Bolthole Index

Reagan County, Texas

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Big Lake, Texas

Big Lake, Texas (Reagan County) has adopted the 2009 International Building Code and International Residential Code for construction inside city limits1. The city requires a mobile-home permit application and a building-officer inspection before a mobile home is placed2. Living in an RV at a permanent residence inside Big Lake is prohibited3. We could not confirm who issues septic permits inside the city or its zoning districts; ask the city office and the TCEQ OSSF program.

At a glance

Building codes
2009 International Building Code and International Residential Code adopted inside city limits1
Mobile homes
Permit application and building-officer inspection before placement24
RV living
Prohibited at a permanent residence inside city limits3
Subdivision lots
City council plat approval; lots at least 50 feet wide and 5,000 square feet56
Septic
A permit is required in Texas; the authority inside city limits is unconfirmed7
Unincorporated Reagan County
No county zoning; no county building permit89

Who to call

Septic permits

TCEQ On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) Program

Statewide OSSF (septic) rules; TCEQ's regional office is the permitting authority wherever no local program is authorized

ossf@tceq.texas.gov

Also useful

Reagan County Clerk

County driveway/access permit applications for county roads outside city limits

(325) 884-2442

300 North Plaza Avenue, Big Lake, TX 76932

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in Big Lake, Texas?

Big Lake has adopted the 2009 editions of the International Building Code and the International Residential Code, and city officials enforce them inside city limits1. Placing a mobile home is the clearest permit step we confirmed: the owner completes an application from the city office, it is routed to the building officer, and the placement is inspected and approved before final placement24. The city's definition of mobile home also covers double-wides, manufactured homes and modular homes10.

We could not confirm a city rule for certificates of occupancy or owner-builder exemptions, so ask the Big Lake city office before you pour a foundation.

Does Big Lake have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and tiny homes?

Big Lake bars RVs used for habitation at a permanent residence inside city limits; RV parks and mobile-home parks have separate requirements3. We could not confirm Big Lake's zoning districts, setbacks, minimum home size or tiny-home rules, so ask the city office for the zoning map and district rules before you buy a lot.

For lots created through the city's subdivision process, the council requires plat approval and a minimum lot width of 50 feet and lot area of 5,000 square feet, not counting alleys56. Every lot must have alley access, and alleys are at least 20 feet wide11.

How do septic permits work inside Big Lake?

Texas requires a permit to construct, install, alter, extend, repair or operate an on-site sewage facility, subject to stated exemptions and local-authority requirements7. We could not confirm which agency issues septic permits for addresses inside Big Lake city limits. Reagan County appears to fall under the TCEQ regional office as permitting authority, so start with the12 program and the city office13.

An owner may install a system for a single-family home they own only if the permitting authority allows it14. Soils matter too: about 46% of Reagan County soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so a site evaluation is still wise15.

Building a home in Big Lake: the steps, in order

  1. Ask the Big Lake city office for the zoning district of your lot and whether it is inside city limits.
  2. Confirm the building permit and inspection steps under the adopted 2009 codes1.
  3. For a mobile or manufactured home, file the mobile-home permit application and schedule the building-officer inspection4.
  4. Contact the12 program about the septic permit.
  5. If the lot is being divided, get city council plat approval first5.

What stays with Reagan County, and what to check before you buy

Outside Big Lake, in unincorporated Reagan County, no county zoning ordinance applies8, and the county does not appear to require a residential building permit9. See the Reagan County page for land outside the city.

Driveways onto a county road need a Reagan County access permit16, applied for through the17. A driveway onto a state highway needs a state permit18.

Reagan County's effective property tax rate is 1.1%19, and the typical home insurance premium is about $2,511 a year20.

Watch-outs

  • Big Lake enforces the 2009 building codes1, but we could not confirm zoning districts, setbacks or tiny-home rules; ask the city office before you buy.
  • The RV rule covers an RV placed at a permanent residence inside city limits, not RV parks3.
  • The county's no-zoning answer applies only to unincorporated Reagan County, not inside Big Lake8.

