Administrative overview · FIPS 48431
Sterling 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
Sterling County Judge's Office (Floodplain Administrator); Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Region 8 OSSF Program
For a project in or near Sterling 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
Sterling County Judge's Office: 325-378-3481; TCEQ Region 8 San Angelo: 325-655-9479
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Sterling County Courthouse, 609 4th Street, Sterling City, TX 76951; TCEQ Region 8, 622 S Oakes, Suite K, San Angelo, TX 76903-7035
Operating hours
Sterling County Courthouse: Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m.-4:15 p.m.; Friday 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.; closed Saturday-Sunday. TCEQ Region 8 hours: N/A
Review expectation
No county floodplain review time was published. TCEQ must approve or deny a complete state-administered OSSF application and planning materials within 30 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 Sterling County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Sterling County Judge's Office (Floodplain Administrator); Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Region 8 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 Sterling County Judge's Office: 325-378-3481; TCEQ Region 8 San Angelo: 325-655-9479 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
No county floodplain review time was published. TCEQ must approve or deny a complete state-administered OSSF application and planning materials within 30 days.
How are inspections scheduled?
Contact County Judge Belinda S. Counts at 325-378-3481 before development in a mapped floodplain; the county publishes no online application or inspection scheduler. For a state-administered OSSF, submit the TCEQ application, site evaluation, planning materials, and fee to Region 8, then call 325-655-9479 to arrange the required construction inspection before the system is covered or operated.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Sterling County's County Judge serves as the county floodplain contact for development in unincorporated flood-hazard areas. The county publishes no general building department and no adopted countywide IRC, IBC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, or fire-code edition. Septic permitting is administered through TCEQ Region 8 under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapter 285. Incorporated Sterling City has a separate municipal floodplain authority and may impose its own requirements inside city limits. Sterling County publishes no general permit or exemption list for ordinary cosmetic or structural work outside regulated floodplains. State OSSF exceptions may include a qualifying system on a single-family tract of 10 acres or more, a qualifying grandfathered system, and specified emergency repairs reported to the permitting authority within 72 hours; the detailed statutory and rule conditions still apply.