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Digital permit application gateway

Apply for a permit in Kendall County

Start with the issuing authority’s own submission lane. A complete application package, accurate valuation, and accessible inspection path are the fastest route through statutory plan review.

Recommended first click

Open the official online permit gateway.

Use the official digital gateway to submit plans, monitor review comments, pay required charges, and request inspections when the permit is issued. If the link is unavailable, use the agency website or phone number on the administrative profile to confirm the current lane.

Portal link not verifiedAgency website ↗

Typical review lane

Kendall County expressly states that it will approve or deny an OSSF application within 30 days of receipt. The county publishes no typical development- or Fire Code-permit review duration; review begins only after the Engineer determines the application is complete.

Treat this as a planning signal, not a guaranteed approval date. Completeness, corrections, resubmittals, and agency workload control the actual clock.

01

Confirm jurisdiction

Verify the parcel is inside this agency’s service area and note whether a city, state, fire marshal, septic authority, or utility district also has approval authority.

02

Assemble a complete package

Prepare legible plans, site information, project valuation, ownership authorization, contractor information, and any energy, floodplain, zoning, or utility documentation the issuing office requires.

03

Track the review record

Keep the permit number, approved plan set, correction comments, fee receipts, and inspection results together. Those records establish the compliance trail for the next trade.

Application documents

Use the official form when a portal is not the only filing route.

Before submission, call County Engineer: 830-249-9343 (development/OSSF direct line 830-331-8253); Fire Marshal: 830-249-3721 if the project involves a change of occupancy, structural alteration, accessory structure, demolition, or work near a regulated environmental feature.

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 Kendall County

Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?

Kendall County Engineer's Office / Kendall County Fire Marshal's Office 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 County Engineer: 830-249-9343 (development/OSSF direct line 830-331-8253); Fire Marshal: 830-249-3721 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.

How long might review take?

Kendall County expressly states that it will approve or deny an OSSF application within 30 days of receipt. The county publishes no typical development- or Fire Code-permit review duration; review begins only after the Engineer determines the application is complete.

How are inspections scheduled?

Obtain the rural 911 address and county-road access permit first, then submit the development application, checklist, printed and PDF plans, dark-sky application, and any floodplain, drainage, well, septic, or commercial materials. Incomplete applications are not processed. For OSSF work, submit the county septic form, professionally sealed planning materials, site evaluation, and required recorded affidavit and maintenance contract for an aerobic system; await approval, call 830-331-8253 to schedule inspections, and leave the system uncovered. For covered Fire Code work, the engineer, architect, or ICC-certified building official performs sufficient construction inspections; at completion, email the signed/sealed final-inspection request to fire.marshal@co.kendall.tx.us, after which the Fire Marshal calls to schedule the appointment.

Which codes and exemptions should I review?

Kendall County's March 4, 2026 verification letter states that permits are required for all development in unincorporated areas, including buildings, structures, grading, paving, excavation, fill, storage, driveways, county right-of-way work, outdoor lighting, OSSFs, and residential or commercial site improvements inside or outside the floodplain. The Engineer's Office applies the amended Kendall County Development Rules, 2022 Flood Damage Prevention Order, dark-sky standards, road/drainage/infrastructure requirements, and OSSF rules under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapters 30 and 285. The Fire Marshal administers the county-amended 2021 International Fire Code and issues permits and occupancy/compliance certificates for covered multifamily and nonresidential development. The county has not adopted a single-family residential building code and has no zoning in unincorporated areas. There is no broad minor-development exemption: the county's 2026 letter says all man-made site-development changes require permitting. Kendall County expressly requires an OSSF permit regardless of acreage, eliminating the state 10-acre permit exception, and requires professionally prepared planning materials for all systems. An access permit is no longer required for a driveway fronting a private road, although an address request and the separate development permit still apply. Single-family residences are outside the county building-code program but are not exempt from development, floodplain, septic, driveway/address, dark-sky, or other applicable permits.

What makes an application complete

A portal submission is only as strong as its supporting record.

Before you click submit, make sure the drawings agree with the site plan, project description, valuation, ownership authorization, and contractor information. If the work changes structure, occupancy, drainage, fire protection, energy performance, or utility demand, describe that scope plainly. Ambiguous narratives create correction cycles and delay the field schedule.

Save the confirmation number, payment receipt, uploaded plan set, and every correction comment. Those records are the backbone of a defensible compliance file when multiple trades or agencies share responsibility.

Submission quality check

Site: address, parcel, access, setbacks, and existing conditions are consistent.

Scope: structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire, and energy work is identified.

Closeout: inspection contacts and the final approval path are understood before work begins.