Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Refugio County, Texas

Refugio County publishes a Development Permit Application under its "Building Permits" heading and charges a $20 fee¹. The form covers residential, non-residential, mobile-home, new-construction, substantial-improvement, fill and drainage proposals, but the published material does not expressly say that an ordinary project outside the floodplain must obtain the permit¹. Ask the County Judge's office whether your specific parcel and work require the application before construction⁸. If the property is in a floodplain, submit plans and specifications with the application⁶. Refugio County's adoption of a countywide building code could not be confirmed, so do not treat the development permit as proof that the county performs full code-plan review. Separately, windstorm insurance through the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association requires certified construction, and applications for a windstorm Certificate of Compliance must be certified to the 2024 International Residential Code or International Building Code⁹. An industrialized or modular home has a separate state process: an owner purchasing one for personal use may file for an installation permit instead of registering as an industrialized builder⁷.

Start with the Refugio County Judge's office at 808 Commerce Street, Room 104, Refugio, TX 78377, phone 361-526-4434⁸. Ask that office whether the $20 Development Permit Application applies to your parcel and proposed work, because the published form does not make its reach outside floodplains explicit¹. The same office processes septic applications: the county packet directs applicants to return all checklist items to the County Judge's office⁵. Refugio County's Regulations and Permits page links the Development Permit Application and the OSSF application¹. For land inside the Town of Bayside, municipal zoning is separate from the county process, so confirm land-use approval with the town as well³.

Unincorporated Refugio County has no county zoning rule setting minimum home size, minimum lot size, setbacks, lot coverage or building height². That unincorporated-county answer does not carry into incorporated towns. The Town of Bayside has zoning that governs buildings, structures, land uses, districts, yards, open spaces and related development within the town³. The Town of Woodsboro also requires development to comply with its Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan⁴. Other municipal rules were not confirmed, so ask the relevant city or town before relying on the county answer for an incorporated parcel. Zoning is also separate from the county's development, septic and floodplain processes: a project can face those requirements even when county zoning does not restrict the use^1,5,6.

For unincorporated land, Refugio County runs the OSSF application process, and the county packet does not show it applies inside incorporated towns, so a parcel in Bayside or Woodsboro needs the local permitting authority confirmed⁵. Applications, site/soil evaluations, planning materials and the permit fee all go through the County Judge's office, with a $300 fee for a residential system and $500 for commercial⁵. Soils make this more than paperwork: USDA survey data shows only 1.7% of Refugio County's soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so plan on an engineered or alternative system on nearly every site¹⁰. A single-family home on a tract of at least 10 acres can skip the planning-materials, permit and inspection requirements under the state's 10-acre rule, but only if every part of the system stays at least 100 feet from the property line and the other Chapter 285 conditions are met^11,12. Boreholes, cesspools and seepage pits are prohibited outright, regardless of tract size¹¹.

Yes, on unincorporated land in Refugio County the county sets no zoning rule against living in an RV, a tiny home or a manufactured home². Inside the Town of Bayside, municipal zoning applies, so ask the town before buying or placing a dwelling there³. A separate state program applies when installing a factory-built industrialized or modular home: an owner buying one for personal use may file a residential installation-permit application instead of registering as an industrialized builder, and the first installation needs a site inspection scheduled at least 48 hours ahead and completed within 180 days after construction starts^7,13. An RV or tiny home using an OSSF generally needs county septic approval; the narrow state exception for a qualifying single-family dwelling on at least 10 acres applies only when every listed condition is met^5,12.

1. Confirm whether the parcel is unincorporated or inside a municipality; the Town of Bayside has its own zoning³.
2. Ask the County Judge's office whether the $20 Development Permit Application applies to the site and work^1,8.
3. If the property is in a floodplain, include plans and specifications with the application⁶.
4. Apply for a septic permit through the same office and obtain the required site and soil evaluation^5,12.
5. For an industrialized or modular home, file the applicable state installation-permit application and arrange the required inspection^7,13.
6. If a driveway will connect to a state highway, submit Form 1058 to the TxDOT district office before work begins in the right of way¹⁴.

Soils: with only 1.7% of the county's soils free of severe limitations for a conventional septic field, budget for an engineered or alternative system on nearly every site¹⁰. Flood risk: check flood-hazard status before you buy, since property in an identified flood hazard area triggers the county's floodplain development permit and a copy of construction plans⁶. Water: no drilling permit is required to drill a water well in Refugio County, but you must give the Refugio Groundwater Conservation District written notice of intent before drilling, and the district advises checking groundwater production-permit rules¹⁵. Terrain: all of Refugio County's land, 100% of it, sits at 15% slope or less, and 19.4% is wooded¹⁰. Climate: the county averages 35.7 inches of rain a year and sees severe drought in 17.4% of years, with a projected 18.9 days a year at or above 100°F by mid-century¹⁰. Costs: typical home insurance runs about $2,492 a year, the effective property tax rate is about 1.4%, and the median tax bill is about $1,325 a year, against a typical home value near $135,704 and rural land around $2,528 an acre¹⁰. If the land is currently farmed or ranched, it may already qualify for agricultural appraisal, which requires the land to have been devoted principally to agricultural or timber use for at least five of the past seven years¹⁶.