Administrative overview · FIPS 48495
Winkler 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
Winkler County Commissioners' Court and OSSF Authorized Agent
For a project in or near Winkler 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
County Judge Charles M. Wolf: 432-586-6658; Commissioners Court/County Clerk: 432-586-3401; county commissioners: 432-586-2233
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Winkler County Courthouse, 100 East Winkler Street, Kermit, TX 79745; County Judge mailing address: P.O. Drawer Y, Kermit, TX 79745-1007
Operating hours
Operating hours not verified
Review expectation
No fixed county construction, driveway, or inspection turnaround is published. Texas OSSF rules require the permitting authority to approve or deny a complete septic application and planning materials within 30 days of receipt and give a written explanation for denial. A county-road driveway permit becomes void if the authorized facilities are not constructed within 90 days after issuance.
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 Winkler County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Winkler County Commissioners' Court and OSSF Authorized Agent 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 County Judge Charles M. Wolf: 432-586-6658; Commissioners Court/County Clerk: 432-586-3401; county commissioners: 432-586-2233 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
No fixed county construction, driveway, or inspection turnaround is published. Texas OSSF rules require the permitting authority to approve or deny a complete septic application and planning materials within 30 days of receipt and give a written explanation for denial. A county-road driveway permit becomes void if the authorized facilities are not constructed within 90 days after issuance.
How are inspections scheduled?
For septic work, submit the county's seven-page OSSF information-and-forms packet and required site evaluation and planning materials to the county authorized agent; obtain Authorization to Construct before installation, coordinate required inspections through the County Judge/Commissioners Court at 432-586-6658 or 432-586-3401, and do not operate the system until approval. For a county-road driveway, obtain written county approval first, have underground utilities marked through Dig-Tess at 800-344-8377, notify the County Judge and applicable precinct commissioner at least 24 hours before work, and make all construction and materials available for commissioner or designee inspection and approval.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Winkler County is a TCEQ-authorized OSSF agent and administers septic permitting under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapters 30 and 285. The official permit page also publishes county construction guidance, pipeline-crossing permits, and county-road driveway permits. No specific 2026 countywide IRC, IBC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, or fire-code edition is published, and the regional flood plan records the county's floodplain-management regulations as unknown with no higher standards identified; exact structural and floodplain codes are therefore N/A. Incorporated municipalities administer their own building and zoning requirements. The county publishes no verified cosmetic- or minor-building-work exemption list. Under state OSSF rules, the conditional 10-acre exemption requires a licensed site evaluation, one single-family dwelling on a tract of at least 10 acres, every system component at least 100 feet from property lines, retention of all effluent onsite, and no nuisance or groundwater pollution. Listed emergency OSSF repairs may proceed without an advance permit but must be reported to the permitting authority in writing within 72 hours after work begins. County-road driveway and pipeline work are not exempt from their respective written-approval requirements.