Bolthole Index

McLennan County, Texas

Building permits, zoning and land rules in Woodway, Texas

Woodway, Texas requires building permits for new homes, additions and many alterations inside city limits.1 Woodway’s Inspections and Planning Division handles city zoning and construction codes; septic systems come under the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District’s OSSF program.23 Outside city limits, use the separate McLennan County guide for the county’s residential construction process.4

At a glance

Building permits
Required for new construction, additions and listed alterations1
Zoning
City zoning applies inside Woodway city limits2
Septic authority
Waco-McLennan County Public Health District OSSF program3
Owner-builder
Valid Homestead Exemption can qualify homeowners for listed trade permits; no general building-permit exemption confirmed5
Occupancy
City certificate required for erected or structurally altered buildings and changes in use6
Drive approach
City-street drive approach replacement or addition requires a $35 permit7

Who to call

Building permits

Woodway Inspections and Planning Division

City building permits, construction inspections and planning/zoning questions

254-772-4050

924 Estates Drive Woodway, TX 76712

Septic permits

Waco-McLennan County Public Health District OSSF Program

Septic applications, inspections and current fee information for Woodway and McLennan County

(254) 299-2473

401 Franklin Avenue - Mae Jackson Development Center - 1st Floor

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

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Do you need a building permit in Woodway, TX?

Woodway requires building permits for new construction and additions, accessory buildings, remodeling, alterations, patio covers, storage buildings and reroofing inside city limits.1 Separate plumbing, gas, mechanical, electrical, irrigation and pool permits may also be required, with regular-maintenance exceptions in some trade categories.1 A delivered storage building is still a project to clear with the city: Woodway requires accessory-structure approval before placement or erection, including buildings without a permanent foundation.8 Homeowners with a valid Homestead Exemption may obtain listed trade permits, but that provision does not establish a general exemption from Woodway building permits.5

Who issues building permits and answers zoning questions in Woodway?

Woodway’s Inspections and Planning Division is the city contact for construction codes and zoning conformity.2 The city’s One-Stop Center receives residential and commercial development and building-permit applications.8 Call the division at 254-772-4050 to discuss the proposed work and the appropriate application before ordering a structure or scheduling construction.8 For a new home, Woodway lists foundation pre-pour, building-wrap, brick-tie, framing, insulation and final inspections.9 Woodway prefers 24 hours’ advance notice for inspections, and a failed inspection can bring a $50–$125 reinspection fee at the inspector’s discretion.9

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

Woodway has city zoning, so a building-permit discussion should begin with the parcel’s zoning district and proposed residential use.2 Woodway’s detached single-family lot requirements in the R-2 district refer back to the R-1 requirements; multifamily development follows different density and floor-area provisions.10 Ask the Inspections and Planning Division for the parcel’s district, applicable lot dimensions and setbacks before choosing a house plan.8 We could not confirm a citywide private-land RV occupancy rule, a tiny-home-specific occupancy rule or a complete accessory-dwelling rule; ask the division about the exact structure and intended use.8 Woodway’s flood-hazard standards address RVs, but those standards alone do not establish permission to live in an RV elsewhere in the city.11

How do septic permits work inside Woodway?

The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District administers the OSSF program for the cities in McLennan County, including the city jurisdiction relevant to a Woodway septic application.3 Texas generally requires a septic permit and approved plan to construct, alter, repair, extend or operate an on-site sewage facility.12 The Health District’s current conventional single-family septic permit and inspection fee is $510, with a mandatory $10 fee on new or repair permits.3 McLennan County’s soil data rates only 4.4% of soils “not limited” for conventional drain fields; that countywide screening figure means a site evaluation matters, not that septic is impossible on a Woodway lot.13 The Health District says system suitability depends on soils, site features and intended use.3 Ask the district about local requirements before relying on Texas’s conditional 10-acre exemption, because local programs can be stricter.12

Building a home in Woodway: what are the steps, in order?

  1. Take the parcel and proposed use to Woodway’s Inspections and Planning Division for zoning and construction-code guidance.8
  2. Submit the building application through the city’s One-Stop Center and identify any separate trade or accessory-building permits.81
  3. If the project needs septic, contact the Health District OSSF program about the site and proposed system before installing it.312
  4. Arrange Woodway’s required construction inspections as the work reaches the listed stages, preferably with 24 hours’ notice.9
  5. Obtain Woodway’s certificate of occupancy before using an erected or structurally altered building, or changing its use.6

What should you check before buying land in Woodway?

Resolve the parcel’s zoning and intended use with Woodway’s Inspections and Planning Division before committing to a building plan.8 In Woodway special flood-hazard areas with base-flood-elevation data, new residential construction and substantial improvements must elevate the lowest floor, including basements, to or above base-flood elevation and provide professional certification.11 A replacement or added drive approach attached to a city street requires a $35 city permit, while flatwork beyond the approach, such as an uncovered patio or driveway expansion, does not require that city permit.7 For a lot requiring septic, ask the Health District to evaluate the proposed use and site suitability rather than assuming a conventional system will fit.3 We could not confirm Woodway-specific private-well or alternative-sanitation requirements; raise those plans with the city and the Health District before purchase.83

Watch-outs

  • Woodway requires approval before placement of accessory structures, including delivered storage buildings without permanent foundations.8
  • Woodway flood-hazard provisions for RVs do not answer whether private-land RV occupancy is allowed throughout the city; ask the Inspections and Planning Division about the proposed address and use.118
  • A Woodway certificate of occupancy is required before an erected or structurally altered building is occupied or changed in use.6

