Unincorporated Calhoun County

The county publishes an Application for Development Permit through Flood Plain Administration for residential, commercial, RV park, and other work categories including new work, repair, addition, remodel, and moves. The county permit program is directly tied to floodplain administration, subdivision regulations, culvert permits, windstorm compliance, and utility-connection approval.

Note: No public exempt-work list was found for a countywide general building-permit program. The verified county permit program is framed through Flood Plain Administration and related county controls, so do not assume a broad city-style permit exemption list for all unincorporated construction.

Building code

No clearly posted countywide building-code-adoption ordinance found for all unincorporated Calhoun County construction. County application requires compliance with the Flood Damage Prevention Order and State of Texas building and windstorm regulations.

Permit validity

All permits expire 6 months from date of issuance.

Owner-builder

No public owner-builder rule was found in reviewed county materials.

Contractor requirements

County application collects contractor information but does not publish a separate county contractor-registration program. Compliance with State of Texas building and windstorm regulations required. Certain specialized work may require licensed or certified professionals under state law.

Source: Flood Plain Administration ↗

1. 01
   First verify the parcel is in unincorporated Calhoun County and not inside Port Lavaca, Point Comfort, or Seadrift.
2. 02
   Contact Flood Plain Administration and use the county's Application for Development Permit when the project falls within the county's published development-permit program.
3. 03
   Complete the application with owner, contractor, legal-description, use, square footage, class of work, water/sewer information, and floodplain details.
4. 04
   If the property is in Flood Zone AE or VE, attach a survey showing natural ground elevation before the application can be processed.
5. 05
   Submit plans. County states plans are preferred electronically and, if not electronic, cannot be larger than 8.5 x 11 inches.
6. 06
   For projects in AE or VE zones, provide the required elevation documentation and comply with the county flood-damage-prevention requirements.
7. 07
   Obtain any related county approvals referenced by the application, including culvert permit from the commissioner in the applicable precinct and any Port O'Connor Improvement District pre-construction inspection where applicable.
8. 08
   Pay the permit fee by check or money order payable to Calhoun County (no credit/debit cards; cash must be exact).

Source: Flood Plain Administration ↗

Check or money order payable to Calhoun County; no credit or debit cards accepted; cash must be exact.

Fees change periodically. Confirm at the official fee schedule ↗ before budgeting.

Typical sequence: In flood-hazard areas, the county requires pre-processing flood-zone documentation, review of plans, and a finished-construction elevation certificate within 60 days after completion for AE or VE projects. Utility connections are not to be finally made until the Floodplain Administrator approves compliance.

Source: Flood Plain Administration ↗