Montgomery CountySeptic Permit.com Test the authority

Montgomery County, Texas · on-site sewage facilities

One address. Several lines.

Montgomery County does not have one septic authority. It has two authorized agents, split by a 2,075‑foot ring around Lake Conroe — and the city limit, the utility service area, the floodway and the plat each add an office that the septic permit does not speak for.

None of those lines is visible from the road. This page lays them out as separate overlays, so you can work out how many are stacked over your property and which office owns which part of the answer.

Work through the layers Compare the two agents

This site records nothing, decides nothing and issues nothing. The current authority, professional, utility and floodplain sources control the actual answer.

Five jurisdiction overlays stacked above one parcel An exploded diagram. Five translucent, differently hatched plates float one above another, labelled OSSF authority, city limit and ETJ, utility and sewer, floodplain, and subdivision. A single vertical line drops through all five plates into a small parcel outline at the bottom marked "your address", showing that one property can sit under every plate at once. AOSSF authority BCity limit / ETJ CUtility / sewer DFloodplain ESubdivision YOUR ADDRESS
One parcel can sit under every plate at once. The septic permit is drawn on plate A only.

The split that catches people first

TCEQ record The current TCEQ authority record for Montgomery County lists the Montgomery County authorized agent for the entire county except the unincorporated area within 2,075 feet of Lake Conroe.

TCEQ record It lists the San Jacinto River Authority for all area within 2,075 feet of Lake Conroe, except within any city limits.

Unverified Which side of that ring a particular property falls on is a property fact. It has to be tested, not guessed — and inside a city limit the exception flips it back again.

The overlays

Switch on every line you cannot rule out.

Each overlay below is a separate boundary drawn by a separate office. Start with all five in question, then use the named instrument to move each one to applies here or ruled out. Whatever is left in question is what you still do not know about the property.

A

OSSF authority

In question

The line that decides which office issues, inspects and approves an on-site sewage facility — the septic permit itself.

Who drew this line

State law Texas designates local authorized agents to administer on-site sewage facilities. TCEQ record The current TCEQ record for Montgomery County returns three entries: the Montgomery County authorized agent, the San Jacinto River Authority authorized agent, and TCEQ Region 12 – Houston as the regional contact record. Local order Each agent then writes its own order, which can be stricter than the statewide minimum.

How to test it

What changes if it applies

The whole packet changes with the agent. The county agent publishes its own forms, fee schedule and order. SJRA runs its own customer portal, document package, permit fee, inspection tag and homeowner licence. A form downloaded from the wrong agent is not a head start.

What this overlay does not decide

Whether public sewer is available. Whether a development or floodplain permit is required. Whether the site is actually suitable for the system somebody has drawn. Being the permitting authority is not the same as being the only office involved.

What you found for overlay A
B

City limit / ETJ

In question

The municipal boundary, and the extraterritorial jurisdiction that reaches beyond it.

Who drew this line

Local The municipality. A city can run its own building, development, land-use and floodplain processes, and can serve utilities outside its limits.

How to test it

  • Local The county's permitting FAQ states that a city appearing in the Montgomery Central Appraisal District property search under Taxing Units generally indicates city jurisdiction, with an exception noted for The Woodlands Township. Read the county FAQ
  • Then confirm with the city itself. The county's own links page points to a City of Conroe ETJ and planning map for that part of the county.

Treat the appraisal record as a clue for county routing, not as an OSSF authority answer. Cross-check overlay A.

What changes if it applies

A separate municipal permit, development review or land-use approval may be required alongside the septic answer. Inside a city limit the SJRA Lake Conroe area is excepted — which is exactly why a lakefront address can still be a county-agent property.

What this overlay does not decide

A city permit is not an OSSF authorisation. “City jurisdiction” does not automatically mean the city issues the septic permit, and being inside a city does not automatically remove an on-site sewage obligation.

