Which land checks are free, and which one costs money?
Three of the four cost nothing but an afternoon. The fourth is the septic permit: one is required to construct, install, alter, extend or repair a septic system, and local programs may be stricter than the state minimum. The sequence from raw tract to finished house is in the guide to building a barndominium in Central Texas, and the land and lot evaluation page covers these same checks parcel by parcel.
Run the free ones first.
Jurisdiction: is the parcel inside a city, inside a city extraterritorial jurisdiction, or in the unincorporated county? That decides who permits what.
Floodplain: pull the parcel on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, the official public source for flood hazard information produced for the National Flood Insurance Program, searchable by address or coordinates.
Covenants: get the recorded restrictions from the seller or the title company and read them.
Two map lookups, also free: the Lower Colorado River Authority publishes an address-searchable septic and watershed jurisdiction map, and TCEQ publishes an Edwards Aquifer Map Viewer that shows whether a parcel falls in a regulated zone.
Source: FEMA Flood Map Service Center, read 2026-09-13.
Source: LCRA Water Quality Jurisdictions map, read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ, Edwards Aquifer Map Viewer page, read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ, Getting a Permit for an On-Site Sewage Facility, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas Health and Safety Code Sec. 366.032(b), read 2026-09-13.
Are you in a city, an ETJ, or the unincorporated county?
Answer this first, because it changes every other answer. An ETJ, or extraterritorial jurisdiction, is the strip outside a city limit where the city keeps some authority but not all of it. Inside city limits the city permits the work. Georgetown requires a permit to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change occupancy of a building, or to work on electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems. Llano's Code Enforcement Department issues building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits and inspects all permitted work. In an ETJ you usually get none of that, and the exceptions catch people.
Austin extraterritorial jurisdiction reaches into four counties, three of them here: Travis, Williamson and Bastrop. In the unincorporated county the state county building code standards are opt-in, applying only where a county adopted a resolution or order and meets the border or population test, and even then they cannot require permission before construction starts or create zoning. Williamson County issues no building permits except for health and safety issues and has adopted no residential building code. Bastrop County Commissioners Court adopted residential building code standards by resolution on September 14, 2009.
In the ETJs of the cities here:
Georgetown: reviews subdivision, stormwater, utility evaluation, driveways and signs in its ETJ, and its building permits do apply there when the City is the water, wastewater or electric provider.
Leander: the only ETJ permits are signs and water or wastewater connections.
Liberty Hill: subdivision and sign rules, platting and stormwater possible, no City building permit unless a development agreement is in place.
Marble Falls: a one mile ETJ covering signs, subdivision, non-point source pollution and water quality, with no building, electrical or mechanical permits issued there.
Lockhart: city subdivision and signage rules only.
Bastrop: subdivision authority in its limits and throughout its ETJ, with Bastrop County reviewing part of it under an interlocal agreement.
Source: City of Georgetown Development Services, When do I need a Permit?, read 2026-09-13.
Source: City of Llano Code Enforcement Department, read 2026-09-13.
Source: City of Georgetown Development Services, Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) and City Limits, read 2026-09-13.
Source: City of Leander, Permits and Building Inspection, read 2026-09-13.
Source: City of Liberty Hill, Frequently Asked Questions (Planning and Development), read 2026-09-13.
Source: City of Marble Falls FAQ, Do I need a permit outside the city limit?, read 2026-09-13.
Source: City of Lockhart Construction Standards and Contractor License Information, read 2026-09-13.
Source: City of Bastrop Development Process, read 2026-09-13.
Source: City of Austin Planning, Jurisdictional Matters, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas Local Government Code Sec. 233.152, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas Local Government Code Sec. 233.153(d), read 2026-09-13.
Source: Williamson County frequently asked questions, County Engineer, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Bastrop County Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Is the lot in a mapped floodplain, and what changes if it is?
Pull the flood map before you make an offer. A permit is required before construction or development begins inside any Special Flood Hazard Area, and the floodplain administrator is responsible for compliance and for making sure permits get applied for. A floodplain lot is not automatically out. It adds a surveyor, a certificate and height: land surveyors, architects and engineers authorized by law certify the elevation on the National Flood Insurance Program Elevation Certificate.
Burnet County: a Class A permit outside a flood hazard area is application and payment only; Class B inside one needs an elevation certificate or engineer letter, a site plan, and two inspections. One foot of freeboard is required in an A zone, two recommended.
