Texas County, Missouri Building Permit Guide

Texas County’s government posts no building permit and no planning or zoning office; its published licences are limited to items such as liquor, auctioneer and merchant licences, and road funds flow through its 17 townships. Septic systems are permitted by the Texas County Health Department, 950 N. Highway 63, Suite 500, Houston (417-967-4131). Houston, Licking and Cabool each require a city building permit.

Texas County building department: who handles permitting

The County Commission governs this third-class county and contracts road and bridge money to the townships. The state emergency agency lists the county emergency coordinator at 10175 Highway 32, Plato (417-967-6488). It names no county floodplain administrator, and FEMA’s status book does not list Texas County at all.

City permits and fees in Texas County

Houston: the city code requires a permit for any building or permanent structure, including garages, carports, sheds, barns, outbuildings, gazebos and pergolas. Its August 2026 application asks homeowners for one plan set or PDF (site plan, foundation, floor plan, wall section and elevations); commercial plans must be sealed by a Missouri architect or engineer and include structural, plumbing, electrical and mechanical sheets. Fees come from the city’s fee schedule and the form also lists sewer connection, sewer access, water meter and driveway charges and an excavation deposit. The code says a permit is valid for 180 days, while the August 2026 form says one year, lapsing if work does not start within six months or stops for six months; demolition permits last three months.

Cabool: the permit fee is $0.25 per $100 of estimated cost up to $10,000, $0.15 per $100 on the part from $10,000 to $25,000, and $0.10 per $100 above $25,000. A $100,000 project therefore pays $25 plus $22.50 plus $75, or $122.50. Starting without a permit adds an administrative fee of $20, $30 or $40 depending on the cost.

Licking: a flat $5 building permit fee; the city’s code also contains a floodplain management chapter.

Septic rules in Texas County

The state lists the Health Department as an ordinance authority: Texas County has its own onsite sewage ordinance, which may add local requirements to the state minimum. The Health Department’s answers to common questions:

• Every onsite system needs a permit to construct except for a single-family home on 3 acres or more. RSMo 701.031 sets the conditions for that exemption: all parts of the system more than 10 feet from adjoining lot lines, and no effluent entering a neighbour’s land, polluting water or causing a nuisance.
• Extra homes on one tract stay exempt only with 10 acres for each home and systems at least 360 feet apart.
• A soils morphology report comes first; if a conventional tank and laterals will not work, an engineer designs an alternative system for an advanced installer, and in a few cases a lagoon may be allowed.
• Only installers registered with the state may install systems.
• Once the state has issued a notice of violation, a permit is needed to fix the system whatever the acreage.
• The office does not inspect systems for property sales; it refers buyers to registered third-party inspectors.

The state permit application the Health Department posts still shows the $90 state fee, which the state suspended from August 28, 2026 until it sets new fees.

Floodplain: Cabool, Houston and Licking take part in the National Flood Insurance Program; Texas County, Plato, Raymondville and Summersville are not listed.

Starting a project in Texas County

Missouri building code

Missouri has no mandatory statewide building code for private construction: a county, fire protection district or municipality may adopt one (usually by reference under RSMo 67.280), and in parts of the state none has. Building codes in Missouri

Texas County permit FAQs

Does Texas County, Missouri require a building permit?

The county posts no building permit or zoning office. Septic systems need a Health Department permit unless exempt, and Houston, Licking and Cabool require city permits.

Who issues septic permits in Texas County?

The Texas County Health Department, 950 N. Highway 63, Suite 500, Houston (417-967-4131), which works under a county ordinance.

Can I add a second house on my acreage without a septic permit?

Only with at least 10 acres for each home and every part of the systems at least 360 feet apart; otherwise a permit is needed.

How much is a building permit in Cabool?

$0.25 per $100 of cost up to $10,000, $0.15 per $100 from $10,000 to $25,000 and $0.10 per $100 above that, so $122.50 for a $100,000 project.

Do contractors need a licence in Houston?

Yes. Houston issues permits only to contractors with a valid city business licence.

Texas County permit search and official resources

• Texas County Commission
• Texas County Health Department sewage disposal and septic permits
• Missouri DHSS septic (OWTS) permit authority by county
• SEMA floodplain and emergency contacts, Texas County
• FEMA Community Status Book: Missouri
• City of Houston permit application (August 2026)
• City of Houston code of ordinances
• City of Licking code of ordinances
• City of Cabool code of ordinances

Simplify Texas County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Missouri. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Texas County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.