What you found for overlay B
C

Utility / sewer service

In question

The service-area boundary of a municipal utility, a municipal utility district, a water supply or sewer service corporation, or a private provider.

Who drew this line

Provider The provider or district. Service areas do not follow the county line, the city limit or the subdivision boundary, and a property described casually as “rural” can still have sewer available.

How to test it

  • Ask the named provider for the property, in writing. Local County permit materials require the property address to be printed on the water/sewer letter, so you will need that letter anyway.

What changes if it applies

The answer may not be a septic permit at all. It may be a sewer-availability determination, a connection application, a service letter, a tap or impact fee, a construction standard, or a municipal or district approval.

What this overlay does not decide

A utility service letter is not proof that an on-site system is permitted, approved or suitable. “There is no sewer out here” from an owner, a neighbour or a contractor is not a utility answer.

What you found for overlay C
D

Floodplain / floodway

In question

The mapped flood hazard area and, inside it, the floodway. This is the one overlay that can stop the project rather than add a step to it.

Who drew this line

Local Montgomery County Floodplain Administration publishes the county's floodplain regulations, maps and determinations.

How to test it

What changes if it applies

Local order The county's 2025 floodplain material states that installation of a new septic system, or repair or replacement of an existing septic system, in the floodway is strictly prohibited by the county OSSF regulations.

Outside the floodway, other floodplain conditions can still add elevation, survey, certificate or development steps before an on-site system is considered.

What this overlay does not decide

Flood maps and regulations change and carry effective dates. A determination made for a neighbour, for a previous owner, or under a superseded map is not a determination for this property today.

What you found for overlay D
E

Subdivision / development

In question

The plat, the recorded restrictions, and the county's development and subdivision review.

Who drew this line

Local The county's subdivision review and development-permit process, plus whatever a private plat or recorded restriction says. Private Deed restrictions are private obligations. The OSSF authority does not enforce them — and does not waive them either.

How to test it

What changes if it applies

  • Local Montgomery County states that a development permit is required for proposed development in unincorporated areas, defined broadly to include man-made changes such as construction, grading, dredging, clearing and filling, subject to published exemptions. A septic permit is not a development permit.
  • Local For developments using private sewage facilities the county requires planning materials: a map relative to surface water, watersheds, floodplains and existing or proposed water wells; an accurate plat showing lot size and use, roads and utility rights-of-way, and areas where groundwater is less than five feet below the surface after grading and fill; information confirming that representative-lot private sewage facilities comply with county and TCEQ standards; professional engineer or registered sanitarian planning materials; and an overall site plan, topographic map, 100-year floodplain map, soil survey, water-well locations, easements, types of systems, drainage and groundwater compatibility, and a comprehensive drainage plan.
  • Local The county states it will approve or deny subdivision planning materials in writing within 45 days of receipt.
  • Local Prospective purchasers, lessees or renters must be notified that the subdivision is subject to the private-sewage rules, that a Permit to Construct is required before an individual private sewage facility is built, that a Notice of Approval is required before operation, and that a subdivision-construction-authorisation application and any restrictions must be disclosed.

What this overlay does not decide

An individual-lot septic form is not a substitute for required development or subdivision authorisation. Approved planning materials are not an individual permit either — the lot still needs its own.

What you found for overlay E

Overlay A, in detail

Two authorized agents share this county.

Same county, same state rules underneath, two different offices with two different packets. Below is what the current authority record and each agent publish. Retrieved 8 September 2026 Contacts, hours, fees, orders, portals and forms change — open the source before you rely on any of it.

The office and the role are the durable part of these records. The named person, the direct line and the office hours are convenience information: staff move, numbers get reassigned, hours change, and none of that alters who the authorized agent is. Use the name to reach a human faster — not to decide who has authority.

Government authority

Montgomery County authorized agent

Area served: the entire county, except the unincorporated area within 2,075 feet of Lake Conroe, which the record identifies as SJRA jurisdiction.

