Administrative overview · FIPS 48365
Panola 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
Panola County Emergency Management/Fire Marshal Floodplain Administration; TCEQ Region 5 OSSF Program
For a project in or near Panola 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
Panola County Fire Marshal/Floodplain Administrator Chadd Gray: 903-690-1666; County Courthouse: 903-693-0300; TCEQ Region 5 - Tyler: 903-535-5100; TCEQ OSSF Program: 512-239-3799
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Panola County Courthouse, 110 South Sycamore Street, Carthage, TX 75633; TCEQ Region 5, 2916 Teague Drive, Tyler, TX 75701-3734
Operating hours
TCEQ offices: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM except state holidays. Panola County publishes no fixed floodplain permit-office hours.
Review expectation
TCEQ must approve a complete OSSF application or issue a written denial within 30 days. No county floodplain or building 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 Panola County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Panola County Emergency Management/Fire Marshal Floodplain Administration; TCEQ Region 5 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?
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact Panola County Fire Marshal/Floodplain Administrator Chadd Gray: 903-690-1666; County Courthouse: 903-693-0300; TCEQ Region 5 - Tyler: 903-535-5100; TCEQ OSSF Program: 512-239-3799.
How long might review take?
TCEQ must approve a complete OSSF application or issue a written denial within 30 days. No county floodplain or building review timeline was published.
How are inspections scheduled?
Contact Fire Marshal and Floodplain Administrator Chadd Gray at 903-690-1666 before development in a mapped flood hazard area; the county publishes no online floodplain application or inspection-booking procedure. For septic work, submit current TCEQ Form 0235 with the legal description, site and soil evaluation, installer information, planning materials, and applicable fees to Region 5, then coordinate authorization and inspection at 903-535-5100. Do not begin construction before authorization or cover the system before required inspection.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Panola County identifies Fire Marshal Chadd Gray as the county floodplain administrator for unincorporated areas. Texas OSSF requirements under Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapter 285 are administered through TCEQ Region 5 where no authorized local agent serves the site. The county publishes no general structural building-code edition, county zoning code, current floodplain application, or flood-damage-prevention ordinance text for unincorporated property in 2026. No county minor or cosmetic building-work exemption list was published. State OSSF permitting has a narrow exemption for one single-family residence on an undivided tract of at least 10 acres when a licensed site evaluator or professional engineer confirms the conditions, every system component is at least 100 feet from the property line, effluent remains on the tract, and the system creates no nuisance or groundwater pollution. Emergency OSSF repairs must be reported in writing within 72 hours; qualifying older, unaltered systems may remain grandfathered only while they do not create a nuisance.