Williamson County: a floodplain development permit in or next to the 100-year floodplain, the structure at least a foot above base flood elevation, and a FEMA elevation certificate filed twice, after the slab and at completion.
Travis County: full plans, lowest floor elevations, a flood venting plan, an elevation certificate before framing and a finished-construction certificate within 30 days.
Bastrop County: two feet of freeboard, extended to some Zone X areas where base level engineering has set flood depths.
Caldwell County: first finished floor two feet above the adjoining base flood elevation, for a home inside or within 300 feet of a floodplain.
Llano County: a floodplain development permit anywhere in a mapped flood hazard area, and that review runs longer than the seven to 10 business days asked for outside it.
Source: FEMA glossary, Permit for Floodplain Development, read 2026-09-13.
Source: FEMA, NFIP Floodplain Management Requirements study guide, Unit 7, read 2026-09-13.
Source: FEMA 467-1, Floodplain Management Bulletin: Elevation Certificate, read 2026-09-13.
Source: FEMA, Elevation Certificate FAQ, October 2023, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Burnet County On-Site Sewage Facilities and Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Williamson County frequently asked questions, County Engineer, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources, Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Bastrop County Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Caldwell County Development Ordinance, revised February 14, 2023, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Llano County Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Will the recorded deed restrictions allow a metal building in Texas?
Read them yourself, because the county is checking something else. Caldwell County, for one, reviews the recorded plat or survey, the deed, tax certificates showing current taxes paid, a sketch of the structure, the 911 address and the septic permit, and the parcel has to be an original tract, a legally platted lot, or exempt from platting before a Residential Construction Permit issues. That is a check on the legal standing of the lot, not on its covenants.
Get the recorded documents from the seller or title company before you sign, and ask in writing.
Is exposed metal siding allowed, and a metal roof, and on which elevations?
Is there a minimum finished square footage, and does a covered porch or shop count toward it?
Can a shop, barn or RV go up before the house, and can anyone live in it during construction?
Is there an architectural committee, what does it review, and how long does that take?
Source: Caldwell County Development Ordinance, revised February 14, 2023, read 2026-09-13.
Do you have legal access, or just a gap in the fence?
Legal access and a physical opening are different things. The county road office settles it. Travis County issues no permit for a driveway onto an unmaintained or unaccepted road, so a tract reached only that way has a problem to solve first. Where it does permit, approaches are concrete, meet the road at about 90 degrees and use corrugated metal culvert pipe at least 18 inches across. TxDOT permits state-road driveways.
Ask in writing before you sign whether the road serving this tract is county-maintained, state-maintained or private. If private, have the title company show you the recorded easement. The other five counties:
Llano County: nothing goes on a county right of way, driveways and culverts included, without the precinct commissioner written permission and a road cut permit.
Burnet County: a road access permit, with the precinct commissioner setting culvert location, length and diameter at a site meeting, and approval before a 911 address is assigned.
Williamson County: a Road and Bridge Division permit onto a county-maintained road, with the county sizing the culvert.
Bastrop County: the driveway rides on the same development application.
Caldwell County: a Unit Road Department permit, which stays in force even on a tract exempt from platting.
Source: Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources, Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Llano County Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Burnet County On-Site Sewage Facilities and Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Williamson County frequently asked questions, County Engineer, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Bastrop County Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Caldwell County Development Ordinance, revised February 14, 2023, read 2026-09-13.
Does the septic permit decide whether land in Texas can hold a barndominium?
In practice, yes, because every county here wires it into the permit order. Caldwell County will not issue its Residential Construction Permit without the approved septic permit. Burnet County runs it the other way and will not issue the septic permit without the building permit, and will not process an incomplete packet. Williamson County will not process a septic application until the County Engineer Certificate of Compliance, the floodplain check, is done. Bastrop County files the development permit and the septic permit together.
Lot size floors are real. Travis County sets one acre as the minimum for a home on a septic system, Caldwell County sets one acre, and Bastrop County sets half an acre with a public water supply and one acre without. State rule does exempt a system serving one single family dwelling on a tract of ten acres or larger, where it meets every construction standard, causes no nuisance or groundwater pollution, keeps all parts at least 100 feet from the property line and disposes of effluent on the property. The counties here set that aside. Travis County states no lot-size exemption at all, and Bastrop, Caldwell, Burnet and Llano counties permit every system whatever the size of the tract. State rule lets them: a local entity may adopt standards more stringent than the state chapter, each stricter requirement justified in writing and reviewed by the TCEQ executive director.
