Administrative overview · FIPS 48251
Johnson 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
Johnson County Development Services
For a project in or near Johnson 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
817-556-6380; fax 817-556-6391
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Johnson County Annex, 2 N. Mill Street, Suite 305, Cleburne, TX 76033
Operating hours
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-11:45 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.-4:45 p.m.
Review expectation
Ask the agency for its current review estimate
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 Johnson County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Johnson County Development Services 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 817-556-6380; fax 817-556-6391 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
A typical review timeline was not verified. Ask the agency for its current completeness and review estimate.
How are inspections scheduled?
Email complete PDF applications and supporting documents to development@johnsoncountytx.org; photographs of documents are not accepted. The current residential packet requires the recorded deed, sealed survey or filed plat, assigned 911 address, site plan and project details, plus any applicable driveway, ETJ, floodplain, stormwater, well, or OSSF documentation. Development Services contacts the applicant after approval or if more information is needed. Obtain and visibly post the yellow permit before construction. For OSSF work, submit the applicable residential or commercial application and planning materials, await authorization, leave the installation uncovered, and coordinate the county inspection at 817-556-6380.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Johnson County requires a development permit before any new residential, commercial, or manufactured-home development begins in unincorporated areas. Its 2019 Flood Damage Prevention Order defines development broadly to include buildings, structures, mining, dredging, fill, grading, paving, excavation, drilling, storage, and floodplain fences; flood-zone projects may require form-board surveys and elevation certificates. Development Services also administers OSSF review and inspections under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapter 285, plus the subdivision, drainage, infrastructure, road, right-of-way, stormwater, junkyard, and slaughterhouse requirements applicable to a project. The county expressly states that it does not require or perform general building-code inspections or issue certificates of occupancy; incorporated-city projects must follow the relevant municipality's building requirements. No countywide ICC structural-code edition is published. No general cosmetic-work exemption list is published. The county development permit applies to any new development in unincorporated Johnson County; an accessory development without plumbing has a separate reduced fee, not a permit exemption. Incorporated-city projects are directed to the municipality, and city extraterritorial-jurisdiction platting may also apply. OSSF permit exceptions under state minimum rules should not be assumed without Development Services confirmation, because local requirements and site conditions control.