Kaufman County Culvert Permit and Requirements

Kaufman County Culvert Permit Requirements

Kaufman County regulates culvert installations within the county road right-of-way under its Subdivision and Land Regulations, specifically Section 11.03. Any culvert that crosses or is installed within the county right-of-way requires a permit from the county before work begins. This applies equally to new installations and to replacements of existing culverts.

The permit process is not bureaucratic friction. It exists because a culvert installed at the wrong size or wrong elevation can block county road drainage, cause flooding on neighboring properties, or create a safety hazard at the road edge. The Commissioner's office reviews each application to confirm the proposed culvert is correctly sized for the drainage conditions at that location and meets the county's technical standards for end slope, end treatment, and cover depth.

Kaufman County is the fastest-growing county in Texas, with over 209,000 residents and 5.6% population growth in the most recent measurement period. Much of that growth is new homes on former farmland along county roads, and each new drive across a road ditch is a culvert permit.

When Is a Permit Required

A Kaufman County culvert permit is required for:

• New driveway culvert installations within the county right-of-way
• Replacement of an existing culvert with the same or different size pipe
• Any modification to an existing culvert (extension, cap, relocation)
• New driveway access that requires a culvert crossing of the drainage ditch
• Culvert installations within the right-of-way on any county-maintained road

The permit is not required for culverts entirely on private property with no county road drainage ditch involvement. In practice, virtually all residential driveway culverts in Kaufman County cross the right-of-way and require the permit, because county road drainage ditches run along both sides of most rural county roads.

The Kaufman County Permit Process

Kaufman County files driveway culverts as a "Use of County Property" application on its Site Development and Plat Application Form (culvert permit revision 02-2026). The county's instructions are to print the form and send it with all supporting documents to Public Works at publicworks@kaufmancounty.net; Development Services at 101 N. Houston Street in Kaufman is the intake office and takes the fee.

Once the application is in and the fee is paid, Development Services forwards it to the Commissioner of the precinct where the property sits. The Commissioner's office contacts the property owner, usually within 3-5 business days, and sets the culvert diameter and the install date. The county is clear that it does not install culverts: the owner hires the work and pays for it.

The permit expires 12 months from the date it is issued. If the driveway is not built inside that window, the permit is void and you start over, so apply when the job is close, not a year ahead.

The application form is on the county's Standard Culvert Application page, and the rules summary is on its Culvert Permits page.

Kaufman County Culvert Application Checklist

The 02-2026 form asks for more than older versions did. Have these ready before you file:

• The completed application with applicant, property owner and property details (address and Parcel Tax ID number)
• Exhibit A: the driveway sketch with pipe diameter, drive width and culvert length
• A copy of your property survey
• Your recorded deed
• The owner consent box signed in front of a notary
• The culvert use marked: residential, commercial or agriculture
• The fee from the county fee schedule (non-refundable, even if you withdraw)

Mark the use carefully. The form warns that changing the intended use later can void the permit and mean a new permit and new fees, which matters if a residential drive will later serve a shop or a farm gate.

Kaufman County Culvert Requirements for the Finished Pipe

The application spells out what the county will accept in its right-of-way:

• Pipe: corrugated steel, double-wall HDPE or concrete only. No other materials are accepted.
• Size: the precinct Commissioner sets the standard size and diameter for your spot.
• Ends: safety end caps are required, and their length goes on the sketch.
• Concrete pipe: set by a professional, with precinct staff witnessing and inspecting the install.
• Double-wall HDPE: inspected by precinct staff for final approval; the install does not have to be witnessed.
• Drainage: no extra runoff from new development may be sent into the county road ditch without the County Engineer's approval.

How long the pipe has to be follows from the drive width and those end caps; the driveway culvert size guide works through the numbers. Pipe choice and price are covered on the culvert installation cost page.

Who Maintains the Culvert

The property owner does. Under the permit terms the grantee pays every cost of building the access driveway and is responsible for maintaining it, and the county keeps the right to require changes, maintenance or repairs to protect the road or neighboring property. A culvert that silts up, crushes or rusts through is the owner's job to clean or replace, under a new permit if the pipe changes; see culvert repair and replacement.

The county can also act on a driveway that causes a drainage or safety problem, up to removing it. If removal follows from not complying with the permit, the form sets the labor charge to the owner at $200 per hour.

What TxDOT Requires on State Roads

If the driveway meets a state highway (US-80, US-175 or a state-maintained FM road), TxDOT's access management rules apply as well as the county's, and TxDOT approves the pipe size and design. Its manual sets rules the county form does not:

• Culvert ends sloped 6:1 (6 ft horizontal to 1 ft vertical) or flatter, with concrete riprap against erosion
• No culvert headwalls or similar vertical ends
• Driveway embankment slope 6:1 at most, 8:1 preferred
• A private residential driveway no wider than 24 ft, plus its corner radii

Source: TxDOT Access Management Manual, driveway permits, design and materials.

Common Permit Delays

Most delays come from a missing piece: no survey copy, no recorded deed, an unsigned or un-notarized consent box, or a sketch without the drive width and pipe length. The other is a missed call. The Commissioner's office contacts the property owner, not the installer, so answer unknown numbers during the 3-5 business days after you file.

Culvert Permits Kaufman County: Frequently Asked Questions