Administrative overview · FIPS 48313
Madison 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
Madison County Rural Development, Wastewater Office, and Floodplain Management
For a project in or near Madison 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
Rural Development/Floodplain: 936-348-3810; Wastewater Office: 936-348-2152; courthouse: 936-241-6200
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Rural Development and Floodplain Management, 101 W. Main, Suite B-13, Madisonville, TX 77864; Wastewater Office, 101 W. Main, Suite B-22, Madisonville, TX 77864
Operating hours
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Review expectation
The county publishes no standard floodplain, OSSF, or electric-service review time. An electric-service application may be closed if development guidelines are not met within six months after fee receipt; an issued electric permit is valid one year. A floodplain permit expires if work does not commence within six months, and a driveway permit becomes void if the approved work is not constructed within six months.
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 Madison County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Madison County Rural Development, Wastewater Office, and Floodplain Management 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 Rural Development/Floodplain: 936-348-3810; Wastewater Office: 936-348-2152; courthouse: 936-241-6200 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
The county publishes no standard floodplain, OSSF, or electric-service review time. An electric-service application may be closed if development guidelines are not met within six months after fee receipt; an issued electric permit is valid one year. A floodplain permit expires if work does not commence within six months, and a driveway permit becomes void if the approved work is not constructed within six months.
How are inspections scheduled?
For OSSF work, obtain a site and soil evaluation and design, submit them for approval before installation, use a TCEQ-licensed installer, and have the installer contact the Designated Representative at 936-348-2152 for final inspection; a permit to operate follows successful inspection. The electric-service application authorizes county lot/development inspections and requires county septic verification before filing. Floodplain applicants must submit scaled site and development plans plus applicable elevation, floodproofing, engineering, and no-rise certifications; county staff perform compliance inspections, and development cannot be occupied until a Certificate of Compliance is issued. Driveways receive preliminary approval and a final inspection by the precinct commissioner.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Madison County requires electrical-service, OSSF, floodplain-development, driveway-access, subdivision, and certain road, pipeline, and water-line approvals in unincorporated areas. Floodplain work is governed by the county's Flood Damage Prevention local law approved June 13, 2011; OSSF work is regulated under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapter 285. The electric-service permit requires compliance with current state and county development regulations and county floodplain/911/septic review. No countywide ICC structural building-code edition or general building-permit program was found. No county cosmetic-building-work exemption list is published. A floodplain permit is unnecessary when the administrator determines the proposed development is outside the special flood hazard area, although other permits can still apply. A driveway permit is not required merely to add gravel to an existing gravel driveway, seal-coat an existing asphalt driveway, or perform general maintenance that does not resurface the driveway; new, widened, resurfaced, or culvert-involving access work does require a permit.