Texas

Buying Land in Concho County, Texas

Concho County is genuine West Texas ranch country on the Edwards Plateau, once the largest sheep and wool producing county in the entire United States. Unlike most of rural Texas, most of this county has no groundwater conservation district at all -- worth understanding before you count on a well here.

Most of the County Has No Groundwater District -- the Plain Rule of Capture Applies

Case-by-case / verify locally

Unlike most of rural Texas, most of Concho County does not sit inside any Water Code Chapter 36 groundwater conservation district. The Hickory Underground Water Conservation District No. 1, based in neighboring Mason County, covers only a small portion of Concho County near the McCulloch and Menard county lines -- the rest of Concho County has no district-level well registration, permitting, spacing, or metering requirement at all, meaning the plain statewide rule of capture described on the Texas hub applies without any local overlay. That cuts both ways for a buyer: less regulatory friction to drill a well, but also no district managing the resource or limiting a neighbor's pumping. Confirm whether a specific parcel falls inside the small Hickory UWCD sliver or in the unregulated majority of the county directly with the district or Concho County before assuming either way.

A Conservation Authority Exists Here, But It's Not a Groundwater Regulator

Case-by-case / verify locally

Concho County has its own Lower Concho River Water and Soil Conservation Authority, created in 1939 by the 46th Texas Legislature, plus local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) headquartered in Eden. These are conservation and soil-erosion-focused bodies working with USDA and area landowners, not groundwater-permitting regulators -- don't mistake a mention of either for evidence of a district that permits or limits well drilling.

Septic Permitting Authority Needs Direct Confirmation

Case-by-case / verify locally

Concho County sits in TCEQ Region 8, headquartered in San Angelo. This research could not confirm whether Concho County itself holds TCEQ OSSF authorized-agent status or whether septic permits route through the Region 8 office directly -- confirm directly with the county or TCEQ before budgeting a system.

Sheep, wool, cattle, and goats: a real ranching county

Concho County was, remarkably, the largest sheep and wool producing county in the entire United States up until 1988 -- a genuinely notable historical fact for a county this size, and one that still shapes its land-use character today. The county's roughly 400 farms and ranches cover more than half a million acres, with about three-quarters devoted to pasture rather than crops, and sheep, goats, cattle, and feed grain remain the primary agricultural products. Eden, the county's largest town, and Paint Rock, the county seat, are the only real population centers; the balance of Concho County is genuinely open ranch country on the Edwards Plateau. As with most rural Texas counties, there is no general zoning ordinance here, and Concho is not among the narrow named exceptions under Local Government Code Chapter 231 -- confirm directly with the Commissioners Court whether the county has adopted any subdivision-platting rules before assuming a specific land division is entirely unregulated at the county level.

No groundwater district for most of the county -- a real exception to the Texas pattern

The Texas state hub describes roughly a hundred groundwater conservation districts covering large parts of the state, and it's worth knowing directly that Concho County is a genuine exception to that pattern rather than a typical case. The Hickory Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 -- based in and covering all of neighboring Mason County, plus most of McCulloch and San Saba Counties -- reaches into Concho County only in a small portion near the McCulloch and Menard county lines (CORRECTED 2026-09; Mason County does not border Concho County, so an earlier reference to a "Mason" county line here was wrong). Outside that small sliver, which sits within the broader, 32-county Groundwater Management Area 7 (CORRECTED 2026-09, superseding an earlier "34-county" figure), the rest of Concho County has no groundwater conservation district at all. Practically, that means a well anywhere in the large majority of the county is governed only by the plain statewide rule of capture described on the Texas hub -- no district well-registration requirement, no permit, no spacing rule, and no production cap, beyond the narrow exceptions (malicious or wasteful pumping) that apply everywhere in Texas. Before drilling, confirm directly with Hickory UWCD or Concho County whether a specific parcel happens to fall within that small covered sliver, since the practical difference in process is real.

Conservation entities that aren't groundwater regulators

Concho County landowners may also encounter the Lower Concho River Water and Soil Conservation Authority, a Concho County-specific entity created by the 46th Texas Legislature in 1939 with a nine-member board (two members from each of the county's four commissioners' precincts), along with local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) headquartered in Eden that work with USDA on conservation practices and meet monthly. Neither of these is a groundwater-permitting regulator in the way a Chapter 36 GCD or Hickory UWCD is -- they're focused on soil conservation, water-quality stewardship, and USDA program coordination rather than issuing well permits or capping production. Don't mistake involvement with either body for evidence that well drilling in the county requires a permit; as covered above, most of the county has no such requirement at all.

