Buying Rural Land in Ector County, Texas

A Written Minimum Lot Size Applies to Unincorporated Land

Generally favorable

Ector County has adopted Subdivision and Manufactured Home Rental Community (MHRC) Regulations for its unincorporated area, administered by the county Planning & Development department. A concrete, checkable standard applies to new residential lots: a minimum of 0.5 acre where the lot is served by a public water supply, and a minimum of 1.0 acre where the lot instead relies on a private well. Confirm the current version of these regulations and any additional road, drainage, or floodplain requirements directly with Planning & Development (432-498-4241) before planning a land split.

No Groundwater District Covers Ector County

Case-by-case / verify locally

Despite sitting in the heart of the Permian Basin, Ector County is not covered by the Permian Basin Underground Water Conservation District -- that district (headquartered in Stanton) serves only Martin County and most of Howard County, not Midland or Ector. That leaves Ector County groundwater under the unmodified rule of capture: no local permit, registration, or spacing rule for a private well. See the standalone well-water page below for what that means combined with a documented local water-quality risk.

Arsenic Has Been Documented in Local Well Water

Case-by-case / verify locally

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has run repeated low-cost well-water screening events in Ector and Midland Counties -- most recently in April 2025 -- specifically because naturally occurring arsenic has been found at elevated levels in West Texas groundwater, alongside E. coli, nitrate, and salinity concerns. An estimated 13,500 private well owners across the two counties are not subject to any water-quality regulation. If you plan to rely on a private well here, budget for an independent water test (arsenic specifically) rather than assuming untested well water is safe. See the standalone well-water page for the program details.

Ector County Issues Its Own Septic Permits

Generally favorable

Ector County Health Department is a TCEQ authorized agent for on-site sewage facility (OSSF) permitting, handling site evaluations, permit issuance, and inspections directly under 30 TAC Chapter 285 and the county's own ordinance. Confirm current fees and site-evaluation requirements directly with the Health Department (432-498-4141) before budgeting a septic system -- new-installation permits have been reported in the roughly $200-$500 range, with a typical 2-6 week process depending on soil-evaluation scheduling.