A useful order is to identify the site and proposed use, ask planning staff about zoning and platting, then ask development staff which permit and infrastructure reviews the project needs. The guide names certificates of occupancy as another stage. For inspection questions, stop-work orders or complaints about violations, the city lists building@newbraunfels.gov and the same 830-221-4041 number, option 1. These contacts give an owner a place to check a particular plan; the guide itself is an overview rather than an approval for a parcel.
In unincorporated Comal County
The county Engineer's Office administers subdivision regulations. Its subdivision page says that, in general, divisions of property require county approval and prepared plats, while some divisions are exempt. The rules address plats and replats along with drainage, water availability, wastewater disposal and road construction standards. An owner considering a split or plat change can start with the county's subdivision page and ask the Subdivision Coordinator how the rules apply to that tract.
For building work in unincorporated areas, the county lists permits that may be required before construction. An on-site sewage facility, or OSSF, application goes with a design from a registered engineer or sanitarian. County Environmental Health reviews OSSF designs and issues those permits; its page says a permit and approved plans are required before building, altering, extending or operating an OSSF. The Engineer's Office also makes floodplain development determinations. Its permit page explains how that review is handled with an OSSF proposal and how to apply when a proposed development is not associated with an OSSF permit.
Other work can raise separate county questions. The county lists a private-improvement-in-the-public-right-of-way permit for a driveway installation or modification and other work in the public right-of-way. It also describes utility work permits in county road rights-of-way and says a Fire Marshal permit may be required for commercial or public buildings and multifamily dwellings with four or more units. The type of project matters: an owner should use the county's permit categories to check the proposed work before construction.
The county lists the Engineer's Office at 195 David Jonas Drive, New Braunfels, with office hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Confirm requirements for the specific address and project.
Check the address before relying on a checklist
The county says its listed permits are county requirements and warns that property owners may face requirements from property owners associations, municipalities, utilities, and state or federal governments. Its subdivision page also lists an interlocal agreement with New Braunfels. That makes an address-specific check especially useful for a tract near the city boundary or in an extraterritorial jurisdiction: tell the city and county offices the property's address and the proposed work, and ask each which reviews it handles. Do the same with a property owners association if one applies.
To take the next step, use the city's Development Guide to request a pre-development meeting or reach city staff, and use the county permit and subdivision pages to identify the relevant county application or ask the Engineer's Office about a tract. The county lists an online permit portal as well as in-person applications at 195 David Jonas Drive; its main permit contact number is 830-608-2090. Bring the site address and a description of the planned construction or land division so the office can identify the applicable review.
