Unincorporated Hockley County

No public county general building-permit requirement was found for ordinary construction in unincorporated Hockley County. Verified narrower control: TCEQ requires an OSSF permit to construct, install, alter, extend, or repair an OSSF unless an exemption applies. Verified narrower control: county septic inspections are handled through the county's posted designated representative contact. Verified narrower control: floodplain coordination may apply in mapped flood-hazard areas because FEMA/TWDB lists Hockley County as an NFIP community.

• Exempt OSSF permit may be exempt under the '10 acre rule' if all state criteria are met
• Exempt Emergency OSSF repairs such as replacing tank lids, inlet and outlet devices, repairing risers and caps, replacing disinfection devices, repairing damaged drip irrigation tubing, and repair of solid lines do not require a permit, but must be reported in writing to the permitting authority within 72 hours after repairs have begun

Note: No public county general exempt-work list was found because no public county general building-permit program was identified.

Building code

No public countywide building-code adoption for general vertical construction in unincorporated Hockley County was identified. The verified county controls are narrower and center on septic administration plus possible floodplain administration.

Permit validity

No county general building-permit validity rule was found. No county-specific septic permit expiration rule was found.

Owner-builder

TCEQ states an owner may install an OSSF if the permitting authority allows it and the system is for a single-family dwelling the owner owns on property the owner owns, no part of the property will be developed for sale or lease, and all permitting requirements are met.

Contractor requirements

No county general contractor registration program was publicly identified. TCEQ licensing applies for OSSF installers, apprentices, maintenance providers, maintenance technicians, and site evaluators.

Source: Hockley County ↗

1. 01
   Verify the parcel is in unincorporated Hockley County and outside all incorporated city limits.
2. 02
   For ordinary building construction, note that no public countywide building-permit program was identified in current county sources.
3. 03
   Determine whether the project instead triggers one of the narrower verified controls, especially septic or OSSF permitting.
4. 04
   For septic or OSSF work, contact Jason Turner, the county's posted designated representative (806-241-5066 or hockleycountyseptic@gmail.com), and submit the application and planning materials required by the permitting authority. TCEQ requires a permit to construct, install, alter, extend, or repair an OSSF unless an exemption applies.
5. 05
   If the parcel is in a mapped flood-hazard area, confirm floodplain requirements directly with the county before development because FEMA/TWDB lists Hockley County as an NFIP community.
6. 06
   Complete any required septic inspections and obtain approval before use. TCEQ requires the permitting authority to approve or deny an OSSF application within 30 days of receipt.

Typical processing time: OSSF permit review: 30 days under TCEQ guidance. No public county processing-time estimate was found for any other county approval type.

Source: Hockley County ↗

• County designated representative: Jason Turner (806-241-5066 or hockleycountyseptic@gmail.com) (in-person)

Typical sequence: Verified septic path: application and planning materials to the permitting authority, permitting decision, then required inspection activity under the local or state OSSF program.