Administrative overview · FIPS 48455
Trinity 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
Trinity County OSSF Permitting Program and Trinity County Judge's Office
For a project in or near Trinity 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
OSSF permits and County Judge's Office: 936-642-1746; floodplain/emergency-management contact Richard Steptoe: 936-831-3778
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Trinity County Courthouse, 162 West 1st Street, Groveton, TX 75845
Operating hours
Operating hours not verified
Review expectation
Under the incorporated state OSSF rule, the authorized agent must approve or deny a complete planning-materials submission within 30 days. For a complete subdivision application, Commissioners Court must approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove it within 30 days; the period may be extended by no more than 30 days under the limited conditions in Chapter 8 of the county regulations. No separate 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 Trinity County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Trinity County OSSF Permitting Program and Trinity County Judge's Office 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 OSSF permits and County Judge's Office: 936-642-1746; floodplain/emergency-management contact Richard Steptoe: 936-831-3778 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
Under the incorporated state OSSF rule, the authorized agent must approve or deny a complete planning-materials submission within 30 days. For a complete subdivision application, Commissioners Court must approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove it within 30 days; the period may be extended by no more than 30 days under the limited conditions in Chapter 8 of the county regulations. No separate floodplain-review target is published.
How are inspections scheduled?
Obtain the county's written Authorization to Construct before any OSSF installation. Submit the application, licensed site evaluation, design by a professional engineer or registered sanitarian when required, and installer information to the County Judge's Office. Request the installation inspection at least two days before work unless the designated representative waives that notice, and do not cover tanks or disposal lines before inspection. An aerobic system also requires a recorded affidavit and maintenance agreement before authorization to operate. Call 936-642-1746 to submit or schedule.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Trinity County is TCEQ's authorized agent for on-site sewage facilities and administers its local OSSF order together with Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapters 30 and 285. The County Judge and emergency-management program administer county floodplain responsibilities, and Commissioners Court applies the county's current subdivision regulations. No adopted countywide IRC, IBC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, or fire-code edition for ordinary construction outside these programs is published. Incorporated municipalities may impose separate building and zoning requirements. The county publishes a ten-acre OSSF exemption affidavit, but the exclusion is limited to a single-family dwelling on a tract at least 10 acres where no part of the system is closer than 100 feet to a property line, the effluent remains on the tract, the system is not a nuisance or pollution source, and all other state conditions are satisfied. A homeowner may install the OSSF serving the homeowner's own single-family residence when the state owner-installer conditions are met; all other installers must hold the appropriate TCEQ license. The county does not publish a blanket exemption for ordinary structural or cosmetic construction.