Travis County
Travis County Transportation & Natural Resources (TNR), Development Services, Permitting Center
In short
Travis County Transportation & Natural Resources (TNR), Development Services, Permitting Center issues 5 permits we publish for Travis County, last verified 2026-09-28. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development Permit (floodplain / stormwater)only if it applies to you | Travis County Transportation & Natural Resources (TNR), Development Services, Permitting Center | Fees are set per project, based on project type, size and scope, and provided directly by TNR Development Services upon application. A temporary fee waiver currently applies to Development and Septic permits for property affected by the July 2025 flood event, a time-limited local relief measure rather than a standing rule. Contact TNR Development Services, (512) 854-4215, for the current fee for a specific project. | one-time per project | 2026-09-28 |
| On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF/Septic) Permitonly if it applies to you | Travis County Transportation & Natural Resources (TNR), Development Services, Permitting Center | Fees are set per project by TNR Development Services and provided directly upon application; the same temporary fee waiver for property affected by the July 2025 flood event applies to Septic permits as to Development permits. Contact TNR Development Services, (512) 854-4215, for the current fee. | one-time per installation or change of use | 2026-09-28 |
| Driveway, Fence, Site-Development, Demolition/Clearing and Subdivision Permitsonly if it applies to you | Travis County Transportation & Natural Resources (TNR), Development Services, Permitting Center | Fees for each permit type — driveway, fence/retaining-wall, commercial site-development, demolition/clearing, and subdivision applications — are set per project by TNR Development Services and provided directly upon application. Contact TNR Development Services, (512) 854-4215, for the current fee for a specific project. | one-time per permit/project | 2026-09-28 |
| Junkyard, Automotive Wrecking & Salvage Yard License (Ch. 249)only if it applies to you | Travis County Transportation & Natural Resources (TNR), Development Services, Permitting Center | $25 flat, filed with the initial application and again with each renewal application | per Travis County Code Chapter 249; the fee applies at initial application and again at each renewal application, and the ordinance's fee provision does not itemize a fixed number of years between renewals | 2026-09-28 |
| General Contractor License / Registration — Travis County Positiononly if it applies to you | Travis County Transportation & Natural Resources (TNR), Development Services, Permitting Center | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-28 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Development Permit (floodplain / stormwater)
New construction, a substantial improvement, or land-disturbing development within the county's floodplain or subject to stormwater requirements in unincorporated Travis County needs a Development Permit from TNR Development Services. TNR's own fee table is not published in machine-readable form; the office states fees are project-specific and provided on application rather than posted as a flat schedule. Commissioners Court has an active, time-limited fee waiver for Development and Septic permits tied to property affected by the July 2025 flood event — confirm whether that waiver still applies to a given project before budgeting a fee.
On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF/Septic) Permit
A business on a septic system in unincorporated Travis County — installing a new on-site sewage facility, or changing the use of a building already served by one — needs an OSSF permit from TNR Development Services, which administers this program under state delegation from TCEQ. As with the Development Permit above, TNR provides its OSSF fee per project rather than on a published flat schedule, and the same temporary flood-event fee waiver applies where a property qualifies. A business inside Austin or another incorporated city on a public sewer connection has no county OSSF trigger.
Driveway, Fence, Site-Development, Demolition/Clearing and Subdivision Permits
TNR Development Services' Permitting Center also issues a cluster of narrower site-related permits for unincorporated Travis County projects: a driveway permit for a new or altered commercial driveway connection, a fence or retaining-wall permit, a commercial site-development permit, a demolition/clearing permit, and subdivision-platting applications where the county's extraterritorial-jurisdiction overlap functions apply. None of these carries a published flat fee; TNR prices each per project and provides the figure on application, the same confirmed mechanism as the Development and OSSF permits above. A contractor or business planning unincorporated-county sitework should contact TNR before budgeting for any of these categories.
Junkyard, Automotive Wrecking & Salvage Yard License (Ch. 249)
This license does NOT apply to an ordinary auto-repair or auto-body shop — only if a business also operates as a junkyard, automotive wrecking yard, or salvage yard, meaning it dismantles or stores wrecked or junk vehicles for parts or scrap, in unincorporated Travis County. The fee is a flat $25.00, filed with the initial application and again with each renewal application, with proceeds deposited to the county general fund. Chapter 249's own text designates only 'the Director' as the licensing authority without naming a specific county department; TNR Development Services is listed here as the agency of record because it is the county's general public-facing contact for unincorporated-area commercial licensing questions, and an applicant should confirm the correct administering office directly with Travis County before applying. Most auto-repair businesses will NOT need this license.
General Contractor License / Registration — Travis County Position
No fee applies at the county level. The Travis County Code index page lists no contractor licensing or registration chapter; specific trades such as electrical, plumbing and HVAC carry a state trade license through TDLR or another state board instead. A contractor doing work in unincorporated Travis County still needs the project-level Building Permit and TNR Development Services permits recorded as separate entries, applied to the project rather than to the contractor or business itself. A city where the contractor works, such as Austin, may separately require its own registration, out of scope here.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Travis County
- Phone
- (512) 854-4215
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Apply for a Permit (index of Development, OSSF/septic, driveway, fence, site-plan, demolition/clearing and subdivision permit types; states fees are set per project)Travis County TNR · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Development Services (program overview)Travis County TNR · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Flood Information — floodplain maps, flood insurance, and the Chapter 464 development-permit process, plus the temporary fee waiver for property affected by the July 2025 flood eventTravis County TNR · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Travis County Code Chapter 249, Junkyards, Automotive Wrecking, and Salvage YardsTravis County Commissioners Court · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Travis County Code Chapter 464, Regulations for Floodplain Management and Guidelines and Procedures for Development Permits (amended through October 21, 2025)Travis County Commissioners Court · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Travis County Code index — by Title, Subtitle, and Chapter (Title 2 Ordinances & Regulations: Subtitles 11 Fire & Emergency, 13 Health & Safety, 15 Environment and 19 Land Development)Travis County Commissioners Court · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
Other offices serving Travis County
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Texas jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.