Environmental Health
The Comal County Environmental Health Department reviews all designs by Registered Sanitarians and Professional Engineers for on-site sewage facility (OSSF) construction. The department is charged with the issuing of OSSF permits, as well as the enforcement of county and state laws and regulations relating to Environmental Health. The department also responds to complaints concerning health violations in illegal waste water discharge and other nuisances.
Before building, altering, extending or operating an OSSF, a person must have a permit and approved plans from the TCEQ or its authorized agent (Comal County). A qualified site evaluator must conduct a site and soil evaluation. The system must be planned by a person authorized by the permitting authority under current regulation.
Search Septic Permit Records
Submit OSSF Maintenance Documents Portal
OSSF Maintenance Providers can upload Maintenance Contract and Maintenance Report documents to our office through the two links below. On the next page you will fill out the form with your name, email and TCEQ License number to sign in to the portal.
Rules and Regulations
The Texas legislature passed a law, HB 1875, in 1987 to regulate on-site sewage facility (OSSF) systems statewide. The law allowed regional and local governments – such as counties, cities, river authorities and special districts – to implement and enforce on-site sewage regulations with approval and oversight by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
Although the state law has since been modified and expanded, its basic intent remains. The state sets minimum standards, and local authorities can adopt more stringent rules if the TCEQ approves them.
- Comal County Rules for On Site Sewage Facility
- Texas Health and Safety Code Section 366.051 - Permits
- Texas Water Code Section 7.173 - Violation Relating to Sewage Disposal
Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 285: On-Site Sewage Facilities
- Subchapter A - General Provisions (§285.1-8)
- Subchapter B - Local Administration of the OSSF Program (§285.10-11)
- Subchapter C - Commission Administration of the OSSF Program in Areas Where No Local Administration Exists (§285.20-21)
- Subchapter D - Planning, Construction and Installation Standards for OSSFs (§285.30-39)
- Subchapter E - Special Requirements for OSSFs Located in the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone (§285.40)
- Subchapter F - Licensing and Registration Requirements for Installers, Apprentices, Site Evaluators or Designated Representatives (§285.50-63)
- Subchapter G - OSSF Enforcement (§285.70)
- Subchapter H - Treatment and Disposal of Greywater (§285.80)
- Subchapter I - Appendices: Figures and Tables (§285.90-91)
Additional Regulations
- Title 30 -Texas Administrative Code
- The Texas Register from the Secretary of State
- Texas Statutes and Codes
- Texas Legislature Online
- Texas Groundwater Protection Committee Rules
- Texas Water Development Board Rules
- Railroad Commission of Texas Rules
- Texas Department of Health Bureau of Radiation Control Rules
- Texas Constitution from the Texas Legislature
- Texas Legislative Reference Library
- Attorney General of Texas
- Title 40 - Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Code of Federal Regulations from the National Archives and Records Administration
- Federal Register via the Government Printing Office
- Federal Register - EPA's Environmental Subset
- U.S. Code from Cornell Law School
- THOMAS - U.S. Congress on the Internet
- Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute
- USGS Guide to Federal Environmental Laws and Regulations