Randall County has no building code or building permit, but its Road & Bridge Department in Canyon (806-655-3861) requires a development permit for any development in the unincorporated county: Class A outside the mapped 100-year floodplain, Class B in it. Every new driveway onto a county road also needs a $200 permit, and Amarillo, Canyon and Palisades issue their own building permits.
What needs a county permit in Randall County?
The county regulates development rather than buildings. “Development” covers any man-made change to land: buildings, filling, grading, paving, excavation, drilling, mining and storing equipment or materials.
County permits
- Class A Development Permit: all development outside the mapped 100-year floodplain
- Class B Development Permit: development on property partly or wholly inside it
- Access driveway and culvert permit for every driveway onto county right-of-way ($200)
- Plat approval before land is divided, unless every part is over 10 acres with access and nothing is dedicated to the public
Not issued by the county
- Building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits
- Certificates of occupancy
- Septic permits (Amarillo Area Public Health District)
- Anything inside Amarillo or Canyon city limits
New homes are not allowed at all in an identified floodway.
Who issues permits in each Randall County community?
Amarillo and Canyon hold most of the county’s 152,351 people; about 27,650 live outside any city, town or village.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Area | Who issues permits |
|---|---|
| Amarillo, Randall County part (pop. 106,621) | City of Amarillo Building Safety, through MGO Connect; 806-378-3041 |
| Canyon (pop. 16,518) | City of Canyon Planning & Development, 301 16th St., 806-655-5014; applications through MyGov |
| Palisades (pop. 295) | The Village: its permit list covers permanent structures over 64 sq ft, remodels over $10,000, roofs, fences, decks and carports, with inspections by a Village-contracted inspector. Permit clerk 806-683-3166. |
| Lake Tanglewood (pop. 734) | The Lake Tanglewood website posts building, roofing and boat house or dock permit forms, and the Village’s inspection request form says every inspection is paid in full when requested and scheduled through the Village Office, 806-622-8711. |
| Timbercreek Canyon (pop. 476), Happy, Randall County part (pop. 57) | The published sources do not say; ask the village or town hall. |
| Unincorporated county | No building permit; development, driveway and plat approvals from Road & Bridge |
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | 301 W. Highway 60, Canyon, TX 79015 |
| Phone / fax | 806-655-3861 / 806-655-0397 |
| Hours | Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Roles | Floodplain administration (the Road Superintendent), development permits, driveways and culverts, plat review |
Driveway, culvert and septic permits
Driveways: Road & Bridge issues every driveway permit for a $200 fee, paid in cash, by check or card at the Canyon office (cards add 2.2%) or online, quoting the driveway’s address as the reference number. The permit form is filed online and lapses if the driveway is not built within 6 months; the county’s construction inspector must be told at least 24 hours before work starts. The county’s standards are:
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →- A dip drive is allowed only where the ditch is under 15 inches deep; otherwise install a concrete or corrugated metal culvert at least 24 inches across, covered by at least 8 inches of material
- Drives wider than 30 feet need county approval first, and sloped 6:1 concrete safety ends have been mandatory since January 2018
- Use caliche, asphalt or concrete unless the drive joins a dirt road
- Where a drainage study exists, a registered surveyor certifies the culvert’s flow line
Unpermitted drives and culverts can be removed.
Septic systems: the Amarillo Area Public Health District holds septic permitting authority for Randall County under a county order, and its service area also takes in Canyon, Palisades, Lake Tanglewood and Timbercreek Canyon. A home system costs $800 and a commercial one $900 under the District’s September 2025 fees. Owners of an unplatted lot can ask the county for an OSSF plat, which gives the District the documentation it needs to review the application.
How to start a project in rural Randall County
Inside Amarillo or Canyon, apply to the City. In Amarillo’s ETJ, plats go to the City of Amarillo rather than Commissioners Court.
Land outside the mapped 100-year floodplain needs a Class A Development Permit; land partly or wholly in it needs Class B.
The surveyor certifies that the design meets the county’s Flood Damage Prevention Order; Road & Bridge reviews the plans with you.
Applications are available from the office at 301 W. Highway 60; no construction may begin until the permit is issued.
Pay the $200 fee and build the drive within 6 months.
Apply to the Health District for the septic permit, and note that the county will not issue a street number for a new building on land that needed a plat and has none.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Floodplain and platting rules
Flood Damage Prevention Order: adopted by Commissioners Court in 2010 for unincorporated land, it names the County Road Superintendent as Floodplain Administrator. An application includes two scaled plan sets showing the site, structures and flood hazard areas, the planned lowest-floor elevation, and any change to a watercourse. New and substantially improved homes must have the lowest floor at or above the base flood elevation, certified by an engineer, architect or land surveyor. In shallow-flooding AO zones a home’s lowest floor must sit above the highest adjacent grade by at least the depth shown on the flood map, or 2 feet if none is given. Commercial buildings may instead be floodproofed under an engineer’s or architect’s certificate. A violation is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500 each.
Plats outside the Amarillo ETJ: the county’s 2023 Subdivision Regulations govern, and a pre-application meeting with the Road Superintendent and County engineer is encouraged. The original goes on 4 mil Mylar at 18 by 24 inches and 100 feet to the inch, with a duplicate on 8.5 by 14 inch Mylar, a drainage report, the original tax certificate, a groundwater certificate, and sign-offs from the Health District (806-378-9472) and the 9-1-1 district (806-374-9800). Plats with streets add construction plans and a bond. Everything must reach the Road Superintendent by 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before the Commissioners Court meeting, and the 30-day approval clock runs from the official submittal date.
Rather not deal with the Randall County building department?
Get a free quote →Plats in the Amarillo ETJ: under agreements with the county, the City of Amarillo alone approves plats and street and drainage plans there, to City standards. Streets that miss those standards may not be accepted for county maintenance, even if the City approved them.
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 →Randall County official resources
- Randall County Floodplain Management
- Randall County Flood Damage Prevention Order (2010)
- Randall County access culvert and driveway permits
- Randall County culvert and driveway policy
- Randall County Access Management Standards
- 2023 Randall County Subdivision Regulations
- Randall County plat approval requirements
- Platting in the Amarillo extraterritorial jurisdiction
- Amarillo Area Public Health District septic permits
- Village of Palisades required permits and fees
- City of Amarillo Building Safety
Randall County permit FAQ
Does Randall County require a building permit?
No. It requires a development permit for development outside city limits (Class A, or Class B in the floodplain), but no building permit or building inspection.
Can I start building before the floodplain permit is issued?
No. Construction on floodplain land may not begin until Road & Bridge issues the Floodplain Development Permit.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →How much is a driveway permit in Randall County?
$200, plus 2.2% if you pay by card at the office or a processing fee online.
Do I need a plat to build on my land?
Land divided into parts of 10 acres or less, or with public improvements, must be platted, and the county will not issue an address for a new building on an unplatted lot that needed a plat.
Who handles septic permits?
The Amarillo Area Public Health District; a residential system is $800.
Does Palisades issue its own permits?
Yes. The Village charges flat filing fees, such as $100 for a permanent structure over 64 sq ft, and its contracted inspector charges at least $125 per inspection.
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More Texas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Randall County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.