Administrative overview · FIPS 48225
Houston 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
Houston County Floodplain Administrator / TCEQ Region 10 Beaumont OSSF Program
For a project in or near Houston 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
Houston County Judge/Floodplain Administrator Jim Lovell: 936-544-3255 ext. 221; TCEQ Region 10 Beaumont: 409-898-3838
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Houston County Judge, 401 East Goliad Avenue, Suite 201, Crockett, TX 75835; TCEQ Region 10, 3870 Eastex Freeway, Beaumont, TX 77703-1830
Operating hours
TCEQ Region 10: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Houston County Judge office hours: N/A
Review expectation
TCEQ must approve or deny a complete OSSF permit application and planning materials within 30 days. Houston County does not publish a typical floodplain or subdivision 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 Houston County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Houston County Floodplain Administrator / TCEQ Region 10 Beaumont OSSF Program 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 Houston County Judge/Floodplain Administrator Jim Lovell: 936-544-3255 ext. 221; TCEQ Region 10 Beaumont: 409-898-3838 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
TCEQ must approve or deny a complete OSSF permit application and planning materials within 30 days. Houston County does not publish a typical floodplain or subdivision review timeline.
How are inspections scheduled?
Contact County Judge/Floodplain Administrator Jim Lovell at 936-544-3255 ext. 221 before development in a mapped flood-hazard area. For an OSSF where TCEQ is the permitting authority, submit the state application, planning materials, and fee to Region 10; arrange the required site evaluation and design through appropriately licensed personnel, and coordinate construction and final inspections with Region 10 at 409-898-3838 before covering or operating the system.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Houston County's County Judge is the listed county Floodplain Administrator, and the county publishes subdivision regulations for unincorporated development. The official materials reviewed do not publish a general county building-permit program or an adopted countywide ICC structural-code edition. Where TCEQ is the OSSF permitting authority, systems are governed by Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and current 30 TAC Chapter 285 through TCEQ Region 10 Beaumont. Houston County does not publish a general cosmetic-work exemption list or a countywide ordinary-building permit program. State OSSF rules provide a narrow 10-acre single-family exemption when all statutory conditions are met, preserve qualifying grandfathered systems that are not altered and do not threaten health or safety, and allow defined emergency repairs when reported in writing to the permitting authority within 72 hours; other construction, alteration, repair, extension, or operation requires authorization.