Unincorporated counties are permit-light
Hunt, Rains, Van Zandt, Wood, and unincorporated Henderson are mostly hands-off on residential land clearing and excavation on your own property. Standard rules apply — 811 utility marking before digging, septic permits if you're disturbing a system — but you don't need a clearing permit to take cedar off your own pasture.
Smith and Rockwall counties have more enforcement, particularly close to city limits and inside ETJs.
Cities enforce stormwater and tree ordinances
City of Tyler has full stormwater and erosion control enforcement on any disturbed site above 1 acre. SWPPP compliance, BMP installation, inspection cycles — it's the most regulated jurisdiction we work. Lindale and Whitehouse follow similar standards.
Cities of Rockwall and Heath have tree ordinances on residential lots. You can't clear-cut a backyard inside Rockwall city limits without notification. Royse City and Forney are looser. We check the address before bidding.
Lakefront has its own layer
Cedar Creek Lake (Henderson County) enforces shoreline setbacks for any excavation within 100 feet of normal pool. The Tarrant Regional Water District is the authority. Lake Fork (Rains and Wood) coordinates through the Sabine River Authority for shoreline work within 50 feet.
Lake Tawakoni similar. These aren't general construction permits — they're shoreline-specific reviews. We coordinate them when shoreline work is part of the scope.
Demolition and asbestos
Commercial demolition over a certain square footage triggers TDLR (Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation) asbestos survey requirements. Residential is generally exempt unless the structure was built before a certain year and likely contains asbestos materials. We coordinate the survey when it applies.
Bottom Line
We track the permit landscape because we have to — a project that needs a permit and doesn't have one is a stop-work order waiting to happen. Tell us where the job is and we'll flag what applies before we bid.