Bolthole Index

Guadalupe County, Texas

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Schertz, Texas

Schertz, Texas requires city building permits for regulated construction and has its own zoning requirements.12 Schertz prohibits temporary or permanent RV habitation inside city limits.3 For a property in the Guadalupe County portion of Schertz, contact Guadalupe County Environmental Health to confirm septic permitting jurisdiction before planning an on-site system.4

At a glance

Building permits
City building permits required for regulated construction and trade work1
Zoning
City zoning and development standards apply2
Building inspections
Required with every building permit5
RV living
Temporary and permanent RV habitation prohibited inside city limits3
Septic
Guadalupe County requires OSSF permits regardless of acreage; confirm jurisdiction for the city address64
Floodplain work
City flood-hazard construction and modifications require approval7

Who to call

Building permits

Schertz Inspections Division

City building permits, plan review and building inspections

210-619-1750

[email protected]

1400 Schertz Parkway Building 1 Schertz TX 78154

Zoning

Schertz Planning Division

City zoning, land use, platting, development review and variances

210-619-1780

[email protected]

Septic permits

Guadalupe County Environmental Health Department

County OSSF program; contact to confirm jurisdiction for a Schertz property in Guadalupe County

(830) 303-8858

310 IH 10 West Seguin, Texas 78155

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Schertz means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Schertz, Texas?

Schertz requires building permits for construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving or demolition of a building, changes of occupancy, and regulated electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing work.1 The Schertz Inspections Division issues city building permits and performs building inspections.8 Work-specific exemptions exist, so ask Inspections about the exact scope of a small accessory project before starting work.1 Floodplain construction or modifications have their own city approval requirements; a small project is not automatically exempt in a flood-hazard area.7

Who is the Schertz building department, and how do you apply?

Contact the Schertz Inspections Division at 210-619-1750 or [email protected] for city building permits and inspections.8 Schertz uses CityView for applications, payments, requests and tracking, and the development manual provides checklists and process flow charts.9 The published initial plan-review period for new residential construction is 14 days, with subsequent reviews listed at 7 days.9 Schertz requires inspections with every building permit; requests received after 6:00 a.m. are performed the next business day.5

Does Schertz have zoning, lot-size rules and setbacks?

Schertz has city zoning requirements, subdivision regulations, and design and development standards through its Unified Development Code.2 Schertz publishes dimensional standards by zoning district, while Planned Development Districts have separate development standards adopted by ordinance.10 Ask the Schertz Planning Division to identify the parcel’s district and applicable lot-size and setback standards before designing a home or dividing land.11 Schertz subdivision procedures include preliminary and final plats, minor or amending plats, vacating plats and replats; a plat must be filed with the County Clerk after city review and Planning and Zoning Commission approval.12

How do septic permits work inside Schertz?

For the Guadalupe County portion of Schertz, start with Guadalupe County Environmental Health and ask the office to confirm the septic permitting authority for the exact address; we could not confirm the city-specific jurisdiction.4 Guadalupe County requires a permit for every OSSF regardless of lot size or acreage, and requires a License to Operate from the county department or TCEQ before building, altering, extending or operating the system.6 Do not assume acreage removes that requirement.6 Guadalupe County’s soil rating shows only 4.3% of land rated not limited for a conventional drain field; that county-level figure supports getting a site evaluation, not concluding that septic is impossible on a Schertz lot.13

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Schertz?

Schertz prohibits recreational vehicles from being temporarily or permanently occupied as habitation inside city limits, so an RV is not an established option for living on a private lot while building.3 The city rule includes an exception concerning utility connections in approved recreational or mobile home parks; that wording does not establish permission to live in an RV on an ordinary residential lot.3 We could not confirm a distinct tiny-home occupancy rule or a general city owner-builder exemption; ask Schertz Planning about the proposed use and Inspections about construction approval.118

Building a home in Schertz: what are the steps?

  1. Ask Schertz Planning to identify the parcel’s zoning and development requirements, including whether platting or a variance is needed.11
  2. Use the city development manual and CityView application process for the approvals relevant to the project.9
  3. For a proposed septic system in the Guadalupe County portion of Schertz, confirm jurisdiction with Guadalupe County Environmental Health before installation.4
  4. Obtain the required Schertz building permits before regulated construction, and resolve city floodplain requirements if the work is in a flood-hazard area.17
  5. Request the required building inspections as construction progresses.5

What should you check before buying land in Schertz?