An authorized agent runs its program under the order the TCEQ executive director approved, and those stricter local standards control. Williamson County has one agent, itself, taking applications through its online portal only. Bastrop has two, Llano three, Caldwell five, Travis seven and Burnet eight. The permitting authority must approve or deny the planning materials and permit application within 30 days of receipt. In Caldwell County only a licensed installer may build the system, and every on-site sewage installer or maintenance provider in Texas must be licensed or registered by TCEQ. County detail sits in the septic permit guide.
Source: TCEQ, Getting a Permit for an On-Site Sewage Facility, read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ publication RG-472, 30 TAC 285.10(a), read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas Health and Safety Code Sec. 366.032(b), read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ adopted rule text, 30 TAC Chapter 285, Rule Project No. 2021-030-285-CE, section 285.3, read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ publication RG-472, On-Site Sewage Facility Rules Compilation, 30 TAC 285.10(b)(4), read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ, Occupational Licenses: On-Site Sewage Facilities (Septic Systems), read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ OARS county search, Williamson County (CNTY_CD 246), read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ OARS county search, Bastrop County (CNTY_CD 11), read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ OARS county search, Llano County (CNTY_CD 150), read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ OARS county search, Caldwell County (CNTY_CD 28), read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ OARS county search, Travis County (CNTY_CD 227), read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ OARS county search, Burnet County (CNTY_CD 27), read 2026-09-13.
Source: Burnet County On-Site Sewage Facilities and Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Williamson County frequently asked questions, County Engineer, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Caldwell County Development Ordinance, revised February 14, 2023, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Bastrop County Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources, Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Llano County Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Is the lot near a Highland Lake, and who permits the septic there?
Near Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake Lyndon B. Johnson, Lake Marble Falls or Lake Travis, the septic permit may come from the Lower Colorado River Authority rather than the county. TCEQ designated LCRA an authorized agent for the state septic rules inside its jurisdiction, and it appears as an agent in Travis, Burnet and Llano counties. It does not appear in Williamson, Bastrop or Caldwell.
The zone is measured. LCRA regulates septic systems within a 2,200-foot zone around the upper Highland Lakes, which are Buchanan, Inks, LBJ and Marble Falls, and within a 2,000-foot zone around Lake Travis: a Restricted Zone at each lake, plus a Water Quality Zone reaching 2,000 feet horizontally beyond it. Inside that jurisdiction a permit is required for any system whatever the lot size. One conflict is unresolved. LCRA pages say the Lake Travis zone is 2,000 feet and Travis County is reported to say 1,000 feet, so search the address on the LCRA map and ask both offices in writing which one covers the parcel. Allow up to 30 days from submission for a new system permit. An inspection is required on every transfer of ownership before LCRA approves the new owner for continued use.
Lake country adds a second rulebook. The Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance covers buildings, roads and paved areas plus clearing, grading and fill, across the Lake Travis watershed in Travis County, the Colorado River watershed in Burnet County and part of Llano County. An LCRA development permit is required over 10,000 square feet of impervious cover and/or one acre of disturbance; under both, a single-family residence can go on a written notification instead. Eleven local governments administer part or all of it, so an LCRA permit may not be the one that applies. Water frontage on Lake Austin or its tributaries puts a property inside Austin Water septic jurisdiction.
Source: TCEQ OARS county search, identical entry returned for Travis, Burnet and Llano counties, read 2026-09-13.
Source: LCRA On-Site Sewage Facilities Program, read 2026-09-13.
Source: LCRA On-Site Sewage Facilities Rules, Section 6, Area of Jurisdiction, read 2026-09-13.
Source: LCRA On-Site Sewage Facilities Rules, Section 10.05(b), read 2026-09-13.
Source: LCRA On-site Sewage Rules Frequently Asked Questions, read 2026-09-13.
Source: LCRA Water Quality Jurisdictions map, read 2026-09-13.
Source: LCRA Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance program page, read 2026-09-13.
Source: LCRA Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance, Section 1, Title and Scope, read 2026-09-13.
Source: LCRA Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance program page, Required notifications and permits, read 2026-09-13.
Source: LCRA Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance, Section 4.1(b), Written Notification, read 2026-09-13.
Source: LCRA Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance program page, Interlocal agreements, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Austin Water, On-Site Sewage Facilities, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources, Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Burnet County On-Site Sewage Facilities and Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Llano County Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Does the Edwards Aquifer cover your tract in Travis or Williamson County?
