Counties › Texas › Liberty County, TX
Texas law gives Liberty County no zoning power, so the county does not set land-use zones. Subdivision rules, septic and building permits, the flood ordinance and state installer licensing still apply. Each point below names its official source; confirm with the county before you buy or build. LandCheck has no parcel lines for Liberty County yet; the map shows flood zones, soil, wetlands and elevation.
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Chapter 231 of the Texas Local Government Code lists the places where a Texas county may zone, such as Padre Island and areas around certain lakes. It names no part of Liberty County. The county's Subdivision and Development Regulations (revised September 2021) cite chapter 232 of the Local Government Code and other state laws as their authority, and they contain no zoning.
Those regulations apply to land divided in unincorporated areas outside a city's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Where a tract lies wholly or partly in the ETJ of an incorporated city, the regulations say the city is the governing entity and the county has no review or approval authority. The county sources do not list the cities.
On new plats, the regulations allow no more than one single-family detached dwelling per lot, and this restriction must be noted on the final plat. They define a single-family residence to include manufactured homes. Confirm how these rules apply to a given tract with the county Permit & Inspection Department.
Liberty County runs its own septic (OSSF) permits. TCEQ approved the county's order regulating on-site sewage facilities on December 1, 2023, and the county's Building & Septic Permit Guide (updated August 2025) says all systems must be installed to TCEQ requirements (30 TAC Chapter 285). TCEQ's OSSF page offers information for local governments that want to become TCEQ authorized agents so they can run their own OSSF program.
Per the guide, an OSSF application must include a site evaluation by a licensed site evaluator or engineer, a system design drawing by a registered sanitarian or engineer, a signed two-year maintenance agreement, and an Affidavit to the Public recorded at the County Clerk's office. The guide lists a septic permit fee of $275.00.
Before a building permit is issued for a home, you must show an existing adequate system through the Liberty County Septic Verification Report from a Texas licensed installer or engineer, or buy a septic permit for a new one. In new subdivisions, lots with a septic system and their own water well must be at least one acre, and lots with a septic system and a central water system at least half an acre.
Liberty County's Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, approved by the Commissioners Court on October 13, 2020, requires the lowest finished floor of new or substantially improved homes in special flood hazard areas with base flood elevation data to sit two feet above the base flood elevation, certified by a registered engineer, architect or land surveyor to the county Floodplain Administrator.
The ordinance requires manufactured homes placed in the floodplain to be elevated and anchored against flotation, collapse and lateral movement; in the cases it lists, the lowest floor must be at least two feet above the base flood elevation.
The county permits page says buildings over 100 square feet in a floodplain or floodway need an Elevation Certificate, plus a No-Rise Certificate in a floodway. The building guide lists the floodplain permit fee as $125.00 plus $0.15 per square foot of living space.
Liberty County requires a building permit for any building of 100 square feet or more built on or moved onto a property, including homes and mobile homes, according to its Building & Septic Permit Guide. Outside the floodplain you provide septic proof, a legal description, square footage, the year and model of a mobile home, the number of bedrooms and an estimated value; the guide lists a $125.00 fee.
The county permits page says work started or finished without a required permit pays double the permit fees (approved in Commissioners Court on June 9, 2026), and asks you to contact the department before starting any project. It also links an online permit portal. Mobile home and RV parks have their own application and need Commissioners Court approval.
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs Manufactured Housing Division says anyone who installs or re-levels a manufactured home must be licensed and bonded with the Division. It defines installation as placing a manufactured home or component on its foundation.
In Liberty County's floodplain, the county flood ordinance adds that manufactured homes must be elevated and anchored, and says this is in addition to state and local anchoring rules for wind. Ask the county and the Division which rules apply to a specific home.
No county zoning does not mean no restrictions. Recorded deed restrictions and plat notes still apply. Liberty County's subdivision regulations say plat notes and deed restrictions can be enforced by private parties as state law allows, and that the county may enforce plat notes tied to its septic rules, rights of way, drainage or public health and safety.
The Liberty County Clerk is the custodian of deeds, land instruments and county plats, and its page links an online records search. Check the recorded deed, plat and any restrictions for a tract with the County Clerk before you buy.
Liberty County Permit & Inspection Department (permits, septic, Floodplain Administrator): Liberty office, 311 Travis Street, Liberty, TX 77575, (936) 336-4560; Cleveland office, 1616 County Road 3549, Cleveland, TX 77327, (832) 579-1135. Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Liberty County Clerk (deeds, plats, recorded restrictions): Liberty County Courthouse, 1923 Sam Houston, Room 209, Liberty, Texas 77575, (936) 336-4670; Courthouse Annex, 304 Campbell Street, Cleveland, Texas 77327, (281) 593-8413.
TDHCA Manufactured Housing Division: 877-313-3023. TCEQ On-Site Sewage Facility program (information and questions): 512-239-3799.
LandCheck took these facts from the county sources listed under each heading. General information, not legal advice: the county, the health department and a licensed installer have the final word, so confirm anything that matters with them before you buy. LandCheck is free with no account; terms, privacy and refunds.