Septic rules in Ellis County
TCEQ designated Ellis County an authorized agent for septic systems by a letter of April 4, 2024, to the Ellis County Judge (Ellis County On Site Sewage Facility No. 620068). The Commissioners Court had adopted the Ellis County Order on February 6, 2024, and TCEQ found it "at least equivalent to the standards of the Commission." Under that order, any residential or commercial system that's built, altered, extended or repaired needs a permit, a fee and an inspection, "regardless of the size of the tract of land." A tract using septic must be at least one acre if a public or private water supply serves it, or two acres with a private water well, unless the Prairielands Groundwater Conservation District approves otherwise.
Permits come from the Ellis County Department of Development. Every system identified in 30 TAC 285.91(12) needs a maintenance contract with a TCEQ-registered maintenance provider holding a valid license, unless an exemption applies, such as a homeowner who holds that license. Testing and reporting happen every four months. Miss six consecutive months of reports and you lose the right to maintain the system yourself, and after a 10-day notice, fines run $150 to $500 a day.
The order sends $10 of each permit fee to TCEQ; for the county's own amount, ask the Department of Development, and check your tract size and water source against the one-acre and two-acre rule before you buy.
The county's rules, line by line
- Who permits septic systems
- Ellis County Department of Development issues the permits. TCEQ designated the county an authorized agent by letter of April 4, 2024 (Ellis County On Site Sewage Facility No. 620068).
- Governing code
- Ellis County Order regulating on-site sewage facilities, adopted by the Commissioners Court on February 6, 2024 and found at least equivalent to the standards of the Commission (certified copy filed 2024).
- Inspection at sale
- No rule found in the county's published code. The county's septic pages state no inspection rule for a sale or transfer.
- Permit steps
- A permit, fee and inspection are required for construction, alteration, extension or repair of a residential or commercial OSSF regardless of the size of the tract. A tract must be at least one acre if served by a public or private water supply, or at least two acres if served by a private water well (or as approved by the Prairielands Groundwater Conservation District, minimum one acre).
- Installers and evaluators
- Maintenance contracts must be with a TCEQ-registered maintenance provider with a valid license, unless an exemption applies (for example a homeowner who holds a maintenance provider license).
- Still to confirm with the county
- A maintenance contract is required for all OSSFs identified in 30 TAC 285.91(12); testing and reporting every four months; failure to submit reports for six consecutive months forfeits homeowner maintenance; fines of $150 to $500 a day for non-compliance after a 10-day notice. A $10 fee per permit goes to the TCEQ; the county permit amount is not stated.
Rules and fees change every year, so confirm a line with the Ellis County Department of Development before you rely on it. "No rule found" means the pages and code we have say nothing on that line, which isn't the same as the county telling you there's no rule. To compare counties, use the county rules lookup.
What septic work costs
These are statewide Texas estimates from our model, so they aren't Ellis County prices; where the county posts its own permit fees, they are on this page.
| Job | Estimated range | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Septic pumping | $300 to $600 | per visit |
| Septic inspection | $110 to $455 | per inspection |
| Drain field | $690 to $4,650 | per repair |
These are estimates, not quotes. How we estimate costs.