Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Carrizo Springs, Texas

Carrizo Springs’s own rules

• Owner-builder exemptionConditional

  Electrical work personally performed on additions or alterations of an existing legal homestead in Carrizo Springs city limits.

  • The work must be on the person's legal homestead; plans and specifications must be submitted; and the electrical inspector must be satisfied of the person's ability to perform the work under the division.

  “Any person desiring to personally perform the construction, installation or alteration of any electrical work on the existing premises; that is, for additions or alterations of existing structures, which constitute his legal homestead, provided that such person shall submit the plans and specifications of such electrical work to the city electrical inspector and shall satisfy the inspector of his ability to perform such electrical work in accordance with the rules and requirements of this division.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Property, buildings, and structures inside Carrizo Springs city limits.

  • The ordinance adopts the International Building Code, 2024 edition, including appendix chapters, subject to revisions in Sec. 8-26.

  building-code edition: 2024 (International Building Code, including appendix chapters)

  “A certain document, three copies of which are on file in the office of the city clerk, being marked and designated as the International Building Code, 2024 edition, including appendix chapters (see International Building Code section 101.2.1, 2024 edition), as published by the International Code Council, be and is hereby adopted as the building code”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Carrizo Springs city limits subject to the city's land development code.

  • The land development code is adopted as amended.

  “The city's land development code (as amended) is hereby adopted by reference.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Residential, commercial, construction, and planning-and-zoning purposes inside Carrizo Springs city limits.

  • The permits and fee schedule are established by city council; the reviewed official code text did not state fee amounts.

  “The permits and fee schedule, as established by the council, shall be charged and collected by the city from all customers for residential, commercial, construction and planning and zoning purposes.”

Rules another office applies inside Carrizo Springs

Carrizo Springs does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Off-grid on-site sewage facilities inside Carrizo Springs city limits.

  • An OSSF requires a permit and approved plan unless an identified TCEQ exemption applies.
  • Local permitting programs can be more stringent than state minimums.
  • The local permitting authority for Carrizo Springs was not verified.

  “Permits are required for on-site sewage facilities (OSSFs) including septic systems and holding tanks.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Carrizo Springs or Dimmit County directly.

• Building permit — General building construction inside Carrizo Springs city limits.
• Inspections — General building construction inside Carrizo Springs city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Building occupancy inside Carrizo Springs city limits.
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts inside Carrizo Springs city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Carrizo Springs city limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Carrizo Springs means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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