Administrative overview · FIPS 48309
McLennan 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
McLennan County Engineer's Office and Waco-McLennan County Public Health District OSSF Program
For a project in or near McLennan 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
County Engineering: 254-757-5028; mapping: 254-757-5067; OSSF Program: 254-299-2473
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
McLennan County Engineer's Office, 215 N. 5th Street, Suite 130, Waco, TX 76701; OSSF Program, Mae Jackson Development Center, 401 Franklin Avenue, 1st Floor, Waco, TX 76701
Operating hours
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Review expectation
The OSSF permitting authority must approve or deny a complete application and planning materials within 30 days. The county residential program is notice-and-third-party-inspection based rather than prior plan approval. The floodplain form requires the foundation elevation certificate within 10 business days after foundation completion; the county publishes no standard flood-permit review duration. Floodplain appeals must be filed within 15 days, and Commissioners Court must decide within 30 days after the hearing.
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 McLennan County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
McLennan County Engineer's Office and Waco-McLennan County Public Health District OSSF Program 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 Engineering: 254-757-5028; mapping: 254-757-5067; OSSF Program: 254-299-2473 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
The OSSF permitting authority must approve or deny a complete application and planning materials within 30 days. The county residential program is notice-and-third-party-inspection based rather than prior plan approval. The floodplain form requires the foundation elevation certificate within 10 business days after foundation completion; the county publishes no standard flood-permit review duration. Floodplain appeals must be filed within 15 days, and Commissioners Court must decide within 30 days after the hearing.
How are inspections scheduled?
For covered unincorporated residential construction, notify the County Engineer of the location, expected completion date, and IRC edition; obtain three inspections at different construction phases from qualified independent inspectors and submit their compliance notices to both the county and the client. For floodplain work, submit the current county permit form with plans and certifications; provide an elevation certificate within 10 business days after foundation completion. For OSSF work, submit the Health District packet with ownership, survey/plat or recorded exemption affidavit, site/soil evaluation, design, floodplain permit, and any aerobic affidavit/maintenance contract; call 254-299-2473 for required inspections and do not cover the system before approval.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
In unincorporated McLennan County, new residential structures and improvements that increase an existing residence's square footage or value by more than 50 percent must comply with the International Residential Code applicable in the county seat; Waco adopted the 2024 IRC effective January 1, 2026. The county requires notice and three independent phase inspections but has no prior residential approval or inspection authority. All unincorporated development must comply with the Flood Damage Prevention Order; structures in special flood hazard areas are generally elevated one foot above BFE and residential, commercial, and outbuilding encroachments are prohibited in the regulatory floodway. The Health District enforces Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapter 285 for OSSF countywide. The county residential-code notice/inspection law does not apply to manufactured or modular housing built off-site, and its penalties do not apply to an individual acting as their own contractor who intends to occupy the residence as their primary home. It targets new residences and improvements increasing square footage or value by more than 50 percent, so ordinary cosmetic work is outside that county notice program. Floodplain review and OSSF permits remain separate. A project outside the 100-year floodplain receives an exemption determination from the flood order; listed historic structures and certain health/safety-only improvements are excluded from the order's substantial-improvement calculation.