Sources

  1. Woodway Permit Requirements (Woodway), quoted and re-checked
  2. Inspections & Planning Division (Woodway), quoted and re-checked
  3. Waco-McLennan County Public Health District OSSF Program (waco-texas.com)
  4. Residential Building Requirements, quoted and re-checked
  5. Woodway Permit Applications (Woodway), quoted and re-checked
  6. Part Ten. Certificate of Occupancy and Compliance (Woodway), quoted and re-checked
  7. Woodway Permit Applications (Woodway), quoted and re-checked
  8. Woodway Inspections and Planning Division (woodwaytexas.gov)
  9. Woodway Permit Requirements (Woodway), quoted and re-checked
  10. Section 5.1: Minimum Lot Areas and Widths (Woodway), quoted and re-checked
  11. Sec. 13-77. Specific standards (Woodway), quoted and re-checked
  12. Getting a Permit for an OSSF - Such as a Septic System (Texas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  13. 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

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 Woodway

Woodway’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    New construction, additions, accessory buildings, remodeling, alterations, patio covers, storage buildings, and reroofing inside Woodway city limits.

    • The city's list includes exceptions for regular maintenance in certain trade categories.
    • Separate permits may be required for plumbing, gas, mechanical, electrical, irrigation, accessory buildings, and pools.
    “New construction and additions, accessory buildings, remodeling and alteration of existing structures, including patio covers and storage buildings”
  • Owner-builder exemptionConditional

    Homeowners performing listed electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing work inside Woodway city limits.

    • The permit-application pages state that electrical, gas, mechanical, and plumbing permits may be obtained by a homeowner with a valid Homestead Exemption; the material does not establish a general exemption from building permits.
    “all electrical work, unless specifically excepted by Building Inspector; requires contractor with valid Master Electrician and Electrical Contractor Licenses or homeowner with valid Homestead Exemption”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Construction and trade work inside Woodway city limits.

    • Inspections include new-construction foundation pre-pour, building wrap, brick ties, framing, insulation, and final inspections; mechanical, plumbing, electrical, gas, and driveway work also have listed inspections.
    • Advanced notice of 24 hours is preferred.
    • Failed inspections may result in a $50.00-$125.00 re-inspection fee at the inspector's discretion.

    preferred inspection notice: 24 hours · re-inspection fee: 50.00-125.00 USD (At inspector discretion)

    “New construction: foundation pre-pour, building wrap, brick ties, framing, insulation, final”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Buildings erected, structurally altered, or changed in use inside Woodway city limits.

    • The certificate must state that the building or proposed use complies with the building code and zoning regulations.
    “No building hereafter erected or structurally altered shall be used, occupied, or changed in use until a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the City of Woodway, stating that the building or proposed use of a building or premises complies with the building code and the provisions of these regulations.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Woodway city limits.

    • The city's official planning page states that land use conforms to city zoning ordinances and links to a City Zoning Map and zoning applications.
    “The Inspections and Planning Division ensures that land use conforms to the comprehensive land use plan and zoning ordinances and that new construction meets all applicable codes adopted by the City.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Detached single-family dwellings in R-2 districts inside Woodway city limits.

    • The R-2 ordinance provision applies the R-1 requirements to detached single-family dwellings.
    • Multifamily dwellings have different density and bedroom-based floor-area rules.
    “For each detached single-family dwelling, the requirements of Section 5.101A shall apply.”
  • Driveway accessRequired

    Drive approaches attached to City streets inside Woodway city limits.

    • The city does not require permits for flatwork poured beyond the drive approach, such as driveway expansion or uncovered patios.
    • A city permit is required for replacement or addition of a drive approach attached to a city street.

    drive approach permit fee: 35 USD

    “replacement or addition of drive approach attached to City street (City does not require permits for flatwork poured beyond the drive approach, i.e. driveway expansion, uncovered patios)”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    New construction and substantial improvements in special flood-hazard areas inside Woodway city where base-flood-elevation data has been provided.

    • Residential construction must elevate the lowest floor, including basements, to or above base-flood elevation and provide professional certification.
    • Nonresidential construction must be elevated or designed watertight below base-flood level and professionally certified.
    • Flood enclosures require openings or certified equivalent design.
    • Manufactured homes and recreational vehicles have additional elevation, anchoring, licensing, duration, and permit requirements.
    “In all areas of special flood hazards where base flood elevation data has been provided as set forth in (i) section 13-36 , (ii) section 13-56 (8), or (iii) section 13-78 (3), the following provisions are required:”
  • Permit feesPublished

    Municipal permits and development fees inside Woodway city limits.

    • The fee schedule was adopted August 26, 2024 and effective October 1, 2024.
    • Examples include $35.00 for a permit to construct a street, drive approach, sidewalk, street intersection, or curb and gutter; $150.00 preliminary plat/replat application; $250.00 final plat/replat application; and $500.00 initial short-term-rental application.

    drive approach permit: 35 USD · preliminary plat/replat application: 150 USD · final plat/replat application: 250 USD · initial short-term rental application: 500 USD

    “1. Preliminary plat/replat application fee $150.00”

Still unanswered

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

  • Building code adopted — Construction inside Woodway city limits.
  • Setbacks — Building setbacks inside Woodway city limits.
  • Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Woodway city limits.
  • Building height — Building height inside Woodway city limits.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Woodway city limits.
7 more unanswered
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption

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

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