Permit office
501 N Thompson St, Suite 100, Conroe, Texas 77301
Mailing address
501 N Thompson St, Suite 101, Conroe, Texas 77301-2500
Primary contact
Keith Miles
Fax
936-539-7961
Office hours
Monday–Friday, 8 AM–4 PM
Record status
Current, with the local order linked from the authority record
TCEQ account / order identifier
620145
Contact verified
8 September 2026, from the TCEQ authority record

What this agent publishes

  • Separate application branches for new septic, existing conventional septic and existing add-on septic.
  • Acknowledgements and affidavits covering no water or sewer, noncommercial use, electrical usage, joining properties, and public notice.
  • A current fee schedule published as its own link rather than embedded in the septic page.
  • A septic disclaimer and guidelines for permitting.
  • Complaint intake for raw sewage discharging onto the surface and for septic work performed without county permits, at HealthComplaints@mctx.org.
  • Open-record requests for septic structures directed to mc.maint@mctx.org.
  • Lists of registered sanitarians, professional engineers and state-certified installers. Date-sensitive These lists change; read them at the source rather than from a copy.

County OSSF page Current forms index

Government authority

San Jacinto River Authority

Area served: all area within 2,075 feet of Lake Conroe, except within any city limits.

Permit office
1561 Damsite Rd, Conroe, Texas 77304
Mailing address
1561 Dam Site Rd, Conroe, Texas 77304-4107
Primary contact
Shane Simpson
Fax
936-588-1114
Office hours
Monday–Friday, 8 AM–5 PM
Record status
Current, with the local order linked from the authority record
TCEQ account / order identifier
620146
Contact verified
8 September 2026, from the TCEQ authority record

The order behind it

Local order SJRA states that on-site sewage facilities within 2,075 feet of Lake Conroe are subject to its regulation and permitting under the Order Adopting Rules for On-Site Sewage Facilities Within 2,075 Feet of Lake Conroe, dated 10 December 2015.

SJRA permitting page SJRA maintenance page

TCEQ record A third entry, TCEQ Region 12 – Houston, also comes back in the county lookup. That is the regional contact record. It is not evidence that a Montgomery County property applies directly to TCEQ.

What SJRA publishes for a new or modified system

This is the one place in the county where a whole local sequence is published in public. It applies to SJRA jurisdiction. Do not carry it to a county-agent property.

Submitted through the SJRA customer portal

  1. OSSF permit application, through the portal.
  2. OSSF design approved by a professional engineer or registered sanitarian.
  3. Soil and site analysis stamped by a registered site evaluator.
  4. Initial two-year maintenance contract signed by installer and homeowner.
  5. Receipt for an Affidavit to the Public filed with the Montgomery County Clerk.
  6. SJRA OSSF permit fee of $300.

SJRA also publishes residential and commercial Affidavit to the Public forms, a joining-properties affidavit, the order, a data viewer, the customer portal and maintenance forms.

The sequence SJRA describes

  1. A designated representative reviews the submitted material.
  2. If approved, a construction permit is issued to the homeowner.
  3. The contractor begins construction after authorisation.
  4. The installer contacts SJRA for an inspection, with the installer on site.
  5. If acceptable for operation, the designated representative provides a tag indicating approval for operation.
  6. The inspection form returns to SJRA administration.
  7. A licence is issued to the homeowner.

SJRA states that processing may require up to 30 days, and that additional or changed construction items require operations-department approval.

Ongoing maintenance in SJRA jurisdiction

Local order SJRA states that, effective 1 June 2016, inspection and maintenance of aerobic treatment units must be performed by a TCEQ-licensed maintenance provider under a written owner contract, with a primary-residence homeowner exception only where the owner meets specified licensing or approved-training conditions. SJRA provides a homeowner contract and reporting record, submitted through the customer portal. Open the maintenance page

Neither shortcut works. Being in Montgomery County does not mean the county agent. Being on Lake Conroe does not mean SJRA — the city-limit exception flips it back. Test the property; do not reason from the mailing address.

