Administrative overview · FIPS 48497
Wise 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
Wise County Public Works, Development Services, and County Engineer
For a project in or near Wise 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
Public Works/Development Services and OSSF: 940-627-9332; County Engineer Chad Davis, P.E., C.F.M.: 940-273-7289; fax 940-627-6171
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Wise County Public Works and Development Services, 2901 South FM 51, Building 100, Decatur, TX 76234; Wise County Engineer, 2901 South FM 51, Building 200, Decatur, TX 76234
Operating hours
Public Works/Environmental Services: Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Review expectation
No fixed floodplain, driveway, or field-inspection turnaround is published. Texas OSSF rules require approval or written denial of a complete septic application and planning materials within 30 days. For plats, the county must notify an applicant of missing items within 10 business days and take final action on a complete application within 30 days; a qualifying written extension may add up to 30 days. A floodplain permit expires if work has not commenced within six months 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 Wise County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Wise County Public Works, Development Services, and County Engineer 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 Public Works/Development Services and OSSF: 940-627-9332; County Engineer Chad Davis, P.E., C.F.M.: 940-273-7289; fax 940-627-6171 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
No fixed floodplain, driveway, or field-inspection turnaround is published. Texas OSSF rules require approval or written denial of a complete septic application and planning materials within 30 days. For plats, the county must notify an applicant of missing items within 10 business days and take final action on a complete application within 30 days; a qualifying written extension may add up to 30 days. A floodplain permit expires if work has not commenced within six months after issuance.
How are inspections scheduled?
For OSSF work, submit the application, licensed site evaluation, any required planning materials, vicinity map, and fee to Public Works at 2901 South FM 51, Building 100; call 940-627-9332. Obtain Authorization to Construct before installation and coordinate county inspections before operation. For floodplain work, submit the four-page application to County Engineer Chad Davis and do not start until the permit is issued; the application authorizes reasonable compliance inspections, and the development may not be used or occupied until the county issues a Certificate of Compliance. Subdivision public improvements require approved construction plans before work and county progress/final inspections; fees include $2,000 for the first mile of road inspection plus $150 per additional half-mile or part and $500 per final-inspection visit beyond two.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Wise County expressly does not require general building permits in unincorporated areas; an incorporated city or its ETJ may administer municipal building codes. The county nevertheless enforces its Development Rules and Regulations, amended through February 10, 2025, county driveway and drainage standards, the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, and its OSSF Order. Floodplain buildings must obtain a floodplain-development permit and have finished floors at least two feet above the 100-year flood elevation; filling or obstruction of floodways and drainage easements is prohibited. OSSFs are governed by Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366, 30 TAC Chapter 285, and stricter county rules, including one-acre minimum lots with public water, two-acre minimum lots with individual water, and permits for all systems even on tracts of ten acres or more. The specific county fire-code edition referenced for centralized-water subdivision hydrants is not identified on the current page. There is no county general-building permit to exempt ordinary residential structural or cosmetic work in unincorporated areas, but this does not waive floodplain, OSSF, driveway, platting, 911-addressing, drainage, fire-flow, or applicable municipal/ETJ approvals. Wise County's stricter OSSF rule eliminates the state conditional 10-acre permit exemption: every OSSF, including one on a tract of ten acres or more, requires a county permit. No separate minor-work exemption list is published for floodplain development; no work covered by the floodplain application may start before issuance.