• Home
• About Public Works
• About the Director
• Department Directory
• Engineering &
  Construction
• GIS and 911 Addressing
  • GIS
  • Maps
  • 911 Addressing
• HB 3693 Report
• Major Capital Improvement
  Program
  • Introduction
  • Call For Projects
• Permits
  • Development Permits
  • Oversize / Overweight
• Preliminary Floodplain Maps
• Programming & Engineering
  Management
• Property Division
  • Property Division Overview
  • Tax Foreclosure Resales
• Storm Water Management
• Transportation & Planning
• Annual Infrastructure
  Forum
• Dallas Chapter American
  Society of Civil Engineers
  December 2009 Meeting

Dallas County Public Works

Obtaining a Development Permit

Dallas County Unincorporated Area - Development Permit

Application / Process and Subdivision Regulations

Developmental Activities (residential or non-residential construction/installation, grading/filling, on site sewerage facility/OSSF, sand & gravel operations, etc.) in the Unincorporated Areas are regulated by the following permits:

Development Permit

This permit is required by the County Floodplain Management Regulations per Court Order No. 2004-1356, dated August 3, 2004. All permit applications shall be initially submitted as a Level I. Public Works staff shall determine in writing if the Level I permit should be amended to a Level II or III. The three permit levels (types) are:

Level I is for an individual lot improvement or subdivision not located in the FEMA 100 Year Base Flood ($35 initial fee); FEMA 100 Year Base Flood Elevation (BFE) Determination, 9-1-1 Address Verification, Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD) Verification, aerial photo, and a County Public Works follow-up inspection are included.

Level II is for an individual lot improvement or subdivision of less than 5 acres total area located in the FEMA 100 Year Base Flood ($100 additional fee); Level I information is included and requires Elevation Certification by a State of Texas Registered Professional Land Surveyor (R.P.L.S.) for elevation and a State of Texas Professional Engineer (P.E.) for floodproofing – dry or wet, and several Public Works follow-up inspections.

Level III is for an individual lot improvement or subdivision of 5 acres or more total area located in the FEMA 100 Year Base Flood ($250 additional fee); Level I information is included and requires Elevation Certification by a Texas R.P.L.S. for elevation and a Texas P.E. for floodproofing – dry or wet, and several Public Works inspections.

Permit Process [includes approximate time per step]:

1. Applicant contacts Public Works GIS staff at tele. no. 214-653-6444 requesting verification the property’s physical address is located in the County Unincorporated Area; if so, then proceed to Step No. 2; if not (i.e. physical address is located in a City) contact the respective City’s Floodplain Administrator; [1 – 3+ days].
2. Applicant contacts Public Works staff at tele. no. 214-653-7151 requesting a Development Permit packet which includes this informational letter, Development Permit Application Form, Floodplain Management, Subdivision, and Uniform Fire Code Regulations and Court Orders; [½ - 1+ week if appointment is needed].
3. Applicant receives the packet, reads it, and returns the completed Application to Public Works with all four (4) required items attached for review and approval; incomplete Applications shall not be accepted and returned unapproved; [1 - 4+ weeks if a current Boundary Survey by a Texas R.P.L.S. is not available].
4. Public Works receives completed Application Form, checks it for compliance, and processes it to “Revise and Resubmit” or “Approved” status; [1 - 2+ weeks (if property has been subdivided add 3 months)].
   

Top of Page

Please complete the Permit Application Form (all of Sheet 1 of 3 and the top half of Sheet 2 of 3) to the Signature of Applicant line. The Dallas County Floodplain Administrator’s Representative shall complete the remainder of this Application Form. Attach all four (4) of the following required items to your permit application for processing:

1. Plat – A current Boundary Survey Plat by a Texas R.P.L.S. of the property.
2. Metes and Bounds (narrative description of the property) – A copy of the property’s Deed.
3. DCAD Account No. – An original Tax Certificate by Dallas County Tax Assessor/Collector certifying all previous County taxes including last year’s have been paid in full (available at County Records Building).
4. Vicinity Map & Site Plan – A proposed layout of the building(s), structure(s), improvement(s) including the grading/filling area, on site sewerage facility/OSSF layout, driveway(s), sand & gravel operations, etc.

Oversize/Overweight Permit Requirements for Dallas County Roads

This is a separate permit that must be applied for individually. Please contact Anthony Smith with Public Works GIS at Vmail: 214-653-6444 or Email: ACSmith@dallascounty.org for this type of permit for a Dallas County Road.

On Site Sewerage Facility/OSSF and Permit Requirements

This is a separate permit that must be applied for individually. Please contact Anthony Jenkins, R.S., Assistant Director, Environmental Health Services/Inspections, Dallas County Health & Human Services, 2377 N. Stemmons Frwy., Suite 609, Dallas, Tx., 75207, at Vmail: 214-819-2115 or Email: TJenkins@dallascounty.org with questions re: on site sewerage facility (OSSF – i.e. septic & aerobic system permit) requirements, code/environmental, etc.

Environmental Permits

Dallas County Public Works advises you to contact Texas Commission On Environmental Quality (TCEQ), DFW Regional Office - Water, Waste, and Air Division, at 817-588-5800 for questions re: environmental permits, etc.

Subdivision Regulations

The owner of a tract of land in the County Unincorporated Area who divides this tract into two (2) or more parts to lay out a subdivision [i.e. an addition or any re-configuration of a lot(s) or tract(s) of land], lots, streets, alleys, squares, parks, etc., shall prepare Preliminary and Final Plats for said tract. These Plats shall meet County’s Subdivision Regulations per Court Order No. 2010-1361, dated August 17, 2010, and be submitted to Public Works for regulatory compliance with recommendation for approval thereafter by the Commissioners Court. Approval of the Preliminary and Final Plats are required prior to issuance of any Development Permit(s) or On Site Sewerage Facility/OSSF Permit(s), and shall be filed/recorded thereafter with Dallas County Deed/Plat Records.

Fire Marshal: Please note the County adopted the International Fire Code 2006 Edition in 2010. Below are the County weblinks for the Fire Marshal, and the respective Fire Code:

Fire Marshal Home Page
Dallas County Fire Code

The application file shall remain open for a period of one (1) year from the date received at Dallas County. The owner is required to complete and submit all documentation within that timeframe. No development activity is authorized until the respective permits are approved and issued.

Should you have questions, please contact me at Vmail: 214-653-6392 or Email: Hamid.Baha@dallascounty.org.

Sincerely,

Hamid Baha , P.E., Project Manager

Top of Page