Administrative overview · FIPS 48037
Bowie County permit authority
The first compliance decision is jurisdictional: identify the office with statutory authority over your parcel, then use its filing and inspection sequence to keep the project moving.
Jurisdictional status
County
This county profile is the primary starting point for unincorporated-area permitting.
Responsible agency
Bowie County Fire Marshal and Health Inspections Department / Office of Emergency Management
For a project in or near Bowie County, this office is the identified point of contact for permit intake, statutory code enforcement, plan review coordination, and inspection release conditions. Confirm the parcel’s boundary and project type before relying on the county lane.
Direct contact
903-628-6791 (Septic Systems); 903-628-6778 (Health Inspections); 903-628-6776 (Floodplain Administrator); 903-628-6700 (County main line)
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Bowie County Courthouse, 710 James Bowie Drive, New Boston, TX 75570
Operating hours
N/A; department-specific public hours were not published on the official permitting pages.
Review expectation
N/A; no county review timeline was published. Texas OSSF rules generally require the permitting authority to approve or deny complete planning materials and an application within 30 days.
Compliance workbench
Choose the next project decision.
Apply online
Open the verified digital gateway, application form, and review timeline.
Open guide →Fees & penalties
Understand fee schedules, enforcement exposure, and stop-work liabilities.
Open guide →Codes & exemptions
Read the code framework, minor-work exemptions, and inspection lane.
Open guide →Agency website
Visit the primary public source for current notices and contact changes.
Open guide →Source trail
Official sources for this profile
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Frequently asked questions for Bowie County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Bowie County Fire Marshal and Health Inspections Department / Office of Emergency Management is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
How should I begin an application?
No verified online portal was located in the reviewed public materials. Contact 903-628-6791 (Septic Systems); 903-628-6778 (Health Inspections); 903-628-6776 (Floodplain Administrator); 903-628-6700 (County main line) and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
N/A; no county review timeline was published. Texas OSSF rules generally require the permitting authority to approve or deny complete planning materials and an application within 30 days.
How are inspections scheduled?
Contact Bowie County Health Inspections/Septic Systems at 903-628-6791 for OSSF applications and inspections; the county publishes the septic application and lists residential and commercial fees. Contact the Floodplain Administrator, Lance Hall, at 903-628-6776 for floodplain development review. The Fire Marshal performs fire-safety inspections and commercial plan reviews; no online inspection scheduler was published.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Bowie County's Fire Marshal performs fire-safety inspections and plan reviews for businesses, commercial facilities, schools, and churches. The county Health Inspections Department administers septic systems, and the Emergency Management Coordinator serves as Floodplain Administrator. No specific county-adopted building-code edition or general residential building-permit program was published; municipal codes apply inside incorporated cities and Texas OSSF rules apply to septic work. The county-published septic program identifies residential and commercial OSSF permits but does not publish a cosmetic-work exemption list. TCEQ's statewide rules may provide limited exemptions such as qualifying grandfathered systems, the 10-acre single-family rule, or emergency repairs reported within 72 hours; confirm applicability with the county Health Inspections Department. Floodplain development remains subject to county review where applicable.