Verified against county records · sources last read July 31, 2026 · rules change — confirm with the agent before applying
A septic permit in Burleson County costs $330 for residential and $540 for commercial, payable to Burleson County by check or money order only. There is no online portal: paper packets go to the courthouse in Caldwell, and the county rejects emailed submissions, screenshots, and phone photos. Two rules hit newcomers hardest: every septic system needs a permit, no matter how large the tract, and no homeowner may install their own system, ever.
The Burleson County Environmental Department is the authorized agent for on-site sewage facilities (OSSFs) across the entire county, with no city or river-authority carve-outs.
Burleson County Environmental Department Burleson County Courthouse, 100 W. Buck St., Suite 303, Caldwell, TX 77836 Phone: (979) 567-2360 · Fax: (979) 567-2371 Contact: Jody Tillery · jtillery@burlesoncounty.org Office hours: weekdays 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. TCEQ authorized agent number: 620346
One desk, one set of rules, unlike the multi-authority counties elsewhere in Texas. The catch: those rules run stricter than the state floor in three areas.
$330 for a residential system and $540 for a commercial one, paid by check or money order made out to Burleson County.
| Permit type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Residential OSSF permit | $330 |
| Commercial OSSF permit | $540 |
That is the entire published schedule: no gallon-based tiers, no aerobic surcharge, no separate state fee line. Against the metro counties an hour west it is a bargain, since the same residential permit runs $510 in Williamson County and $712 in Travis.
Budget the payment method too. The county takes no cards and offers no online payment, so a check is the only route, and getting that wrong costs you a trip to Caldwell.
Burleson adopted more stringent standards than Chapter 285, and all three change what you can build.
1. Permits are required regardless of acreage. Texas exempts some systems on large tracts from local permitting. Burleson’s order removes that exemption: a system on 200 acres needs the same permit as one on a half-acre lot.
2. Homeowners may not install their own system. The county’s language is flat: property owners “may not construct, install, extend or alter an on-site sewage facility of any type.” Every one of those acts requires a licensed installer. Several Texas counties let an owner build on their own homestead; this is not one of them.
3. Lot sizes are larger than the state minimum. For land subdivided on or after November 1, 2023, you need at least 1 acre per single-family dwelling with public water, or 2 acres on a private well, and each unit of a duplex or multi-family building counts as its own dwelling. Land subdivided earlier reverts to a half acre with public water, or one acre without. Lots platted before January 1, 1988 may still apply but must satisfy Chapter 285 and the county order, and any lot under a half-acre needs its system designed by a Registered Sanitarian or Professional Engineer, whatever the type.
Two things come before you can apply, a 911 address letter and a licensed installer, then a paper filing, a 30-day review, an Authorization to Construct, inspection, and a License to Operate.
Before you apply
Get your physical address verified. The Burleson County 911 Addressing office must issue or confirm a physical address, and its verification letter goes in your application packet. Addresses are assigned by driveway and structure, so every structure with its own septic system needs its own.
Hire a licensed installer. The installer can perform the site and soil evaluation, system selection, and design, or subcontract a Licensed Site Evaluator, Professional Engineer, or Registered Sanitarian. All of it must be finished before you file, because the design is part of the packet rather than an addition to it.
Filing the application
After you file
Review and Authorization to Construct. The county’s Designated Representative must approve or deny within 30 days of receipt, per 30 TAC §285.3(c). On approval, the Authorization to Construct is issued to the installer named on the Technical Information Sheet, not to you. It is required before construction begins and is valid for one year.
Construction and inspection. The installer named on that sheet does the work, then notifies the county when the system is ready for inspection.
License to Operate. If the system passes, the Designated Representative issues the license, and you may not put the system into service without it. If it has not arrived within seven days of the completed inspection, call the office. Keep it with your property records: it is your proof of a legal system when you sell.
A transfer of ownership requires its own OSSF application, along with floor plans, so the county can confirm the existing system is sized for the structure you’re connecting.
Adding a guest house or a shop with a bathroom works the same way. You may tie it into the existing system only if the original design accounted for it; otherwise it needs a new permit under 30 TAC §285.2(2).
Burleson County publishes every form below; download current versions rather than reusing a contractor’s copy.
$330 residential, $540 commercial, payable only by check or money order to Burleson County. There is no card or online option, and no gallon-based tiers or aerobic surcharge.
Yes. Burleson County requires a permit for every septic system regardless of acreage. The county order removes the large-tract exemption that applies in some parts of Texas.
No. The county bars owners from constructing, installing, extending, or altering any on-site sewage facility. A licensed installer must do the work, and the Authorization to Construct is issued in that installer’s name.
Up to 30 days from receipt, the deadline 30 TAC §285.3(c) sets for the Designated Representative to approve or deny. Your design and soil evaluation must already be complete when you file, so review is the main wait, and the clock starts only once the packet is complete.
The 911 address verification letter and the recorded affidavit. The address letter must be issued before you apply, and the affidavit must be recorded with the County Clerk, a filed copy rather than a signed one, when your system type calls for it.
Every fee, deadline, and rule here was read in a Burleson County or TCEQ document, each named below with the date we read it.
The county publishes its $330 and $540 fees without an effective date, and we have asked in writing when they were last set.
Ground conditions, licensed providers, and why this county wrote such a strict order: the Burleson County septic hub. Comparing counties? See what septic permits cost across Texas and what routine pumping costs.
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