Building permits, zoning and land rules in Bandera County, Texas

Unincorporated Bandera County administers a development permit for development subject to county permitting, such as building in the flood plain and creating a Manufactured Home Rental Community, and the county's materials do not establish a general county building permit for every residential structure³. The county's development permit application does list residential new construction, requires a rural 911 address, and carries a $50 residential application fee and a $400 commercial fee^3,11. Because the rules differ by site, ask the County Engineer's Office whether your lot needs a development permit and what reviews apply¹³. We could not confirm a separately adopted county building code, a general residential building-inspection program or a certificate-of-occupancy requirement¹³. Development in an identified flood hazard area requires plans and specifications, and a delineated floodway requires an engineer-sealed no-rise letter³. A new development permit is required if an RV-only permit is later replaced by a permanent structure³. Inside the City of Bandera, city building codes and permits apply instead⁶.

The Bandera County Engineer's Office is the practical first stop for development permits (flood plain building, manufactured home rental communities), subdivision plats and floodplain questions on unincorporated land¹³. The office is at 1212 Hackberry Street, Second Floor, Bandera, TX 78003; call 830-796-3175 or email engineer@banderacounty.org¹³. The same office houses the county OSSF Inspector for septic permitting and inspections outside the incorporated City of Bandera¹³. County rules may overlap with city review in an extraterritorial jurisdiction, so give the Engineer's Office the parcel location before relying on a county-only answer⁸. Land inside the City of Bandera follows the city's building permit and inspection system rather than the county-only process described here, but septic permits for land outside the city stay with the county OSSF Inspector^6,13.

Unincorporated Bandera County has no county zoning ordinance, but that does not mean land is unregulated¹. The county regulates subdivisions, resubdivisions, related public improvements, septic installation, county-reviewed water systems, floodplain building and manufactured-home rental communities⁸. Without county zoning, the county sets no zoning-based minimum dwelling size, setback, lot-coverage limit, building-height limit or general occupancy restriction for an RV, tiny home, manufactured home or accessory dwelling on unincorporated land². Deed restrictions and subdivision covenants can still bind a parcel, and a development permit does not override them³. The incorporated City of Bandera has its own zoning, adopted as a place-type map in 2021, so confirm the jurisdiction before treating the unincorporated-county answer as applicable⁵.

Private on-site sanitation in the county-order jurisdiction requires a Bandera County OSSF permit and approved plan regardless of lot size or acreage, subject to lawful exceptions such as specified emergency repairs⁴. Each new system must be inspected and approved before final covering⁷. Residential fees are $210 for a non-aerobic system below 500 gallons per day and $400 for an aerobic system or one above that daily volume; modification permits cost $210 and re-inspections cost $45¹¹. Conventional drain-field conditions are difficult: 0% of mapped county soils are rated free of severe limitations, so price a site-specific evaluation before assuming a conventional system will work¹². In a special flood hazard area, the county requires a Final Foundation Elevation Certificate before issuing the OSSF License to Operate³.

Unincorporated Bandera County has no zoning-based restriction on RV, tiny-home or manufactured-home occupancy². Wastewater remains regulated: an RV or tiny home using a private septic system still needs a compliant county OSSF license regardless of the tract's acreage⁴. The county development application also recognizes RV-only permits and requires a new development permit if a permanent structure later replaces that use³. A special rule prohibits residential lodging on certain approved undersized commercial lots, so check the plat and recorded restrictions rather than assuming every parcel has the same rights⁸. Inside the City of Bandera, city zoning and building rules control instead^5,6.

1. Confirm whether the parcel is unincorporated, inside the City of Bandera or in an extraterritorial jurisdiction, because county and city review can overlap⁸.
2. Obtain a rural address; the county development application requires one before proceeding³.
3. Ask the County Engineer's Office whether the site needs a development permit (it does for flood plain building) and confirm any other reviews¹³.
4. If the site is in a flood hazard area, submit construction plans; if it is in a delineated floodway, obtain the required engineer-sealed no-rise letter³.
5. Apply to the county OSSF Inspector and leave the new septic system uncovered until it is inspected and approved^7,13.
6. If drilling a well, determine whether the district requires a permit or allows registration under a tract-specific exception⁹.

Start with the recorded plat: subdivision rules and minimum acreage depend on the water and wastewater setup⁸. A newly platted lot using an individual well and OSSF generally needs at least 10 acres, while public water with an individual OSSF generally needs at least 5 acres⁸. Well permitting also turns on plat date, acreage, use and production capacity, and the groundwater district identifies a temporary moratorium on new non-exempt permit applications whose operative scope should be confirmed before purchase⁹. Check flood maps early because flood-hazard construction needs plans, floodway construction needs an engineer-sealed no-rise letter, and special-flood-hazard property adds an elevation-certificate condition to septic approval³. Finally, review deed restrictions because a county development permit does not override private covenants³.