A standard residential septic permit in Kerr County costs $250 all-in — $300 if your system requires a maintenance contract, which, in practice, means every aerobic unit. Repairs and alterations to an existing permitted system run $100. You’ll file with the county’s Environmental Health Department in Kerrville, and construction can’t be covered up until a county representative has inspected it.
The Kerr County Environmental Health Department is the county’s TCEQ Authorized Agent — every OSSF permit in the county goes through this office.
Kerr County Environmental Health Department (OSSF Division) 550 Earl Garrett St., Suite 100, Kerrville, TX 78028 Phone: (830) 896-9020 · Fax: (830) 792-4903 Email: envhealth@env.kerrcountytx.gov Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–noon and 1–5 p.m. (closed for lunch 12–1) Designated Representatives: Ashli S. Badders (Director) and Gumaro Ramirez
There’s no online application portal — applications are filed on the county’s PDF forms (linked below), by mail or in person. Records requests, including the schematic drawing of an existing system on your property, go through the same office; the county holds OSSF records dating back to the program’s start, including files inherited from the Upper Guadalupe River Authority era.
For a typical home (under 500 gallons per day of disposal), the permit application is $250 total — $240 county fee plus a $10 state-required TCEQ Water Resource Management fee — and aerobic or other maintenance-contract systems pay $300.
From the county’s current fee schedule (revised August 2025):
| Application type | Total fee |
|---|---|
| New or upgrade, under 500 GPD | $250 (incl. $10 state fee) |
| New or upgrade, under 500 GPD, requiring maintenance contract (e.g., aerobic) | $300 (incl. $10 state fee) |
| Repair or alteration, under 500 GPD | $100 |
| New or upgrade, over 500 GPD | $500 (incl. $10 state fee) |
| New or upgrade, over 500 GPD, w/ maintenance contract | $600 (incl. $10 state fee) |
| Repair or alteration, over 500 GPD | $200 |
| Affidavit recording & records archival | $25 |
| Additional inspection (each) | $50 |
| Document revision | $25 |
The $10 state fee is collected by the county and passed to TCEQ under Chapter 367 of the Texas Health and Safety Code — it applies statewide, not just here. County documents also reference a $240 expedite fee for fast-tracked applications; confirm current availability and terms with the office when you file. Note the $50 re-inspection line: if your installer isn’t ready when the inspector arrives, that’s the cost of the second trip.
Plan on five stages: site evaluation, system design, application, construction with a pre-cover inspection, and final authorization — with licensed professionals required at nearly every stage.
Worth knowing: state law requires utilities to report new electric hookups, and the county checks those reports monthly against its permit files. Unpermitted construction tends to get noticed.
Almost nothing in this process can legally be done by an unlicensed hand: evaluation requires a licensed Site Evaluator, installation requires a licensed Installer, and aerobic service requires a licensed Maintenance Provider. Installer I covers standard systems; aerobic and proprietary systems require Installer II. Verify any license in TCEQ’s records search (www2.tceq.texas.gov/lic_dpa/index.cfm) before signing, and cross-check the county’s published list of OSSF professionals working in Kerr. Homeowner self-installation questions come up often enough that the honest answer deserves its own line: talk to the EHD first — what’s allowed depends on your system type and the current county order, and aerobic maintenance in particular has license requirements attached.
Under the proposed county order drafted in June 2026, every new or upgraded septic system in Kerr County will need a permit — regardless of tract size. Today, Kerr follows the state’s 10-acre exemption: a single-family home on 10+ acres, with all sewage disposed on-site, at least 100 feet from property lines, can skip the permit (though not the state’s design standards). The proposed Section 9 ends that exemption for new construction and upgrades. It is not retroactive — existing systems that meet the original exemption criteria remain grandfathered as long as they continue to meet them. Neighboring Gillespie, Kendall, Bandera, and Real counties have already adopted stricter rules; Kerr’s draft is pending adoption as of late July 2026, so check with the EHD for current status before planning around the exemption.
All hosted by Kerr County — download current versions rather than relying on contractor copies:
Find them on the county EHD’s OSSF page at kerrcountytx.gov, or pick them up at the Earl Garrett office.
$250 total for most homes; $300 if the system requires a maintenance contract, as aerobic units do. Repairs to permitted systems are $100 — large systems over 500 GPD double the rate per tier.
Today, possibly not — but the exemption is narrow, and a proposed county order will require permits for all new systems once adopted. The current exemption only holds for one single-family dwelling with all effluent kept on-site and 100 feet off property lines. Build a second dwelling or a barndominium with plumbing, and it’s gone. Verify status with the EHD before you rely on it.
Yes, when the system has a maintenance contract or transferable registration — file the county’s transfer form so records and responsibility move with the deed. Also request the system schematic from the EHD during your option period; it shows tank size, location, and drain field layout, and tells your inspector where to dig. Budget for a pump-out and inspection as part of closing.
Contact the EHD before anything else — the office directs owners to licensed professionals. It handles bringing systems into compliance, and unresolved violations can carry fines under the Health and Safety Code. The county investigates dozens of complaints a year (83 in 2024), so waiting for it to come up on its own is not a strategy.
Back to the Kerr County septic hub for local providers and ground conditions.
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