Administrative overview · FIPS 48189
Hale 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
State Fallback
This profile identifies a handoff outside the county’s ordinary structural permitting lane.
Required jurisdiction check
Confirm the controlling local or state authority before filing.
The record is marked State Fallback. That means the county profile should be treated as a routing brief: incorporated municipalities, a state building department, or a state fire marshal may control plan review, permits, and inspections. Contact the named agency below and verify the parcel’s jurisdiction before paying a fee or scheduling field work.
Responsible agency
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Region 2 (Lubbock) OSSF Program
For a project in or near Hale 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
TCEQ Region 2: 806-796-7092; TCEQ OSSF general questions: 512-239-3799; Hale County courthouse: 806-291-5261
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
TCEQ Region 2, 5012 50th Street, Suite 100, Lubbock, TX 79414-3426; Hale County Courthouse, 500 Broadway Street, Plainview, TX 79072
Operating hours
Operating hours not verified
Review expectation
TCEQ requires approval or denial of complete OSSF planning materials and the permit application within 30 days of receipt.
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 Hale County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
This record is marked State Fallback. Confirm whether a city, state agency, or other local authority controls the parcel before filing.
How should I begin an application?
No verified online portal was located in the reviewed public materials. Contact TCEQ Region 2: 806-796-7092; TCEQ OSSF general questions: 512-239-3799; Hale County courthouse: 806-291-5261 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
TCEQ requires approval or denial of complete OSSF planning materials and the permit application within 30 days of receipt.
How are inspections scheduled?
Submit the current TCEQ-0235 application, legal-description documentation, site/soil evaluation, planning materials, and licensed evaluator/installer information to the permitting authority. Do not begin construction before Authorization to Construct. TCEQ requires the permitting authority to approve or deny complete planning materials within 30 days; inspection and submission instructions must be confirmed with Region 2 because no Hale County local portal was verified.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
No countywide building-permit or ICC code program was verified for unincorporated Hale County. TCEQ Region 2 is the state OSSF permitting authority identified for Hale County and applies Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapter 285. General building and fire requirements may still apply within municipalities and for specialized state-regulated work. Under TCEQ rules, an OSSF may be exempt only when it satisfies every condition of the 10-acre rule: a licensed site evaluation, single-family dwelling on at least 10 acres, no nuisance or groundwater pollution, all system components at least 100 feet from property lines, effluent disposed on the property, and no other dwelling on the tract. Defined emergency repairs may proceed without a permit if reported in writing within 72 hours. Grandfathered systems may be exempt only if they meet the state’s age, maintenance, and no-significant-change conditions.