Gillespie County does not issue building permits for houses or other buildings outside Fredericksburg. Instead, before any new construction, grading or paving, the owner files a free Development Determination Form with the County Engineer, who decides whether a floodplain development permit, a right-of-way permit, a plat or a rental-community application is needed. A septic permit from the county Sanitation Department (from $325) is required on every tract regardless of acreage, and the City of Fredericksburg permits construction inside its limits.
What needs a county permit in Gillespie County?
County approvals
- A Development Determination Form for new buildings, relocations, additions, demolition, grading, paving and other development
- A floodplain development permit for any work in a mapped flood hazard area
- A septic (OSSF) permit for a new, upgraded, repaired or altered system, on any size of tract
- A right-of-way permit for driveways, culverts, mailboxes, utility lines, signs, boulders or grading in a county road right-of-way
- A plat for dividing land, and an approved application for any manufactured home rental community
- A 9-1-1 rural address for each habitable structure
Not a county permit
- Building, electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits for homes and businesses outside Fredericksburg
- Work inside Fredericksburg, which the City permits
- Driveways onto state highways, which TxDOT permits
- Irrigation, commercial and public water supply wells, which the Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District permits
Who issues permits in each part of Gillespie County?
The Census lists Fredericksburg (about 11,900 residents) as the only incorporated city in the county; every other community is unincorporated and falls under the county offices below.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Area or permit | Who issues it |
|---|---|
| City of Fredericksburg | City Building Division: plan review, permits, inspections and contractor registration through the MGO Customer Connect portal; City Hall, 2818 E. U.S. Hwy. 290, 830-997-7521 |
| Fredericksburg ETJ | City of Fredericksburg Development Services, for the requirements that apply in the extraterritorial jurisdiction |
| Unincorporated county: floodplain, plats, rental communities, county right-of-way | County Engineering Department (County Engineer Melissa Eckert, PE, CFM), 101 West Main St., Room B-105, Fredericksburg; 830-307-6196; 8 a.m.–4 p.m. weekdays |
| Unincorporated county: septic | Sanitation (OSSF) Department, 101 West Main St., Room B-101; 830-997-8191; 8 a.m.–noon and 1–5 p.m. |
| 9-1-1 addresses | Rural Addressing Department, Room B-101; 830-997-1726 |
| Fire inspections and site plan review | County Fire Marshal, 830-997-7521 |
| State highway driveways | TxDOT Fredericksburg office, 1623 E. Main St.; 830-997-4361 |
The County Engineer’s determination form records whether the City of Fredericksburg also needs to review a project.
County permit fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| New or upgraded system, under 500 gallons a day | $325 |
| Same, needing a maintenance contract (aerobic and similar) | $425 |
| New or upgraded system, 500 gallons a day or more | $550 |
| Same, needing a maintenance contract | $750 |
| Repair or alteration of an existing system | $200 |
| Re-inspection | $150 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Development Determination Form | No fee |
| Floodplain development permit | $100 administrative fee plus any third-party review at cost |
| Right-of-way permit, one single-family home | $50 |
| Right-of-way permit, several homes, subdivision, rental community or non-residential | $500 |
| Underground utility in the right-of-way, with road crossings | $500 plus $125 per bore and $250 per trench |
| Plat or rental community, 1–4 lots / 5–20 / 21–40 / 41 or more | $500 / $1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000, each plus $100 per lot |
| Amending plat | $100 per lot |
Starting work before a floodplain or right-of-way permit is approved doubles that permit’s fee. Engineering fees are paid by check to Gillespie County when the application is filed, and plat recording fees go to the County Clerk. A blue reflective 9-1-1 house number sign costs $15 at the Rural Addressing office.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →How to start a project in unincorporated Gillespie County
Send it with a site plan and narrative of all existing and proposed development to the County Engineer. It checks whether the site is in or within 100 ft of a flood hazard area and whether impervious cover reaches 40%.
The form comes back either clearing the project or listing a development permit, right-of-way permit, plat or rental-community application, with a checklist.
