Administrative overview · FIPS 48239
Jackson 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
Jackson County Office of Permitting, Inspection and Floodplain Administration
For a project in or near Jackson 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
361-782-7552; fax 361-782-0500
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Jackson County Office of Permitting, Inspection and Floodplain Administration, 411 North Wells Street, Room 130, Edna, TX 77957
Operating hours
Monday-Thursday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Friday, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Review expectation
The county's commercial application states that local, state, and federal law allows up to 30 days for permit issuance after a correct and complete submission when no additional drainage review is necessary; engineering or other further review extends that period. No shorter typical residential or OSSF timeline is published.
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 Jackson County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Jackson County Office of Permitting, Inspection and Floodplain Administration 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 361-782-7552; fax 361-782-0500 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
The county's commercial application states that local, state, and federal law allows up to 30 days for permit issuance after a correct and complete submission when no additional drainage review is necessary; engineering or other further review extends that period. No shorter typical residential or OSSF timeline is published.
How are inspections scheduled?
First submit the floodplain determination application with recorded deed, 911 address, survey or plat if available, site coordinates, plans, and fee. If the site is in an SFHA, call 361-782-7552 to schedule a plan consultation and obtain the additional development permit; final elevation certification is required before occupancy. Submit OSSF planning materials through the same office and use a TCEQ-licensed evaluator, designer, and installer as applicable. Contact the Office of Permitting & Inspection to schedule required construction and final inspections before covering or using the system; the fee schedule lists a $100 reinspection charge.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Jackson County requires an official floodplain-status determination for proposed development in unincorporated territory and enforces its Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance under 44 CFR 59-60/NFIP standards. A development permit and elevation documentation are required in a special flood hazard area; residential development in a floodway requires a no-impact certification and study. The county also enforces its TCEQ-approved OSSF order under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapter 285, plus county drainage, subdivision, manufactured-home, RV-park, commercial-development, and utility requirements. No separate countywide ICC structural-code edition is identified in the reviewed county materials. Property determined to be outside the regulated special flood hazard area receives an exemption from the floodplain development permit after filing the mandatory $20 determination application, unless another county rule applies. Additions, decks, sheds, storage units, manufactured homes, RV placement, grading, paving, excavation, fill, and other man-made changes are development rather than cosmetic exemptions. An OSSF serving the only single-family residence on a tract of at least 10 acres may avoid a permit only if it causes no nuisance or groundwater pollution, disposes effluent on the tract, and is at least 50 feet from property lines; site-and-soil and other state rules still apply. Qualifying unaltered, non-failing grandfathered systems may also remain exempt.