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Texas solar, wind & storage permits by county
What a solar, wind or battery project in Texas actually needs, who issues each approval, and the contacts for all 254 counties. Texas has no statewide siting permit, so the approvals come from the grid operator, state environmental agencies, and local offices.
Do you need a permit for solar, wind or battery storage in Texas?
There is no state siting permit. Texas has no statewide permit for solar or wind generation, and counties generally have no zoning authority. What a utility-scale project does need:
- TCEQ stormwater coverage under Construction General Permit TXR150000 for any construction disturbing 1 acre or more, with a stormwater pollution prevention plan.
- County approvals: a road use agreement where the county asks for one (no statute requires it), any tax abatement agreement, and a floodplain development permit if the site is in a FEMA-mapped flood hazard area and the county takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program.
- A grid connection: an interconnection agreement with ERCOT and the transmission provider (SPP or MISO in the Panhandle and East Texas; El Paso Electric, in the Western grid, for El Paso).
- Federal reviews when triggered: Corps of Engineers Section 404 for wetlands or streams, FAA notice for wind turbines and met towers, an IPaC species list for any site, with Endangered Species Act consultation and Texas Historical Commission review when a federal permit, federal funding or public land is involved; Texas Parks and Wildlife's habitat review is advisory.
- Decommissioning terms in the lease: Utilities Code Chapter 302 (solar) and Chapter 303 (battery storage agreements on or after Sept. 1, 2025).
Each item is sourced in the tables below. For the full sequence with timelines: utility-scale solar and storage, stage by stage · does Texas require a permit for a solar farm?
Rooftop or on-site solar for a home or business is a different track: your city's permit process if you are inside city limits, and your utility's interconnection application. See Texas home and business solar rules and your utility's application links.
Find the contacts for your county
Building something big? Utility-scale solar and storage, stage by stage: the twelve approvals, who grants each, and the timeline each agency document states.
Statewide: who approves what in Texas
| Agency or rule | What it covers, and where to file |
|---|---|
| Public Utility Commission of Texas | Transmission line approvals (CCN), ERCOT oversight, and utility rules. Texas has no statewide siting permit for solar or wind generation.PUCT |
| ERCOT (most of Texas) | Generation and storage interconnection: file a request in RIOO and follow Planning Guide Section 5. Parts of the Panhandle and East Texas are in SPP or MISO, and El Paso is in WECC.Resource integrationPlanning Guide Section 5 |
| TCEQ stormwater | Construction that disturbs 1 acre or more needs coverage under the Construction General Permit TXR150000 and a stormwater pollution prevention plan. The current permit expires March 5, 2028.Construction General Permit |
| Texas Historical Commission | Historic and archeological review when a project has a federal permit, federal funding, or public land (Section 106 and the Antiquities Code of Texas). Submit through eTRAC.Project revieweTRACHistoric sites atlas |
| Texas Parks and Wildlife | Environmental Review Team comments on energy projects to limit harm to wildlife. Requests go to WHAB@tpwd.texas.gov; include map files (.kmz or shapefile) when you have them.Project review requestsPlanning tools |
| Railroad Commission of Texas | Map of oil and gas wells, pipelines, and original land surveys (abstracts). Check before siting panels or roads.RRC GIS Viewer |
| Texas General Land Office | State-owned lands and surface leases, and land survey maps.GLO maps and data |
| Decommissioning law | Leases must cover removal and financial assurance: Utilities Code Chapter 302 (solar) and Chapter 303 (battery storage, for agreements on or after Sept. 1, 2025).Chapter 302, solarChapter 303, storageOur plain-English guide |
Federal reviews that can apply
| Agency | Review, and when it applies |
|---|---|
| U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | Permits for filling wetlands or streams (Clean Water Act Section 404). Four Corps districts serve Texas: Fort Worth, Galveston, Tulsa, and Albuquerque. Use the Corps locator to find the office for your site.Regulatory office locator |
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Official list of endangered species and critical habitat that may occur at your site.IPaC species list |
| Federal Aviation Administration | Notice required for tall structures such as wind turbines and met towers near airports or above set heights.Obstruction evaluation (OE/AAA) |
| FEMA | Official flood maps; building in a mapped flood hazard area needs a local floodplain permit.Flood Map Service Center |
TCEQ regional offices and the counties they serve
From the TCEQ county list and region directory. Spill reporting, 24 hours: 800-832-8224.
