% of McCulloch County soils have no severe limits for a conventional drain field, so confirm the workable system and location before buying¹². A qualifying single-family tract of at least 10 acres may use the state exemption only after a site evaluation and only if every OSSF part is at least 100 feet from a property line, effluent stays onsite, no nuisance or groundwater pollution results, and no other dwelling is on the tract¹¹. A platted subdivision also needs the required OSSF compliance certificate before its plat goes to Commissioners Court¹³.

As far as county zoning is concerned, yes. Because unincorporated McCulloch County has no zoning ordinance, RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny-home occupancy and manufactured-home occupancy are unrestricted at the county level⁷. A factory-built tiny home may still qualify as industrialized housing subject to Texas codes and the state installation-permit process; the county's lack of zoning does not waive those construction rules^3,4. Sanitation and water rules also apply: OSSF work generally requires a county septic application unless a state exemption applies^2,11. In a regulated subdivision, a structure cannot be occupied until it connects to an approved well, a TCEQ-approved public water system or another water supply approved by Commissioners Court¹³.

1. Determine whether the home is site-built or industrialized. For an industrialized or modular unit, confirm the Texas code and installation-permit path before ordering it^3,4.
2. Have the soil evaluated and apply to McCulloch County for an OSSF permit, unless the county confirms that the state exemption applies^2,11.
3. File a Notice of Intent to Drill with the Hickory Underground Water Conservation District before well work, then confirm whether the well needs a full permit⁵.
4. If you are creating a lot, ask whether county plat review applies. A qualifying agricultural, farm, ranch, wildlife-management or timber-production division can be excluded when no land is laid out for shared or public-use areas⁶.
5. When plat review applies, submit the plat to Commissioners Court and obtain the required road-access sign-off⁶. A revision of an existing unincorporated subdivision plat carries published fees of $50 per plat, $5 for records preservation, $1 for courthouse security and $500 for a water-availability study unless that study fee is waived by variance; notice costs may be added⁶.
6. Apply to the county for any needed culvert or right-of-way permit; a culvert applicant must contact the commissioner for the correct precinct². A driveway connecting to a state highway needs the state access-permit process before construction¹⁴.

Arrange a site evaluation before going under contract: only 3.1% of county soils have no severe limits for a conventional drain field, so septic feasibility can change the usable building area and project cost¹². Confirm well options with the Hickory Underground Water Conservation District because every well needs a Notice of Intent to Drill, even if it is permit-exempt⁵. The nearest city of 100,000 or more is about 86 miles from the county center, population density is about 7 people per square mile, and severe drought occurs in about 25.7% of years¹². The effective property-tax rate is about 1.4%, with a median annual bill around $1,435¹². Typical home value is about $162,236, while farmland averages about $2,129 an acre¹².