Schertz’s city zoning and building-permit requirements are the starting point for land inside city limits; use the Guadalupe County guide when considering land outside the city.21 We could not confirm Schertz’s general new-home sewer-connection requirement, private-well permit rule or residential off-grid sanitation permissions; ask Planning to identify the offices responsible for the proposed water and wastewater arrangements.11 The Guadalupe County groundwater rules apply only within the groundwater district’s boundaries: wells there must be registered, new drilling requires a Notice of Intent to Drill, and non-exempt wells require a district permit.14 Confirm district coverage before treating those requirements as the answer for a Schertz parcel.14

Watch-outs

  • Schertz building-permit applications submitted on or after September 1, 2026 that include non-exempt electrical work must comply with the 2026 National Electrical Code.8
  • Schertz floodplain construction and modifications require city approval; resolve flood-hazard requirements before starting work.7
  • A Guadalupe County OSSF owner-installation exemption concerns installer licensing only and does not waive permitting, construction or maintenance requirements.15

Sources

  1. Building Permits (Schertz), quoted and re-checked
  2. Frequently Asked Questions - Planning and Zoning (Schertz), quoted and re-checked
  3. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 54-24 (Schertz), quoted and re-checked
  4. Environmental Health Home, quoted and re-checked
  5. Inspections (Schertz), quoted and re-checked
  6. Environmental Health OSSF, quoted and re-checked
  7. Unified Development Code, Sec. 21.13.3 Flood Damage Prevention (Schertz), quoted and re-checked
  8. Schertz Inspections Division (schertz.com)
  9. Development Manual (Applications) (Schertz), quoted and re-checked
  10. Frequently Asked Questions - Planning and Zoning (Schertz), quoted and re-checked
  11. Schertz Planning Division (schertz.com)
  12. Development Manual (Applications) (Schertz), quoted and re-checked
  13. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  14. Environmental Health Waterwells, quoted and re-checked
  15. Frequently Asked Questions – On Site Sewage Facility (OSSF), quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Schertz

Schertz’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Construction, alteration, repair, movement, demolition, occupancy changes, and regulated electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing work inside Schertz city limits.

    • The page also lists work-specific permit categories and exemptions.
    • The City page states that accessory structures under 120 square feet may be exempt in some circumstances, while flood-hazard-area work requires permits.
    “shall first make application [...] and obtain the required permits.”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Permitted construction inside Schertz city limits.

    • Inspection number and order may vary by project extent and type.
    • Requests must be received by 6:00 a.m.; later requests are performed the next business day.
    • Emergency inspections receive priority at the Chief Building Official's determination.

    inspection request deadline: 6:00 a.m. (Requests received later are performed the next business day.)

    “Yes, inspections are required with every permit.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Schertz city limits.

    • The City's UDC applies within the City corporate limits and ETJ.
    “It includes zoning requirements, subdivision regulations, design and development standards”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts and dimensional standards inside Schertz city limits.

    • The UDC table lists residential districts including R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, R-7, R-A, GH, TH, MHS, MHP, AD, MSMU, and MSMU-ND.
    • Planned Development Districts have separate development-standards documents adopted by ordinance.
    “Table 21.5.7.A DIMENSIONAL REQUIREMENTS RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICTS”
  • Living in an RVProhibited

    Temporary or permanent habitation in recreational vehicles on land inside Schertz city limits.

    • The prohibition does not apply to utility connections when the RV is located in an approved recreational or mobile home park.
    • RV parks are separately regulated and must be located in a zoning district permitting an RV park.
    “Recreational vehicles shall not be temporarily or permanently occupied as a habitation while in the city”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision and platting inside Schertz city limits.

    • The City development manual identifies preliminary plat, final plat, minor/amending plat, vacating plat, and replat processes.
    • A plat must be filed with the County Clerk after City Staff review and Planning and Zoning Commission approval.
    “The plat must be filed with the County Clerk after City Staff has reviewed”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Development and construction in flood-hazard areas inside Schertz city limits.

    • The City UDC regulates uses, construction, filling, grading, dredging, flood barriers, and protection of flood-vulnerable uses in flood-hazard areas.
    • The City's building-permit page separately lists flood plain construction or modifications as requiring permits.
    • Floodplain requirements may involve flood maps and project-specific elevations or protections.
    “Flood Plain Construction or Modifications”
  • Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

    City inspection, certificate-of-occupancy, and related permit fees inside Schertz city limits.

    • The fee schedule contains multiple department-specific fees and fee categories.
    • The cited schedule lists a $50 certificate-of-occupancy inspection fee and a $125 annual short-term-rental inspection fee.

    certificate of occupancy inspection: 50 USD · short-term rental annual inspection: 125 USD

    “Certificate of Occupancy - Inspections (CO) $ 50.00”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Planning, platting, zoning, site-plan, specific-use, variance, and building-permit processes inside Schertz city limits.

    • The City uses CityView for applications, payments, requests, and tracking.
    • The development manual lists application types, checklists, and process flow charts.
    • Zoning changes require technical exhibits, supporting documents, applicable fees, legal notice, and public hearings.

    new residential initial plan review: 14 days (Each subsequent review is 7 days.) · new commercial initial plan review: 30 days (Each subsequent review is 14 days.)

    “Please use the link below to review the overall City of Schertz Development Process from Platting to Building Permit.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Schertz or Guadalupe County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Schertz city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Residential dwellings inside Schertz city limits.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Schertz city limits.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Schertz city limits.
  • Manufactured homes — Manufactured-home occupancy inside Schertz city limits.
9 more unanswered
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Short-term rentals

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Schertz publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Guadalupe County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Guadalupe County: county rules, score and offices