Septic permitting: confirm the authority before you plan

Concho County falls within TCEQ Region 8, headquartered in San Angelo, alongside Tom Green, McCulloch, Menard, and several other West Texas counties. This research could not confirm whether Concho County itself has become a TCEQ authorized agent for on-site sewage facility (OSSF) permitting -- which would mean the county handles permits, site evaluations, and inspections locally -- or whether that process instead runs through the Region 8 office directly. Before budgeting for a septic system on a specific Concho County parcel, confirm the correct permitting authority directly with the county or with TCEQ's OSSF program (512-239-3799 or ossf@tceq.texas.gov).

What we could and couldn't confirm

Concho County's status as the largest US sheep/wool producing county through 1988 and its general agricultural profile are drawn from the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas entry. Hickory UWCD No. 1's coverage -- all of Mason County, most of McCulloch and San Saba Counties, and only a small portion of Concho, Menard, and Kimble Counties -- is drawn from the district's own management plan and about page; this research did not obtain a parcel-level map showing exactly which part of Concho County falls within that small covered area, so a specific parcel's status should be confirmed directly with the district. CORRECTED 2026-09: this page previously described that small sliver as being "near the Mason and McCulloch county lines" and cited GMA 7 as a 34-county area. Concho County does not actually border Mason County (its real neighbors are Coleman, McCulloch, Menard, Runnels, Schleicher, and Tom Green), so the correct nearby-county reference is McCulloch and Menard; and TWDB's own GMA 7 roster lists 32 member counties, not 34 -- both now corrected. The Lower Concho River Water and Soil Conservation Authority's 1939 creation is drawn from the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas. Concho County's TCEQ Region 8 (San Angelo) placement is drawn from TCEQ's own region-by-county reference; the county's OSSF authorized-agent status could not be confirmed and is flagged as an open question rather than asserted either way.

Verify directly with: Hickory Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 to confirm whether a specific parcel falls within its small Concho County coverage area, the Concho County Commissioners Court for subdivision and zoning questions, and TCEQ's OSSF program or Region 8 office for septic permitting authority

Who to Call Before Buying Land in Concho County

Concho County has no county-level zoning department because unincorporated Concho County is not zoned, consistent with the statewide default. We could not confirm the county's TCEQ OSSF authorized-agent status, or locate a published, current county subdivision-regulations document, within this research's scope -- confirm both directly with the county before relying on them.

Wells / Private Water

Hickory Underground Water Conservation District No. 1

Confirming whether a specific Concho County parcel falls within the district's small coverage area near the Mason/McCulloch county lines, and well registration/permitting if so.

Official website →

Other

TCEQ Region 8 Office (San Angelo)

Confirming septic (OSSF) permitting authority for Concho County if the county is not currently a TCEQ authorized agent.

Official website →

Agricultural Extension

Concho Soil and Water Conservation District

Soil conservation practices, USDA program coordination, and erosion-control questions for agricultural land in the county.

Phone: (325) 869-5051Official website →

Assessor / Property Tax

Concho County Appraisal District

Assessed value, property tax, and agricultural (ag/wildlife) valuation questions for a specific parcel.

Phone: (325) 732-4389Official website →

Recorder / Clerk / Land Records

Concho County Clerk

Recorded deed, easement, and plat history for a specific parcel.

Phone: (325) 732-4322Official website →

Want to know if this specific parcel actually works?

Tell us what you're looking at and we'll connect you with a local land specialist who can help you sanity-check it before you go further.

Get local guidance

Sources

Concho County, Texas: History, Geography, and Economy — Texas State Historical Association -- Handbook of Texas (accessed 2026-09)
Hickory Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 -- Groundwater Management Plan 2024 — Texas Water Development Board (accessed 2026-09)
About Hickory UWCD No. 1 — Hickory Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 (accessed 2026-09)
Lower Concho River Water and Soil Conservation Authority — Texas State Historical Association -- Handbook of Texas (accessed 2026-09)
Concho SWCD #201 — Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (accessed 2026-09)
Which TCEQ Region is My County In? — Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (accessed 2026-09)
Concho County Appraisal District — Concho County Appraisal District (accessed 2026-09)

Last reviewed 2026-09