For two of the six counties it can. The Edwards Aquifer Protection Program covers eight Texas counties, and the TCEQ Austin Regional Office, at (512) 339-2929, handles the ones here, Williamson and Travis. The recharge zone is where the aquifer rock units crop out, plus nearby outcrops with caves, sinkholes, faults or fractures that could let surface water in. The contributing zone is the watershed upgradient of it: in Travis County everything except the watersheds draining to the Colorado River above a point 1.3 miles upstream from Tom Miller Dam, and in Williamson County everything except the watersheds draining to the Lampasas River above Stillhouse Hollow dam.
On the recharge zone there is no acreage floor. Any regulated activity needs an approved Water Pollution Abatement Plan before construction starts. In the contributing zone a Contributing Zone Plan is triggered at five acres of disturbance, or where the work is part of a larger plan of development or sale, and below that no aquifer plan is needed. A site partly on each is treated as recharge zone in whole. A single-family residence may not need its own plan if it sits in a master community with an approved plan, on a lot larger than five acres with only that residence, or keeps impervious cover to 20 percent or less of the property.
Timing hurts. Administrative review takes up to 30 days, technical review of a complete application takes 90 days, and construction cannot begin until approval issues. In Williamson County a septic system over the recharge zone has to be designed by a registered sanitarian or a professional engineer. The zone walkthrough is in the Edwards Aquifer guide.
Source: TCEQ GIS metadata, Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone - Chapter 213 Rules (TSMS), quoting 30 TAC 213.3(8), read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ Edwards Aquifer Protection Program home page, read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ GIS metadata, quoting 30 TAC 213.3(25), read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ GIS metadata, quoting 30 TAC 213.22(2), read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ, Water Pollution Abatement Plan page, read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ, What Plans You Might Need, recharge zone branch, read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ, Contributing Zone Plan page, read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ, Edwards Aquifer Protection Program: What Plans You Might Need, read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ, What Plans You Might Need, contributing zone branch, read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ, Edwards Aquifer Private Residences page, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Williamson County frequently asked questions, County Engineer, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources, Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
What is in the ground under Central Texas land, west to east?
The ground changes west to east across these six counties, and each stretch raises a different question. West, the Llano Uplift is a large granite batholith and the major structural feature of central Texas, with Precambrian granites and metamorphic rocks forming the central dome. Burnet and Llano are core counties of it, and at Inks Lake State Park pink Valley Spring gneiss juts up through the limestone. Two minor aquifers sit under it, the Ellenburger-San Saba and the Hickory, whose sandstone carries radionuclides derived from that granite, so ask a driller about water testing before you count on a well.
Across the middle, the Edwards Plateau has shallow soils underlain by limestone, many springs, stony hills and steep canyons. Faulting along the Balcones Fault Zone followed uplift of the plateau, and streams crossing the zone recharge the aquifer where limestone has dissolved.
East, the Blackland Prairies are named for deep, fertile black soils at 300 to 800 feet. Houston Black soil formed in clayey residuum weathered from Upper Cretaceous calcareous mudstone, and it cracks 0.5 to 4 inches wide from the surface down 12 inches or more when dry. That shrink and swell is the defining behavior of the soil, so ask an independent builder and an engineer what it means for the foundation before anyone prices one.
Southeast, the Post Oak Savannah is oak woodland interspersed with grassland, with sands and sandy loams on the uplands and a dense clay pan almost impervious to water under all soil types at only a few feet deep. The Lost Pines, over 75,000 acres of loblolly pines, is the westernmost stand of loblolly pine in the United States. None of it decides yes or no. It decides what the site work has to do.
Source: Texas Water Development Board, Report 360 Chapter 9, Paleozoic Aquifers of the Llano Uplift, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas Water Development Board, Report 360 Chapter 9, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas Water Development Board, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas Water Development Board, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Ecoregions, read 2026-09-13.
Source: USGS, Karst Aquifers: Edwards Balcones Fault Zone Aquifer, read 2026-09-13.
Source: USDA NRCS, Official Series Description, Houston Black Series, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Bastrop State Park, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Office of the Texas Governor, Business Permit Office, Texas Business Licenses and Permits Guide, read 2026-09-13.
How exposed is the land to wildfire, and what does the house need around it?