Sources

  1. City of Big Lake, TX Code of Ordinances, § 3.02.051 Adoption (Big Lake), quoted and re-checked
  2. City of Big Lake, TX Code of Ordinances, Article 3.04 Mobile Homes and Recreational Vehicles (Big Lake), quoted and re-checked
  3. City of Big Lake, TX Code of Ordinances, Article 3.04 Mobile Homes and Recreational Vehicles (Big Lake), quoted and re-checked
  4. City of Big Lake, TX Code of Ordinances, Article 3.04 Mobile Homes and Recreational Vehicles (Big Lake), quoted and re-checked
  5. City of Big Lake, TX Code of Ordinances, Division 2 Procedure for Subdivision Approval (Big Lake), quoted and re-checked
  6. City of Big Lake, TX Code of Ordinances, Division 2 Procedure for Subdivision Approval (Big Lake), quoted and re-checked
  7. Getting a Permit for an OSSF - Such as a Septic System, quoted and re-checked
  8. Texas law on county zoning and building authority
  9. Reagan County, TX - Official Website (2026 county census)
  10. City of Big Lake, TX Code of Ordinances, Article 3.04 Mobile Homes and Recreational Vehicles (Big Lake), quoted and re-checked
  11. City of Big Lake, TX Code of Ordinances, Division 2 Procedure for Subdivision Approval (Big Lake), quoted and re-checked
  12. TCEQ On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) Program (tceq.texas.gov)
  13. TCEQ - Getting a Permit for an OSSF (2026 county census)
  14. Getting a Permit for an OSSF - Such as a Septic System, quoted and re-checked
  15. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  16. Reagan County Driveway/Access Permit Application and Guidelines, quoted and re-checked
  17. Reagan County Clerk (co.reagan.tx.us)
  18. Access Management Manual: Section 4, Driveway Permits, Design, and Materials, quoted and re-checked
  19. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  20. Typical home insurance premium: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Big Lake

Big Lake’s own rules

  • Building permitLimited

    Placement or replacement of a mobile home inside Big Lake city limits.

    • A mobile-home permit application must be completed and routed to the building officer before final placement; noncompliance results in rejection and withholding of utilities.
    • parameters unavailable for ordinary site-built construction.
    “This application, available at the city office, shall be completed in its entirely by each mobile home owner, and shall be routed to the building officer. The building officer shall inspect and approve the placement of each mobile home prior to final placement of any mobile home on a mobile home space.”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    Construction regulated inside Big Lake city limits.

    • City officials with corresponding duties enforce the adopted codes.

    adopted building codes: 2009 International Building Code and International Residential Code

    “The 2009 editions of the International Building Code and the International Residential Code are hereby adopted by reference as if copied fully herein.”
  • InspectionsLimited

    Placement of each mobile home on a mobile-home space inside Big Lake city limits.

    • The building officer must inspect and approve placement before final placement.
    “This application, available at the city office, shall be completed in its entirely by each mobile home owner, and shall be routed to the building officer. The building officer shall inspect and approve the placement of each mobile home prior to final placement of any mobile home on a mobile home space.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Residential lots in subdivisions submitted for city approval inside Big Lake city limits.

    • The standard is part of the city council's subdivision-plat approval requirements and excludes alleys.

    minimum lot width: >= 50 feet · minimum lot area: >= 5000 square feet (exclusive of alleys)

    “less than 50 feet in width [...] less than 5,000 square feet”
  • Living in an RVProhibited

    An RV placed at a permanent residence inside Big Lake city limits for habitation.

    • This prohibition concerns placement at a permanent residence; RV parks and mobile-home parks have separate requirements.
    “shall not be permitted [...] for purposes of habitation”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured homes, included in the city's definition of mobile home, inside Big Lake city limits.

    • A mobile-home permit application is required; placement requires building-officer inspection and approval before final placement.
    “A portable structure used as a permanent or semi-permanent habitation or place of work, built on a permanent chassis, with or without a permanent foundation, and including, in the context of this article, those structures commonly referred to as mobile homes, double wide mobile homes, manufactured homes, module/modular homes, and trailer houses, and shall include all appurtenances thereto, including but not limited to the plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical system, steps or porches, and add-ons.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision or resubdivision of land within Big Lake city corporate limits.

    • City council approval is required before subdivision, resubdivision, or filing or recording a subdivision map or plat.
    “From and after passage of this article, it shall be unlawful for any person or person, firm, corporation, or association to subdivide or resubdivide any tract or tracts of land within the corporate limits of the city or to file or record any map or plat of said subdivision or resubdivision, without first and previously thereto having obtained approval of the city council.”
  • Driveway accessLimited

    Lots in new or approved subdivisions inside Big Lake city limits.

    • Every lot must have access by an alley; this evidence does not establish a general driveway-permit rule outside subdivision approval.

    minimum alley width: >= 20 feet (15-foot cut-off at acute corners where necessary for utility-line extension and garbage collection)

    “every lot shall have access by said alley;”
  • Permit processPartial

    Mobile-home placement inside Big Lake city limits.

    • The application is available at the city office, must be completed by the owner, routed to the building officer, and approved after inspection before final placement.
    “This application, available at the city office, shall be completed in its entirely by each mobile home owner, and shall be routed to the building officer. The building officer shall inspect and approve the placement of each mobile home prior to final placement of any mobile home on a mobile home space.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Big Lake or Reagan County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Land inside Big Lake city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Land inside Big Lake city limits.
  • Zoning districts — Zoning districts inside Big Lake city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Big Lake city limits.
  • Setbacks — Structures inside Big Lake city limits.
14 more unanswered
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Big Lake publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Reagan County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Reagan County: county rules, score and offices