Administrative overview · FIPS 48351
Newton 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
Newton County Floodplain Administration and Jasper-Newton County Public Health District
For a project in or near Newton 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
Newton County Floodplain Office: 409-379-2691; County Courthouse: 409-379-5691; Jasper-Newton Public Health District/septic contact: 409-384-6829 ext. 247
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Newton County Floodplain Office, 509 Main Street, Newton, TX 75966; mailing address: P.O. Box 372, Newton, TX 75966
Operating hours
By appointment; call the Floodplain Office at 409-379-2691. Fixed walk-in hours are N/A.
Review expectation
The Floodplain Office returns the initial special-flood-hazard-area determination and additional-document requirements within 30 days. No septic review timeline was published.
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 Newton County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Newton County Floodplain Administration and Jasper-Newton County Public Health District 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 Newton County Floodplain Office: 409-379-2691; County Courthouse: 409-379-5691; Jasper-Newton Public Health District/septic contact: 409-384-6829 ext. 247 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
The Floodplain Office returns the initial special-flood-hazard-area determination and additional-document requirements within 30 days. No septic review timeline was published.
How are inspections scheduled?
Submit application Sections 1-4 by mail or email to the Floodplain Office. After the county returns its flood-zone determination, provide every circled supporting item, which may include an elevation certificate, no-rise certification, and property or structure site plan. Do not start until the Floodplain Administrator signs the Authorization to Proceed. The application authorizes reasonable county inspections; as-built elevations and final compliance approval are completed by the office. Contact the Jasper-Newton Public Health District at 409-384-6829 ext. 247 for septic permitting and inspection.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Newton County Flood Damage Prevention Order adopted August 22, 2018 and FEMA/NFIP standards; county requires the main floor of new or substantially improved development in the 100-year floodplain to be at least two feet above local base flood elevation and requires a certified no-rise analysis for development in the regulatory floodway; Newton County Model Subdivision Rules (2004); Texas OSSF rules under 30 TAC Chapter 285 coordinated through the Jasper-Newton Public Health District. The county's hazard plan states general building codes are not used. The county publishes no minor or cosmetic-work exemption from its preliminary review: all new development must submit the floodplain application, including flood-zone inquiries, new construction, subdivisions, RV parks, mobile and tiny homes, portable buildings, additions, alterations, repairs, minor improvements, clearing, fill, grading, wells, sewer systems, culverts, driveways, and drainage work. A lawful existing nonconforming structure may remain, but any substantial improvement must comply with current floodplain rules.