| TCEQ region office | Counties served |
|---|---|
| Region 1, Amarillo 5809 S. Western St., Ste 260, Amarillo TX 79110-3631 Main line: 806-353-9251 | Armstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Collingsworth, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher, Wheeler |
| Region 2, Lubbock 5012 50th St, Ste 100, Lubbock TX 79414-3426 Main line: 806-796-7092 | Bailey, Cochran, Crosby, Dickens, Floyd, Garza, Hale, Hockley, King, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Motley, Terry, Yoakum |
| Region 3, Abilene 1977 Industrial Blvd, Abilene TX 79602-7833 Main line: 325-698-9674 | Archer, Baylor, Brown, Callahan, Clay, Coleman, Comanche, Cottle, Eastland, Fisher, Foard, Hardeman, Haskell, Jack, Jones, Kent, Knox, Mitchell, Montague, Nolan, Runnels, Scurry, Shackelford, Stephens, Stonewall, Taylor, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Young |
| Region 4, Dallas/Fort Worth 2309 Gravel Dr, Fort Worth TX 76118-6951 Main line: 817-588-5800 | Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Grayson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, Wise |
| Region 5, Tyler 2916 Teague Dr, Tyler TX 75701-3734 Main line: 903-535-5100 | Anderson, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Delta, Franklin, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hopkins, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Panola, Rains, Red River, Rusk, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, Wood |
| Region 6, El Paso 401 E. Franklin Ave, Ste 560, El Paso TX 79901-1212 Main line: 915-834-4949 | Brewster, Culberson, El Paso, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Presidio |
| Region 7, Midland 10 Desta Dr, Ste 350E, Midland TX 79705-4530 Main line: 432-570-1359 | Andrews, Borden, Crane, Dawson, Ector, Gaines, Glasscock, Howard, Loving, Martin, Midland, Pecos, Reeves, Terrell, Upton, Ward, Winkler |
| Region 8, San Angelo 622 S Oakes, Ste K, San Angelo TX 76903-7035 Main line: 325-655-9479 | Coke, Concho, Crockett, Irion, Kimble, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Reagan, Schleicher, Sterling, Sutton, Tom Green |
| Region 9, Waco 6801 Sanger Ave, Ste 2500, Waco TX 76710-7826 Main line: 254-751-0335 | Bell, Bosque, Brazos, Burleson, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Grimes, Hamilton, Hill, Lampasas, Leon, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, Milam, Mills, Robertson, San Saba, Washington |
| Region 10, Beaumont 3870 Eastex Fwy, Beaumont TX 77703-1830 Main line: 409-898-3838 | Angelina, Hardin, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler |
| Region 11, Austin 12100 Park 35 Circle, Bldg A, Rm 179, Austin TX 78753 Main line: 512-339-2929 | Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, Travis, Williamson |
| Region 12, Houston 5425 Polk St, Ste H, Houston TX 77023-1452 Main line: 713-767-3500 | Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller, Wharton |
| Region 13, San Antonio 14250 Judson Rd, San Antonio TX 78233-4480 Main line: 210-490-3096 | Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Edwards, Frio, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Medina, Real, Uvalde, Wilson |
| Region 14, Corpus Christi 500 North Shoreline Blvd, Ste 500, Corpus Christi TX 78401-0318 Main line: 361-881-6900 | Aransas, Bee, Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Gonzales, Jackson, Jim Wells, Kleberg, Lavaca, Live Oak, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria |
| Region 15, Harlingen 1804 W Jefferson Ave, Harlingen TX 78550-5247 Main line: 956-425-6010 | Brooks, Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Starr, Willacy |
| Region 16, Laredo 707 E Calton Rd, Ste 304, Laredo TX 78041-3887 Main line: 956-791-6611 | Dimmit, Duval, Kinney, La Salle, Maverick, McMullen, Val Verde, Webb, Zapata, Zavala |