Then: name the work

The overlays tell you who. The work tells you which packet.

All five branches are on this page permanently. Nothing here is hidden behind a control.

01

New system, or a new home

Confirm the OSSF authority, the public-sewer situation, the development-permit path, floodplain and floodway status, the site evaluation and the professional design before choosing a form or an installer.

Gather first

  • Address, appraisal-district property ID, and city, ETJ or unincorporated status
  • Water/sewer availability letter and intended use
  • Site plan, floodplain facts, and professional contact

Who owns the next answer

The authorized agent listed in the current authority record owns the OSSF permit path. County, city, utility and floodplain offices may own separate approvals.

Do not assume

A contractor's preferred packet is not proof that the current authority will accept it.

Check the authority record

02

Existing system

Montgomery County publishes separate existing-conventional and existing add-on application paths. Records, system type, use and current condition determine which one fits.

Gather first

  • Existing permit, approved plan, as-built and inspection records
  • Current use, bedrooms, structure, and proposed changes
  • Address, authority result, and utility or sewer information

Who owns the next answer

The current local authority and a qualified professional own the status and work determination.

Do not assume

“No record found” does not prove illegal, grandfathered, exempt or approved status.

Open the current county forms

03

Add-on, repair, or change

Local The county FAQ states that adding to or making changes to an existing septic system, including moving a septic spray head, requires a residential or commercial septic permit. The exact work and the authority still control.

Gather first

  • Exact change, photographs, existing system type, and current plan
  • Address, work use, structure, bedrooms, and utility context
  • Professional recommendation and prior authority correspondence

Who owns the next answer

The OSSF authority and the appropriate licensed professional decide whether the work is repair, alteration, extension, add-on or replacement.

Do not assume

Do not treat pumping, urgency or a small physical change as automatic permission to proceed. If the property is in the floodway, read overlay D first.

Read the local permit FAQ

04

Commercial, subdivision, or multi-unit

Project scale changes the route before individual lot permits. Subdivisions, manufactured-housing communities, multi-unit residential, business parks, RV parks, and rental or commercial uses can require planning materials and commercial handling first.

Gather first

  • Overall site plan, plat, topography, soil, floodplain, wells, easements, drainage
  • Intended use, lots, occupancy, flow, and system types
  • Professional engineer or registered sanitarian planning materials

Who owns the next answer

County subdivision and commercial review and the OSSF authority own different approvals. Utility, floodplain and city or ETJ review may also apply.

Do not assume

An individual-lot septic form is not a substitute for required development or subdivision authorisation.

Local County commercial material identifies rental homes, model homes, construction trailers, apartments, fourplexes, RV parks, food trucks, rented structures and business-use structures as examples that may need commercial-permit handling. It also states that septic and commercial packets in Commissioner Precinct 4 must include a precinct verification form or a culvert inspection receipt.

Open subdivision review

05

Records, or a complaint

The county publishes an open-record path for septic files and a complaint path for raw sewage or unpermitted septic work. A property in SJRA jurisdiction may need a different local route — confirm it with SJRA.

Gather first

  • Address, subdivision, appraisal property ID, owner, and authority clue
  • Permit, as-built, inspection, photographs, dates, and prior correspondence
  • For complaints: exact location, what was observed, and contact preference

Who owns the next answer

County Environmental Health, SJRA, TCEQ, the county clerk, or another authority may own the next record or complaint answer.

Do not assume

Preserve evidence and route the issue. Do not publish an accusation or infer fault from an incomplete record.

The county's complaint form asks for the complainant's identity and contact details, complaint type and description, owner or business name, subdivision, location, appraisal property ID or account number, photographs, and preferred contact method. A record request may fit better than a new application when what you actually need is a prior permit, file or inspection record.

