Who to contact
Find your county's septic office
Our county picker shows your county's septic permitting office with its phone number. Statewide lookups, forms and license checks:
Septic permits
Your county (or another local authorized agent) issues septic permits in most of Texas; where there is no local agent, the state environmental agency (TCEQ) issues them. Look up your county to find who handles your permit.
Licensed septic installers & designers
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality licenses septic installers and site evaluators, and engineers or registered sanitarians can also do the site evaluation and design.
Water wells
Private water well drillers and pump installers are licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Many areas also have a local groundwater conservation district that may require a well permit.
How it works
General information from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), checked 7 November 2026. Local programs can be stricter than state rules, so confirm with your permitting authority. TCEQ planned an update to its septic rules in 2026; we'll update this page when it takes effect.
Who issues the permit
TCEQ itself is usually not the permitting authority. Permits are issued by a local "authorized agent": a county, city, river authority or public health district. Where no local agent exists, the TCEQ regional office issues them. Use the county and city picker to see the authority for your county. It comes from TCEQ's county lookup.
TCEQ's own rule for counties with more than one authority: in a subdivision within 2,000 feet of a listed lake, go to the lake's authority; inside a listed city's limits, go to the city; otherwise, go to the county.
The steps
- Site evaluation: a licensed site evaluator or professional engineer surveys the lot and analyzes the soil where the system would go.
- Design and application: the system is designed to suit the soil and submitted with the permit application. The authority must approve or deny within 30 days, and explain any denial in writing (it can be appealed).
- Installation: by a TCEQ-licensed installer of the right level, or a registered apprentice under one.
- Inspection and approval by the permitting authority before the system is used. Local requirements vary.
Doing it yourself: an owner may install a system for a single-family home they own, on property they own that won't be sold or leased, if the local authority allows it and every rule is met.
The 10-acre exemption
A system may be exempt from permitting only if all of these hold:
- a licensed site evaluator or professional engineer did a site evaluation;
- it serves the only single-family home on a tract of 10 acres or more;
- every part of the system is at least 100 feet from the property line;
- effluent stays on the property, and it causes no nuisance or pollution;
- it meets all other design and installation rules;
- and the local authority doesn't require a permit anyway.
TCEQ advises confirming with the local authority even when the exemption seems to apply.
Permit fees
| Authority | Published fee |
|---|---|
| Tarrant County | $277 for a residential permit, any system type |
| Wilson County | $250 conventional; $350 conventional in a subdivision; $400 aerobic |
| LCRA (river authority) | $260 conventional single-family; $410 professionally designed |
The system itself costs far more than the permit. Get quotes from licensed installers. We haven't found a reliable published Texas price for installation yet.
Sources: TCEQ on-site sewage facility pages (tceq.texas.gov/permitting/ossf, modified 2026); TCEQ OARS county lookup; Tarrant County, Wilson County and LCRA fee schedules. Report an error