Texas
Buying Land in Dallam County, Texas
Dallam County, seat Dalhart, is far northwest Panhandle cattle-feeding and dairy country, and the historic home of the XIT Ranch. Its groundwater district coverage came together in stages rather than all at once, and the county revised its subdivision rules in 2025 -- both worth checking before buying rural land here.
XIT Ranch country: a real agricultural land base, not a raw-land tourist market
Dallam County sits in the far northwest corner of the Texas Panhandle, bordering both Oklahoma and New Mexico, with Dalhart as its seat and largest town. The county's identity is tied to the historic XIT Ranch -- once the largest fenced ranch in the world, covering roughly three million acres across ten Panhandle counties before being broken up and sold off in the early 20th century -- and Dalhart still hosts the annual XIT Rodeo and Reunion. Today the local economy runs heavily on cattle feeding and dairy operations rather than tourism or exurban development, so land here trades mainly as working agricultural ground, not small recreational tracts. A buyer evaluating a parcel for a feeding operation or dairy support land should expect standard TCEQ Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) rules to apply if the operation crosses federal/state size thresholds -- confirm current thresholds and permitting directly with TCEQ before assuming a specific operation is exempt.
Groundwater: a district that came together piece by piece
Unlike a Texas county that was fully inside a groundwater conservation district from that district's creation, Dallam County's coverage under the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District built up over nearly two decades. Some Dallam County land joined North Plains GCD through voluntary landowner-petition annexations beginning in 1993 and continuing after 2004. The rest came in through a different route: TCEQ's Priority Groundwater Management Area (PGMA) process, which produced a county-specific study in December 2008 recommending that the identified Dallam County PGMA areas be added to an existing district, and which the Commission ultimately acted on with a formal order on August 7, 2012, requiring the remaining un-annexed unincorporated areas of the county's PGMA to join North Plains GCD. The upshot for a buyer today is that all of Dallam County is now effectively under North Plains GCD's jurisdiction, but the annexation history of a specific parcel (voluntary petition versus the 2012 state order) can matter for confirming an existing well's registration and permit status -- ask North Plains GCD directly to check a specific tract's history rather than assuming uniform treatment.
Subdivision rules: check the 2025 revision directly
Dallam County has no general zoning ordinance, consistent with the statewide default, but it does regulate how rural land gets subdivided. The county adopted a revised set of Subdivision Regulations effective 2025, covering matters like road layout and construction standards, road naming and signage requirements, and stormwater-management criteria intended to ensure adequate drainage for new subdivisions. Because this is a recent revision, don't rely on an older summary or a generic statewide description of Texas subdivision rules -- confirm the current lot-size, road-frontage, and plat-approval requirements directly with the Dallam County Commissioners Court or the office that administers these regulations before planning to split or develop a rural tract.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in Dallam County
Dallam County has no zoning department because the unincorporated county is not zoned. We could not confirm whether Dallam County holds TCEQ OSSF authorized-agent status, nor a direct phone number for the Commissioners Court or County Clerk beyond their web pages, within this research's scope -- confirm both directly with the county.
Wells / Private Water
North Plains Groundwater Conservation District
Well permitting, registration status, and confirming a specific parcel's annexation history (voluntary petition versus the 2012 TCEQ order) into the district.
Subdivision & Land Development
Dallam County Commissioners Court
Current subdivision regulations (2025 revision), plat approval, and county road questions for unincorporated Dallam County -- the county has no zoning ordinance.
Septic / Onsite Wastewater
TCEQ Region 1 Office (Amarillo)
On-site sewage facility (septic) permitting if Dallam County is not a TCEQ authorized agent -- confirm current authority directly before assuming this office handles a specific application.
Assessor / Property Tax
Dallam County Appraisal District
Assessed value, property tax, and agricultural (ag/wildlife) valuation questions for a specific parcel.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
Dallam County Clerk
Recorded deeds, easements, and plat history for a specific parcel.
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- Our History | North Plains Groundwater Conservation District — North Plains Groundwater Conservation District (accessed 2026-09)
- Priority Groundwater Management Areas — Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) (accessed 2026-09)
- Dallam County PGMA Order — Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) (accessed 2026-09)
- Dallam County PGMA Report (December 2008) — Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) (accessed 2026-09)
- Dallam County Revised 2025 Subdivision Regulations — Dallam County, Texas Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Which TCEQ Region is My County In? — Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) (accessed 2026-09)
- Dallam County Appraisal District — Dallam County Appraisal District (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09