Open the county complaint route

At the counter

What the county permit office says it will turn away.

Counter rules, not law. Local Published by Montgomery County permitting. Retrieved 8 September 2026 They change; read them at the source before you drive to Conroe.

  • Incomplete submittals are rejected.
  • All work on the lot must be listed.
  • The address cannot be changed after the permit is generated.
  • Fees are non-refundable.
  • The property address must be printed on the water/sewer letter.
  • The office does not print emailed paperwork and does not make copies.
  • Septic final inspections are required.

County permitting FAQ County OSSF page

Reading the marks

Which plate is a line drawn on?

A requirement is only as portable as the plate it was drawn on. The small marks used throughout this page say where a statement came from, because they are not interchangeable.

  • State law

    The statewide minimum. It applies everywhere in Texas, and it is the floor, not the ceiling.

  • TCEQ record

    What the state agency publishes or records — including which local agent is currently authorised. A record is not a decision about your property.

  • Local order

    A requirement of the Montgomery County agent, of SJRA, of the county floodplain administration, or of a city. It can be stricter than the state minimum, and it stops at a boundary.

  • Professional

    A determination a licensed site evaluator, engineer, sanitarian, installer or maintenance provider makes. Neither this page nor you can make it remotely.

  • Private

    A company's or provider's recommendation or service condition — including ours. A company cannot permit, inspect or approve a system for use.

  • Unverified

    A property fact nobody has tested yet. Treat it as unknown, not as favourable.

This site's whole subject is the local plate. That cuts both ways. Most of what you have read here is stricter than the statewide minimum — and all of it stops at a line: the county boundary, the 2,075‑foot lake ring, a city limit, a service area, a plat. Carrying a Montgomery County answer to a property in another county, or an SJRA answer to a county-agent property, is the most common way to be confidently wrong.

For the layer underneath — what Texas requires of every on-site sewage facility regardless of county — see TexasSepticPermit.com, or read Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 directly.

The instruments

Each line has something you can test it with.

Local forms, fees, orders, contacts, maps, portals and deadlines change. These are live handoffs to the authority, not timeless copies of it.

  1. 01TCEQ authority lookup (OARS)

    Answers which agent is currently authorised for this county? Current county, SJRA and regional records.

  2. 02Montgomery County OSSF page

    Answers what does the county agent require and publish? Contacts, forms, fees, orders, complaints and professional lists.

  3. 03County forms index

    Answers which current form is my branch? New, existing, add-on, affidavits, records, floodplain determination.

  4. 04SJRA Lake Conroe OSSF

    Answers am I inside the 2,075-foot area, and what does SJRA require? Data viewer, customer portal, documents, fee, inspection, licence.

  5. 05SJRA maintenance requirements

    Answers what does SJRA require after the system is running? Licensed maintenance provider, written contract, homeowner exception, reporting.

  6. 06County permitting FAQ

    Answers is this city or county, and does my change need a permit? Jurisdiction clues, development, septic changes, sewer letters, counter rules.

  7. 07County subdivision review

    Answers does the development need approval before the lots do? Planning materials, private sewage facilities, notices.

  8. 08County complaint route

    Answers where do I report raw sewage or unpermitted septic work? County Environmental Health complaint intake.

  9. 09County floodplain administration

    Answers is any part of this property in the floodplain or floodway? Current regulations, maps, determinations, floodway constraints.

  10. 10TCEQ licence lookup

    Answers is this person actually licensed for what they are about to do? Site evaluator, engineer, sanitarian, installer, maintenance provider.

  11. 11Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 366

    Answers what does the state require, before any county adds to it? The statutory floor under every local order.

Somewhere else may be the better door

If this is not your question.

Every destination below is labelled by what it is. Only a government authority can permit, inspect or approve an on-site sewage facility.

Government authority

Reference site

Private company

  • OnSiteSewage.com

    A private company. A company is not the permitting authority and cannot approve a system for use.