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Codes, exemptions & field inspections

Build to the adopted code. Verify every exception.

This guide translates the available agency record into a preconstruction checklist for structural scope, minor work, and inspection release. The adopted code and the issuing official control when a field condition is disputed.

Regulatory framework

The code baseline for McLennan County.

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.

Inspection lane

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.

Minor-work playbook

Understand what may be exempt—and what is not.

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.

Field rule

A permit exemption generally addresses one narrow construction trigger. It does not automatically waive zoning, land-use, floodplain, shoreline, fire, energy, electrical, utility, septic, or right-of-way requirements. Obtain written confirmation when the project involves a new structure, structural alteration, change in occupancy, or concealed work.

Inspection pipeline

Keep the work visible at every release point.

  1. 1

    Request with lead time

    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.

  2. 2

    Preserve access

    Do not cover framing, reinforcement, wiring, piping, damp-proofing, or life-safety work until the required inspection has been completed and documented.

  3. 3

    Close the record

    Retain the approved plans, inspection approvals, correction responses, and final certificate or occupancy release with the property file.

Contractor verification

Verify the builder before the contract is signed.

Use the state licensing system to verify active registration, trade credentials, bond status, and liability coverage where available. Match the legal business name to the proposal and permit application.

Verify contractor ↗

Planning reference

Keep the parcel rules beside the building plans.

A building permit is only one part of statutory compliance. Check the local zoning, ordinance, map, or land-use reference before finalizing setbacks, height, lot coverage, access, drainage, or accessory structure placement.

Open planning reference ↗

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.

Agency websiteOpen official source ↗Application instructionsOpen official source ↗Fee scheduleOpen official source ↗Planning or zoning referenceOpen official source ↗Contractor license lookupOpen official source ↗

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.

Field sequencing matters

The inspector needs to see the work at the right moment.

Code compliance is not only a plan-review exercise. Footings, reinforcement, framing, fireblocking, wiring, piping, insulation, weather protection, and life-safety systems each have points where the work must remain accessible. Build the inspection calendar into the trade schedule instead of treating it as a final administrative step.

When a project qualifies for a narrow minor-work exemption, keep a written explanation of why it qualifies and confirm that related zoning, utility, fire, energy, or environmental rules do not create a separate approval requirement.

Closeout file

Keep the approved plan set, inspection approvals, correction responses, contractor license verification, final certificate, and any occupancy release together. A clean record protects the owner, builder, lender, insurer, and future buyer.