Administrative overview · FIPS 48311
McMullen 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
McMullen County Floodplain Management and OSSF Program
For a project in or near McMullen 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
Courthouse/Floodplain Administrator: 361-274-3900; OSSF: 361-449-8043; Public Works: 361-274-3910
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
McMullen County Courthouse, 501 River Street, Tilden, TX 78072; OSSF correspondence: P.O. Box 670, George West, TX 78022
Operating hours
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Review expectation
A complete OSSF permit application and planning materials are subject to the 30-day approval-or-denial period in 30 TAC Chapter 285. The county publishes no standard floodplain review time. A pipeline/road-crossing permit expires 90 days after Commissioners Court approval if installation has not occurred, and the applicant must give 24 hours' notice before road work. A separate 911 address request normally takes 3-5 days.
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 McMullen County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
McMullen County Floodplain Management and 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 Courthouse/Floodplain Administrator: 361-274-3900; OSSF: 361-449-8043; Public Works: 361-274-3910 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
A complete OSSF permit application and planning materials are subject to the 30-day approval-or-denial period in 30 TAC Chapter 285. The county publishes no standard floodplain review time. A pipeline/road-crossing permit expires 90 days after Commissioners Court approval if installation has not occurred, and the applicant must give 24 hours' notice before road work. A separate 911 address request normally takes 3-5 days.
How are inspections scheduled?
Submit the county OSSF packet with recorded deed, site/soil evaluation by a licensed evaluator or engineer, scaled planning materials and design, fee, and any required aerobic affidavit and maintenance contract. Do not begin before application approval; keep the approved application at the job site, leave the system uncovered, and call 361-449-8043 for final construction inspection. A permit to operate follows successful inspection. For floodplain work, submit the county's 2026 application with scaled site/elevation plans and required engineer, architect, or surveyor certifications to the courthouse; watercourse or drainage changes require a certified hydrologic and hydraulic study.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
McMullen County administers its Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance/NFIP requirements through County Judge and Floodplain Administrator James E. Teal, enforces OSSF planning and construction under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapter 285, applies subdivision regulations, and requires pipeline/road-crossing permits. The current flood application covers new structures, additions, relocation, demolition, replacement, manufactured homes, clearing, filling, grading, mining, drilling, excavation, subdivision, drainage/waterway alteration, roads, bridges, and utility work. No countywide ICC structural building-code edition or general building-permit program was found. No county cosmetic-work exemption list is published. A floodplain exemption certificate may be issued when development is outside the regulated special flood hazard area, but that determination does not exempt OSSF, subdivision, access, pipeline, or other agency approvals. The county-hosted OSSF guidance recognizes the state 10-acre single-residence exception only when the tract is at least 10 acres, every field/sewage disposal line is at least 100 feet from a property line, effluent remains on the tract, and the system creates no nuisance or groundwater pollution; confirm eligibility before construction.