Fees, valuation & enforcement
Permit fees are a project input. Enforcement exposure is a project risk. Use the official schedule where available, then confirm valuation, trade permits, plan review, and inspection charges with the Authority Having Jurisdiction.
Official fee pathway
The final charge may depend on declared construction value, occupancy classification, square footage, plan review, state surcharges, trade permits, technology fees, and inspection activity. Do not use a neighboring city’s fee table as a substitute for this jurisdiction.
Fee desk contact
Sewage Inspector Mike Preuninger: 940-531-2179; Emergency Management Coordinator/Floodplain contact: 940-841-1336; County Judge: 940-894-2401
Ask the counter to confirm current charges before submitting a project with multiple trades or a change of use.
Financial exposure
Plan for building, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire, energy, zoning, septic, right-of-way, or other reviews that the project scope triggers. The lowest initial permit fee is not always the lowest project cost.
Enforcement exposure
When work begins without authorization, the agency may halt the site, require corrective plans, impose additional fees, withhold inspection release, or require concealed work to be exposed for review.
Closeout exposure
A missing final inspection or certificate can complicate occupancy, refinancing, sale, insurance, and utility connection. Preserve the approved plans and signed inspection record through closeout.
Professional field note
Even when a cosmetic or minor project does not require a building permit, zoning, floodplain, shoreline, historic, utility, fire, or right-of-way controls may still apply. Confirm the full jurisdictional picture before work starts.
Source trail
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
Montague County Sewage Inspector and Emergency Management/Floodplain Administration is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
No verified online portal was located in the reviewed public materials. Contact Sewage Inspector Mike Preuninger: 940-531-2179; Emergency Management Coordinator/Floodplain contact: 940-841-1336; County Judge: 940-894-2401 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
The county will approve or deny an OSSF application within 30 days; resolving deficiencies may take up to 30 days, and a denial is issued in writing. No fixed floodplain-review time is published. A floodplain permit expires if work does not commence within six months.
For septic work, submit the county application, site and soil evaluation, approved design, plat or survey, and fee to the Sewage Inspector; after installation and before covering, arrange inspection with Mike Preuninger at 940-531-2179. Floodplain applicants submit the packet and any required elevation, floodproofing, or no-rise certificates to the Floodplain Administrator; county representatives inspect during construction and at completion, and the development may not be occupied until a Certificate of Compliance is issued.
Montague County Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance and FEMA/NFIP standards for development in special flood hazard areas; Montague County OSSF Order adopted August 11, 2025 and 30 TAC Chapter 285; Montague County Subdivision Regulations adopted May 28, 2024. No general county structural building-code edition was published for unincorporated one-to-four-family construction in 2026. A floodplain permit is required for development of any kind in a mapped special flood hazard area, including new buildings, additions, small accessory structures, clearing, fill, grading, mining, dredging, drilling, roads, parking, storage, drainage work, and individual water or sewer systems; the county publishes no cosmetic-work exemption inside the floodplain. OSSF materials require county approval before any physical component is installed and set minimum lots of one acre with public water or two acres with a private well for each single-family residence.
Why permit costs vary
Building departments commonly calculate charges from valuation, occupancy, floor area, project type, plan review effort, trade scope, state surcharges, and inspection activity. A remodel that appears small on paper may still trigger structural, energy, fire, or utility review. Ask the permit counter which disciplines apply before you finalize the construction budget.
The same discipline applies to enforcement. Correcting unpermitted work after finishes are installed can require demolition, revised plans, additional inspections, and schedule disruption. Authorization is usually the less expensive project-management decision.