Administrative overview · FIPS 48287
Lee 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
Lee County Development Services Department
For a project in or near Lee 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
Lee County Development Services: 979-212-8070
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Temporary physical address: Lee County Annex, 898 E. Richmond Street, Suite 203, Giddings, TX 78942; mailing address: 200 S. Main Street, Suite 203, Giddings, TX 78942
Operating hours
Operating hours not verified
Review expectation
N/A; no county review-duration target is published. The development/floodplain permit is valid for one year and must be renewed if work is not completed within that period. A complete OSSF application remains subject to the 30-day approval-or-denial period in 30 TAC Chapter 285.
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 Lee County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Lee County Development Services Department 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 Lee County Development Services: 979-212-8070 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
N/A; no county review-duration target is published. The development/floodplain permit is valid for one year and must be renewed if work is not completed within that period. A complete OSSF application remains subject to the 30-day approval-or-denial period in 30 TAC Chapter 285.
How are inspections scheduled?
Submit the completed development packet, survey, flood map, and—when any part of the site is in the floodplain—plans, specifications, latitude/longitude, elevation certificate, and required professional certifications to Development Services at permitting@co.lee.tx.us or call 979-212-8070. The applicant consents to county compliance inspections, must furnish any required elevation certificate within 10 business days after foundation completion, and may not occupy or use the development until a Certificate of Compliance is issued. For OSSF inspection, give at least three working days' advance notice and leave the installation uncovered until approval.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Lee County requires a development application for residential, commercial, oil/gas, pipeline, water, manufactured-home, and other development in unincorporated areas; individual structures over 100 square feet require a permit. Projects must receive either a floodplain exemption certificate or a permit under the Lee County Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance. In the FEMA 1%-annual-chance floodplain, residential lowest floors must be at or above BFE; nonresidential buildings must be elevated or floodproofed; foundations, materials, utilities, and backflow protection must meet the published flood standards and receive professional certification. Every OSSF must be permitted under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapter 285. No general adopted county ICC code edition was found. An individual building of 100 square feet or less does not require the county development permit. County guidelines also list roofing, painting, general repair, livestock pens and fences, and remodels that do not change a structure's square footage as not requiring a development application. Development outside the mapped 100-year floodplain receives a floodplain exemption certificate rather than a floodplain permit. All septic systems must be permitted; no acreage exception is published locally.