Finding basic rules for building house in the county in Texas
Where can we find basic information & rules on building a house in the county in Texas? We have already contacted local city & county officials & are finding out bits & pieces of information on building a house in the county. First, they said there are no rules & then there was something said of a setback & then well restrictions, etc. We gathered that over several phone calls with different people of different city & county departments. Shouldn't there be one place to find this information? We feel that there is probably one place, whether in a book or online, where we should be able to find all construction regulations, building requirements, etc. for building a house(s) in the county. Does anyone know where to find this regardless of what Texas county it is?
There is not one place to get the answers for building out in the county. Are you dong septic? You'll need a permit with the county health department, but the installer can handle that. Talk to water company. A Co-op? Electric. Oncor? Or Co-op? What kind of road? TX-DOT can tell you about driveway entrance, culvert, and setback.
Getting a soil test? If it's your first build, I recommend engineer stamped foundation and framing plans, licensed mechanical, electrical, and plumbing. There's no city to require inspections along the way, so your own third party inspector is good idea.
If you don't want to mess with all this personally, get a GC with strong references.
Your reply confirms what I was beginning to suspect. I guess it will be tough to build the first few houses, but after that, it will get easier to determine what needs to happen & which rules to follow. We are just trying to find answers right now so I'm not sure what we will need. This really helps though. Thank you for the great information, @Jon Klaus!
@Jon Klaus is on point! If you don't have building experience you will def want to get a GC as he states. Stick to him like glue and learn all you can. Alsk lots of questions! Make a list of everything he says and how all the processes work.
Different counties may have a few things that are specific but 9/10 most only require septic inspections. Water and power do their own thing. County Road set backs are a call to the county or TX Dot office for that area to confirm how far an inhabited dwelling must be.
One thing I suggest is to def used licensed subs for the areas mentioned above and document well your building processes with pictures etc... Can help you in long run re resale and any possible liability issues that might could pop up!
Good luck to you!
Good thinking, @Rob Harris! I will watch, learn & document. Thanks for tips!