Administrative overview · FIPS 48049
Brown 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
Brown County Permitting Department / Environmental Department
For a project in or near Brown 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
325-643-1985
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Brown County Courthouse, 200 S. Broadway Street, Room 322, Brownwood, TX 76801
Operating hours
N/A; the county publishes the permit office address and phone but no dedicated permitting hours.
Review expectation
N/A; the county publishes permit requirements and inspection inclusions but no standard review timeline.
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 Brown County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Brown County Permitting Department / Environmental Department 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 325-643-1985 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
N/A; the county publishes permit requirements and inspection inclusions but no standard review timeline.
How are inspections scheduled?
Submit development and floodplain applications to the Brown County Permit Office. The county's published fee pamphlet includes two inspections in the $210 OSSF fee and two inspections in the $100 floodplain inspection fee; additional inspections are $50 each. OSSF applications authorize county entry for inspection, and a permit to operate follows a successful inspection. Do not begin OSSF construction before approval.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Brown County requires a development permit before any construction, placement of structures, dredging, alteration of land or waterways, or placement of fill. Floodplain work must comply with the Brown County Flood Damage Prevention Order and 44 CFR 60.3/NFIP standards. The county does not publish a separate general building-code edition. OSSF work is reviewed under the Brown County OSSF Order and Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366/30 TAC Chapter 285. The county pamphlet does not list a broad cosmetic-work exemption. For OSSFs, a permit is required for installation or modification/repair on tracts of 10 acres or less; tracts over 10 acres require registration with a site evaluation, layout, and legal description. TCEQ's general 10-acre single-family and emergency-repair exemptions may apply subject to all state conditions and county confirmation. Recreational vehicles in flood hazard areas may be temporarily onsite under the county's stated less-than-180-days/highway-ready conditions.