Bruce Walcutt, Rick Goss and Ed Norton were the original owners on June 14, 1975, when the first County Line restaurant opened. The partners had convinced Gail Cox–who had owned the Cedar Crest Lodge since the early 1970s–to rent the building for $150/month. Six years later, she sold it to them. The owners were big fans of barbeque, but had never cooked any before. After a short experimentation period, they developed the meat smoking process that has made the County Line BBQ legendary.

Present-day owner/CEO Skeeter Miller worked for the County Line in 1975 and continues to run the business with Ed Norton from its headquarters in Austin.

All but six of the 1975 menu items are still featured on the County Line menu, including large beef ribs slow-smoked over natural green oak, twice-smoked sausage, rib-eye steaks, and traditional BBQ sides of cole slaw, potato salad, baked potatoes, and beans. Added items include handcrafted cocktails, gluten-free items, seafood items, salads, and sandwiches.

Along with the second location in Austin, they have added County Line BBQ locations in El Paso, two in San Antonio, and one in Albuquerque.

The County Line on the Hill was designated a Texas Treasure Business in 2025.