All 254 Texas counties
Anderson CountyAndrews CountyAngelina CountyAransas CountyArcher CountyArmstrong CountyAtascosa CountyAustin CountyBailey CountyBandera CountyBastrop CountyBaylor CountyBee CountyBell CountyBexar CountyBlanco CountyBorden CountyBosque CountyBowie CountyBrazoria CountyBrazos CountyBrewster CountyBriscoe CountyBrooks CountyBrown CountyBurleson CountyBurnet CountyCaldwell CountyCalhoun CountyCallahan CountyCameron CountyCamp CountyCarson CountyCass CountyCastro CountyChambers CountyCherokee CountyChildress CountyClay CountyCochran CountyCoke CountyColeman CountyCollin CountyCollingsworth CountyColorado CountyComal CountyComanche CountyConcho CountyCooke CountyCoryell CountyCottle CountyCrane CountyCrockett CountyCrosby CountyCulberson CountyDallam CountyDallas CountyDawson CountyDeaf Smith CountyDelta CountyDenton CountyDeWitt CountyDickens CountyDimmit CountyDonley CountyDuval CountyEastland CountyEctor CountyEdwards CountyEl Paso CountyEllis CountyErath CountyFalls CountyFannin CountyFayette CountyFisher CountyFloyd CountyFoard CountyFort Bend CountyFranklin CountyFreestone CountyFrio CountyGaines CountyGalveston CountyGarza CountyGillespie CountyGlasscock CountyGoliad CountyGonzales CountyGray CountyGrayson CountyGregg CountyGrimes CountyGuadalupe CountyHale CountyHall CountyHamilton CountyHansford CountyHardeman CountyHardin CountyHarris CountyHarrison CountyHartley CountyHaskell CountyHays CountyHemphill CountyHenderson CountyHidalgo CountyHill CountyHockley CountyHood CountyHopkins CountyHouston CountyHoward CountyHudspeth CountyHunt CountyHutchinson CountyIrion CountyJack CountyJackson CountyJasper CountyJeff Davis CountyJefferson CountyJim Hogg CountyJim Wells CountyJohnson CountyJones CountyKarnes CountyKaufman CountyKendall CountyKenedy CountyKent CountyKerr CountyKimble CountyKing CountyKinney CountyKleberg CountyKnox CountyLa Salle CountyLamar CountyLamb CountyLampasas CountyLavaca CountyLee CountyLeon CountyLiberty CountyLimestone CountyLipscomb CountyLive Oak CountyLlano CountyLoving CountyLubbock CountyLynn CountyMadison CountyMarion CountyMartin CountyMason CountyMatagorda CountyMaverick CountyMcCulloch CountyMcLennan CountyMcMullen CountyMedina CountyMenard CountyMidland CountyMilam CountyMills CountyMitchell CountyMontague CountyMontgomery CountyMoore CountyMorris CountyMotley CountyNacogdoches CountyNavarro CountyNewton CountyNolan CountyNueces CountyOchiltree CountyOldham CountyOrange CountyPalo Pinto CountyPanola CountyParker CountyParmer CountyPecos CountyPolk CountyPotter CountyPresidio CountyRains CountyRandall CountyReagan CountyReal CountyRed River CountyReeves CountyRefugio CountyRoberts CountyRobertson CountyRockwall CountyRunnels CountyRusk CountySabine CountySan Augustine CountySan Jacinto CountySan Patricio CountySan Saba CountySchleicher CountyScurry CountyShackelford CountyShelby CountySherman CountySmith CountySomervell CountyStarr CountyStephens CountySterling CountyStonewall CountySutton CountySwisher CountyTarrant CountyTaylor CountyTerrell CountyTerry CountyThrockmorton CountyTitus CountyTom Green CountyTravis CountyTrinity CountyTyler CountyUpshur CountyUpton CountyUvalde CountyVal Verde CountyVan Zandt CountyVictoria CountyWalker CountyWaller CountyWard CountyWashington CountyWebb CountyWharton CountyWheeler CountyWichita CountyWilbarger CountyWillacy CountyWilliamson CountyWilson CountyWinkler CountyWise CountyWood CountyYoakum CountyYoung CountyZapata CountyZavala County
Check before you file. Contacts come from official directories and can change. Confirm fees, forms, and deadlines with the agency. This page is general information, not legal advice. Found an error? Let us know.