Look it up, then design the first 100 feet. The Texas Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal is a statewide planning tool from Texas A&M Forest Service supplying wildfire mitigation data, maps and reports. The record is not theoretical: the 2011 Bastrop County Complex wildfire covered 32,400 acres, with 75 percent of it burning at extreme fire intensity, destroyed 1,660 homes and 36 commercial buildings, and burned for 37 days.
Texas A&M Forest Service defines three home ignition zones by distance: Immediate, 0 to 5 feet; Intermediate, 5 to 30 feet; and Extended, 30 to 100 feet, out to 200 feet where available. In the intermediate zone tree crowns should be at least 18 feet apart and the mature canopy no closer than 10 feet to the home. In the extended zone, spacing is at least 12 feet from 30 to 60 feet out and at least 6 feet from 60 to 100 feet out.
Walk the tract with those distances in hand before you pick the house site. Steel walls and a steel roof are not the whole answer: the zones describe what stands around the building, not what the building is made of.
Source: Texas A&M Forest Service, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas A&M Forest Service, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas A&M Forest Service, read 2026-09-13.
Do endangered species questions touch your tract?
In two places, yes, and both are answerable before you buy. The Houston toad is federally endangered, listed in 1970. Range-wide audio surveys from 2006 to 2011 detected it in only nine counties, Bastrop among them, and critical habitat was designated in portions of Bastrop and Burleson counties on January 31, 1978. The seasonally moist sandy soils of the Lost Pines provide critical habitat for the toad. Bastrop County lists a Lost Pines Habitat Conservation Plan decision among its permits where the tract is in the covered area, so ask Bastrop County Development Services whether the parcel falls inside it before you buy.
The golden-cheeked warbler nests and breeds only in mixed Ashe juniper and deciduous woodlands of central Texas, arriving from January to March and leaving in late summer. If the tract carries mature Ashe juniper and oak woodland, ask the county at the development permit stage what applies to clearing, and ask about the calendar as well as the acreage. Ask both before a dozer shows up, not after.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Bastrop State Park, read 2026-09-13.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Bastrop County Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
What order does the site work happen in, and where do the utilities come from?
The 911 address usually comes first, then permits, then dirt. Burnet County states the order and will not process an incomplete packet: 911 address, building permit, septic permit, with driveway approval in hand before the address is assigned. Williamson County wants a 911 address from county GIS and Addressing before a permit application, and the Certificate of Compliance before the septic application. In Caldwell County the septic permit requires the 911 address. The Llano County development permit is also the 911 address application. Bastrop County puts the development permit, septic permit, driveway and 911 address on one application. Travis County requires a permit for any development at all, counting structures, driveways, work in the right of way, septic systems, dividing land, and grading, paving, excavation and clearing to prepare a site, so the clearing itself is permitted work.
Utilities set the trap in the ETJs. Georgetown building permits apply in its ETJ when the City is the water, wastewater or electric provider, covering new construction, plumbing, electrical work and utility connections; in the Leander ETJ a water or wastewater connection is one of only two things permitted. Ask the utility for a written will-serve answer and a connection cost before you close.
One threshold bites on big sites: the state construction stormwater permit covers construction disturbing one acre or more, or work that is part of a larger common plan that will disturb one acre or more; below one acre, no coverage is required. A long driveway, a pad and a shop add up toward that acre, so have it measured.
Source: City of Georgetown Development Services, When do I need a Permit?, read 2026-09-13.
Source: City of Leander, Permits and Building Inspection, read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ, Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities: Am I Regulated?, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Burnet County On-Site Sewage Facilities and Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Williamson County frequently asked questions, County Engineer, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Caldwell County Development Ordinance, revised February 14, 2023, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Llano County Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Bastrop County Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources, Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
What should you ask before you sign a contract on land?
Put these in writing during the option period, and take the answers to an independent builder before it ends. Texas does not require a state license to work as a general contractor, and local city or county requirements may still apply, so ask a builder what they have permitted in this county and who inspected it. The site answers change the building answers, and barndominium construction starts from them.
To the county development office (Llano, Burnet, Bastrop and Caldwell County Development Services, the Williamson County Engineer, or Travis County TNR Development Services): what permits does a new single-family home on this parcel need, and in what order?
To that same office: is any part of this parcel in a mapped special flood hazard area, and what freeboard applies?
To the county septic program, or to LCRA where its map puts the parcel inside the zone: what does a septic permit here require, is the lot large enough, and how long is the review? TCEQ's authorized agent lookup is a county search that returns every agent in the county and the area each one serves.
