Zoning, building permits and septic rules in West Lake Hills, Texas

West Lake Hills’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  An owner or authorized agent intending covered construction, alteration, repair, demolition, occupancy change, or covered electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing work inside West Lake Hills city limits.

  • The owner doing the work must provide proof that the owner owns and presently occupies the residential building as a homestead.
  • The code contains specified permit exemptions, including modified exemptions for certain 200-square-foot work that complies with impervious-cover and setback regulations.

  “Any owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy classification of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by this code, or to cause any such work to be done, shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit.”

• Owner-builder exemptionConditional

  An owner performing covered residential work inside West Lake Hills city limits.

  • The owner must provide proof to the building official that the owner owns and presently occupies the residential building as the owner’s homestead.
  • The provision does not eliminate the requirement to apply for and obtain the required permit.

  “If the owner is to do the work, then the owner shall provide proof to the building official stating that they own and presently occupy the residential building as their homestead.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  One- and two-family residential construction inside West Lake Hills city limits.

  • The City’s article controls where it conflicts with the adopted International Residential Code.

  residential code edition: 2021 (Latest revisions thereto are also adopted.)

  “The International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, 2021 edition, and latest revisions thereto, published by the International Code Council, hereinafter referred to as the “residential building code,” is hereby adopted.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings inside West Lake Hills city limits.

  • No certificate of occupancy will issue until the City has been fully paid all building- or structure-related fees and costs, including applicable infrastructure, impact, water-meter, and water/wastewater-connection fees.
  • A nonresidential new owner, occupant, or tenant must obtain a new certificate before utility service begins.

  “It is unlawful for a builder, building contractor, or building owner to allow any person to occupy a building until a certificate of occupancy is issued.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside West Lake Hills city limits.

  • The cited zoning ordinance was adopted March 28, 2018 and amended/replaced the earlier published zoning chapter.

  “This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Zoning Ordinance of the city.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside West Lake Hills city limits.

  • The published article also identifies office, business, governmental/utility/institutional, mixed-use, conditional-overlay, and planned-development districts.

  “§ 38.03.032 R-1 one-family residential district. § 38.03.033 R-2 two-family residential district. § 38.03.034 R-3 transitional residential district.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land subdivisions inside West Lake Hills city limits.

  • The chapter also applies in the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, but this claim concerns only land inside city limits.
  • Approval is by City Council or City Administrator, where applicable, and must follow the article’s regulations.

  “No land in the city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction shall be divided into one or more lots or units until such subdivision of land has been approved by the city council or city administrator, where applicable, in accordance with the regulations in this article.”

• Permit processPartial

  Covered residential construction work inside West Lake Hills city limits.

  • An owner or authorized agent must first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit.
  • An owner doing the work must provide homestead ownership-and-occupancy proof.

  “All submissions must be made through the My Government Online Customer Portal (MGOConnect.org) to be considered submitted.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask West Lake Hills or Travis County directly.

• Inspections — Residential construction inside West Lake Hills city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — R-1 one-family residential district inside West Lake Hills city limits.
• Minimum lot size — R-1 one-family residential district inside West Lake Hills city limits.
• Setbacks — R-1 one-family residential district inside West Lake Hills city limits.
• Lot coverage — R-1 one-family residential district inside West Lake Hills city limits.

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.

Off-grid gear

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

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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