Administrative overview · FIPS 48489
Willacy 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
Willacy County Building Inspection and Floodplain Administration
For a project in or near Willacy 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
Building Inspector Robert Salinas: office 956-689-3393; cell 956-746-5708; fax 956-689-4817
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Willacy County Building Inspection, 576 West Main Avenue, Raymondville, TX 78580
Operating hours
Permit submissions at the Tax Office: Monday-Friday 8:00-11:30 a.m. and 1:00-4:00 p.m. The permit page states that fees are payable by cash or check only, with checks made payable to Willacy County TAC.
Review expectation
No fixed building-plan review or inspection turnaround is published. The county requires at least 48 hours' notice before the foundation inspection. An approved building application is subject to cancellation if work is suspended or abandoned for one year after work commences; underground/utility work must be completed within 90 days unless the county agrees otherwise.
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 Willacy County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Willacy County Building Inspection and Floodplain 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 Building Inspector Robert Salinas: office 956-689-3393; cell 956-746-5708; fax 956-689-4817 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
No fixed building-plan review or inspection turnaround is published. The county requires at least 48 hours' notice before the foundation inspection. An approved building application is subject to cancellation if work is suspended or abandoned for one year after work commences; underground/utility work must be completed within 90 days unless the county agrees otherwise.
How are inspections scheduled?
Submit the completed application, recorded plat, deed, tax statement, site plan, floor plans, elevations, and any required engineered design at the Tax Office. Call the Inspection Department at 956-689-3393 at least 48 hours before pouring the foundation so the county can inspect property-line setbacks and finished-floor elevation. Work may not encroach on easements. Projects in Zones A, AE, AH, or AO require an approved floodplain-development permit and proposed-elevation certificate before clearance, followed by a finished-floor construction elevation certificate before final clearance. Separate electrical, plumbing/gas, mechanical, and OSSF permits and inspections apply; incomplete work, uncorrected deficiencies, or inaccessible work can trigger reinspection fees.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
The county's current initial-application checklist identifies the 2012 International Residential Code, 2012 International Building Code, 2012 International Plumbing Code, 2012 International Mechanical Code, 2012 International Fuel Gas Code, 2012 International Fire Code, and 2011 National Electrical Code. The March 9, 2017 Floodplain Ordinance adopts the April 5, 2017 Willacy County Flood Insurance Study and FIRM data and requires a floodplain development permit in special-flood-hazard areas; an elevation certificate is required wherever a county construction permit is required. The county also issues OSSF, demolition, manufactured-home, moving, underground-utility, electrical, plumbing/gas, and mechanical permits and applies its subdivision regulations. Willacy County does not publish a minor or cosmetic-work exemption list. Its residential application affirmatively lists remodels, roof replacement, fences, storage buildings, carports, driveways, pools, foundation repair, fire-damage work, and moved-in structures among permit types, so applicants should not assume those projects are exempt. Floodplain rules apply to any structure or land located, altered, or changed in use within the ordinance's regulated special-flood-hazard areas, while a separate septic permit is required for OSSF installation.