Administrative overview · FIPS 48441
Taylor 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
Taylor County Environmental Department and Taylor County Administration
For a project in or near Taylor 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
Environmental Department (septic and floodplain): 325-674-1393; Development/right-of-way: 325-674-1235
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Taylor County Environmental Department, 400 Oak Street, Suite 107, Abilene, TX 79602; Taylor County Administration, 400 Oak Street, Suite 300, Abilene, TX 79602
Operating hours
Environmental Department: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Review expectation
Taylor County's development regulations require written approval or denial of OSSF planning materials for a proposed subdivision within 45 days of receipt. The OSSF application/authorization is valid for 12 months from issuance. No separate ordinary floodplain review target is 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 Taylor County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Taylor County Environmental Department and Taylor County Administration 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 Environmental Department (septic and floodplain): 325-674-1393; Development/right-of-way: 325-674-1235 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
Taylor County's development regulations require written approval or denial of OSSF planning materials for a proposed subdivision within 45 days of receipt. The OSSF application/authorization is valid for 12 months from issuance. No separate ordinary floodplain review target is published.
How are inspections scheduled?
Submit the owner-completed OSSF and development applications, fees, mandatory site evaluation, technical sheet, scaled site/soil plan, and detailed system plan to the Environmental Department before construction. After plan approval the county issues an Authorization to Construct; install exactly as approved and call 325-674-1393 for the final inspection before covering or operating the system. The county issues a License to Operate after a passing final inspection. Coordinate floodplain development review and inspections through the same number; no online scheduler is published.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Taylor County regulates floodplain development, subdivision and road/drainage development, and on-site sewage facilities in unincorporated areas. Development permits are required for houses, mobile homes, buildings, and other structures subject to the county floodplain program; a structure on land in an identified flood-hazard area must obtain a Development Permit before placement. Every OSSF in Taylor County requires a county permit, including new systems and repairs, alterations, or additions, and must comply with the county order, Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366, and 30 TAC Chapter 285. The county does not implement zoning or issue certificates of occupancy and publishes no adopted general countywide IRC, IBC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, or fire-code edition. A municipality controls permits within city limits, and the applicable municipality participates in ETJ plat approval. Taylor County expressly states that all on-site sewage facilities require a permit, including repairs, alterations, additions, and new installations, so applicants should not assume a 10-acre OSSF permit exemption applies locally. The county publishes no general building permit for routine cosmetic or structural work outside regulated floodplain, subdivision, road, or septic activity. Statutory platting exemptions are detailed in the March 10, 2026 development regulations, including qualifying family divisions of four or fewer parts and other Texas Local Government Code Chapter 232 categories, but an exempt land division may still require floodplain and OSSF approval.