To the precinct commissioner or the county road office: is the road county-maintained, and what does a driveway and culvert onto it require?
To TCEQ in Travis or Williamson County: is this parcel on the recharge, contributing or transition zone, and does a single residence need its own plan?
To the utility: will you serve this parcel with water, wastewater and electricity, and how far is service from the house site?
To the title company: show me the recorded restrictions, the recorded access easement and the plat.
Source: TCEQ On-Site Activity Reporting System, search by county, read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ GIS metadata, quoting 30 TAC 213.3(34), read 2026-09-13.
Source: TCEQ Edwards Aquifer Protection Program home page, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Office of the Texas Governor, Business Permit Office, Texas Business Licenses and Permits Guide, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Llano County Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Burnet County On-Site Sewage Facilities and Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Williamson County frequently asked questions, County Engineer, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources, Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Bastrop County Development Services, read 2026-09-13.
Source: Caldwell County Development Ordinance, revised February 14, 2023, read 2026-09-13.
Questions people ask
- Does a tract of ten acres or more skip the septic permit in these counties?
- No. State rule does exempt a system serving one single family dwelling on a tract of ten acres or larger, where it meets all the construction standards, causes no nuisance or groundwater pollution, keeps every part at least 100 feet from the property line and disposes of effluent on the property. The counties here set that aside. Travis County states no lot-size exemption at all, and Bastrop, Caldwell, Burnet and Llano counties permit every system whatever the size of the tract. LCRA requires a permit for any system inside its jurisdiction no matter the lot size. State rule allows this, because a local entity may adopt standards more stringent than the state chapter.
- Do I need a county building permit to put a barndominium on my land?
- It depends on the county. Williamson County issues no building permits except for health and safety issues and has adopted no residential building code, but a Certificate of Compliance from the County Engineer comes before construction and before the septic application. Burnet County issues a Class A or Class B building permit outside city limits and will not issue the septic permit without it. Travis County and Bastrop County require a development permit, with three inspections contracted by the builder rather than performed by the county. Caldwell County requires a Residential Construction Permit that reviews the lot paperwork, not the framing. Llano County issues a development permit, which is also how the 911 address is assigned. Inside a city, the city permits apply.
- Who permits the septic system on a Highland Lakes lot, the county or the river authority?
- Either, depending on where the parcel sits. LCRA is a TCEQ authorized agent in Travis, Burnet and Llano counties, covering a 2,200-foot zone around Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ and Lake Marble Falls and a 2,000-foot zone around Lake Travis. That last figure is in dispute: LCRA's own pages say 2,000 feet and Travis County is reported to say 1,000 feet, so confirm with both offices in writing. Outside the zone the county permits. LCRA does not appear as an agent in Williamson, Bastrop or Caldwell counties at all. Search the address on the LCRA jurisdiction map, and allow up to 30 days from submission for a new system permit.
- Is a lot in the floodplain a dealbreaker for a barndominium?
- Usually not. It adds a surveyor, an elevation certificate and height. Burnet County requires one foot of freeboard above base flood elevation in an A zone and recommends two, along with two inspections under a Class B permit. Williamson County puts the structure at least a foot above base flood elevation with a FEMA elevation certificate filed twice. Bastrop County requires two feet of freeboard. Caldwell County requires the first finished floor two feet above the adjoining base flood elevation for a home inside or within 300 feet of a floodplain. A permit is required before any construction begins inside a Special Flood Hazard Area.
- How much time can the Edwards Aquifer review add in Travis or Williamson County?
- Administrative review takes up to 30 days and technical review of a complete application takes 90 days, and construction cannot begin until approval issues. On the recharge zone any regulated activity needs an approved Water Pollution Abatement Plan with no acreage floor. In the contributing zone the plan is triggered at five acres of disturbance. One single-family residence may avoid its own plan if it sits in a master community with an approved plan, on a lot larger than five acres with only that residence, or keeps impervious cover to 20 percent or less of the property.
- Can deed restrictions stop a metal house even where the county allows it?
- The county is not the office that answers this. Recorded restrictions are private paper, and the county reviews the legal standing of the lot instead. Caldwell County, for example, checks the recorded plat or survey, the deed, tax certificates, the 911 address and the septic permit before its Residential Construction Permit issues. Get the recorded documents from the seller or title company during the option period and ask in writing whether exposed metal siding and a metal roof are allowed, whether there is a minimum finished square footage, whether a shop can go up before the house, and whether an architectural committee reviews plans.
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