Request a pre-application meeting with the County Engineer for a county road access. The office reports completeness within 10 business days and decides within 10 business days after that.
Send the approved right-of-way permit and 911 Address Location Request Form, with the driveway location measured within 35 ft of its center.
The OSSF application is complete only once the signed determination form is attached; planning materials come from an installer, engineer or registered sanitarian.
Notify the County Engineer when right-of-way or floodplain work is finished, and restore and reseed any disturbed ground in the right-of-way.
Septic, floodplain and right-of-way rules
Septic: an OSSF application stays valid for one year from purchase. Aerobic and other non-standard systems need a recorded Affidavit to the Public and a two-year maintenance contract, and the county publishes lists of licensed installers and maintenance providers.
Floodplain: under the ordinance adopted July 28, 2025, a new or substantially improved home in a flood hazard area must have its lowest floor at least 1 ft above the base flood elevation. Homes in Zone X within 100 ft of a flood hazard area need an elevation certificate showing the ground beside them is above that elevation, and manufactured homes are not allowed where the base flood is more than 1 ft above grade. A floodplain permit lapses after one year without progress, and the owner must call for a final inspection and file as-built certificates.
Rather not deal with the Gillespie County building department?
Get a free quote →County roads: a right-of-way permit is also needed to repair or widen an existing driveway, or when an existing access starts serving a non-residential use, more than 8 tracts or more than 8 homes. Fences and permanent signs are not allowed in the right-of-way, and a permit lapses 6 months after approval if no work is done. No right-of-way permit is issued for a tract in a subdivision that should have been platted and was not.
Subdivision and rental-community rules
Lots served by a private well and septic system must be at least 6 acres, and the number of lots cannot exceed the parent tract’s acreage divided by 8: a 30-acre tract can be split into no more than 3 lots, and a 15-acre tract cannot be split at all. The County Engineer reviews plats under the Subdivision and Manufactured Home Rental Community Regulations, last amended December 23, 2024.
Land divided into two or more spaces rented for manufactured homes, RVs, tiny homes, shipping containers or similar movable dwellings is a manufactured home rental community, and its application must be approved by the County Engineer before construction begins.
Texas building code
Texas has no single statewide building code: state law makes the International Residential Code the base code for homes in cities and the International Building Code the base for commercial buildings, with each city choosing the edition and its own amendments, while the National Electrical Code and the energy code apply statewide. Outside city limits most counties issue no building permits for homes. Texas building code rules
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Gillespie County official resources
- County Engineering Department: floodplain, right-of-way, subdivisions
- Development Determination Form (PDF)
- Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, July 2025 (PDF)
- Right-of-Way Regulations, amended June 2026 (PDF)
- Sanitation (OSSF) Department
- Septic permit fees, October 2025 (PDF)
- Subdivision and rental-community fee schedule (PDF)
- Development Requirement Information brochure (PDF)
- Rural 9-1-1 addressing
- City of Fredericksburg Building Division
Gillespie County permit FAQs
Do I need a building permit to build a house outside Fredericksburg?
No county building permit, but you need the County Engineer’s development determination, a septic permit, and usually a driveway permit and 9-1-1 address; a floodplain permit applies if the site is in a flood hazard area.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →How much is a septic permit in Gillespie County?
$325 for a standard system under 500 gallons a day, $425 if it needs a maintenance contract, and $200 to repair or alter an existing system.
Is a septic permit needed on a large ranch tract?
Yes. The county requires approved wastewater disposal everywhere in the county, whatever the acreage.
How much is a driveway permit onto a county road?
$50 for a single-family home, or $500 for several homes, a subdivision or a business, and double if work starts first.
What is the smallest lot I can create?
6 acres where the lot uses a well and septic system, with no more lots than the parent tract’s acreage divided by 8.
Who issues building permits in Fredericksburg?
The City of Fredericksburg’s Building Division, through its MGO Customer Connect portal; phone City Hall at 830-997-7521.
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More Texas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Gillespie County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.