An RV park in unincorporated Texas is not approved through zoning, because counties have none. It is approved through a stack of permits: the county's Chapter 232 infrastructure plan or plat rules, a floodplain development permit under the county's flood damage prevention order, an on-site sewage facility (OSSF) permit or a TCEQ wastewater permit, TCEQ public water system approval once the park serves 15 connections or 25 people for 60 days a year, TCEQ construction stormwater coverage, a driveway permit, and a fire code permit where the county has adopted a fire code [1, 2]. Inside a city, city zoning sits on top. This guide walks each layer with the county rules that apply to it.
The approval path at a glance
| # | Approval | Who decides | Rule | Sealed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pre-application meeting or sketch plan | County Engineer; Commissioners Court | County regulations | Bandera's sketch plan is "not required to be drawn with precision" and the rules set no requirements for its content [4] |
| 2 | Infrastructure plan or plat | Commissioners Court | LGC Ch. 232 and the county's RV order | Plat by a registered surveyor or engineer [4] |
| 3 | Floodplain development permit | County floodplain administrator | County flood damage prevention order | Not stated |
| 4 | OSSF permit, or a TCEQ permit above 5,000 gpd | County OSSF program or TCEQ | 30 TAC 285; TCEQ RG-499 | PE or registered sanitarian (Bandera 5.1.3) [4] |
| 5 | Public water system approval | TCEQ | 30 TAC Ch. 290 | PE-sealed plans (Parker County order) [5] |
| 6 | Construction stormwater | TCEQ | TXR150000 at 1 acre or more of disturbance [2] | Not stated |
| 7 | Driveway access | TxDOT or the county | Parker County asks for a driveway permit or a TxDOT letter [6] | Not stated |
| 8 | Fire code permit and certificate of compliance | County fire marshal | County fire code, where adopted | Waller County: plans "stamped by a licensed design professional" [7] |
Why there is no zoning hearing
As the Texas Association of Counties sets out LGC 232.101(b), a commissioners court may not regulate the use of a building or property for business, industrial, residential or other purposes, or the number of residential units built per acre [1]. County rules rest on Chapter 232 instead: Waller County's Subdivision and Development Regulations recite that they were adopted "acting pursuant to Chapter 232, Texas Local Government Code" [8]. The county's leverage is the infrastructure: roads, drainage, floodplain, water, wastewater and fire.
Three things put a hearing or a second reviewer back in the path:
- City limits. Inside a city, zoning applies. The City of Burnet moved RV parks from by right to a conditional use permit in its C-3 district by Ordinance 2022-34, because the "use may not be compatible with surrounding uses of properties" [9].
- The ETJ. In a city's extraterritorial jurisdiction the plat needs city sign-off as well. Waller County requires "Approval of the appropriate jurisdiction when the subdivision is within the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of that city" (Section 3.4.22) [8]. A city acts on a plat within 30 days after filing under LGC 212.009(a), and a plat it does not disapprove is approved by operation of law [10]. Since HB 3699 (2023), that clock covers plats and not site plans [11]. Since September 1, 2023, SB 2038 lets landowners petition out of an ETJ with over 50% of voters or a majority in value of landowners, after which the county regulates the released area [1].
- Special districts. In the Brookshire-Katy Drainage District, "the Developer shall obtain written approval from the District of the development plans" before final plat approval (Section 3.5.2), and where the district and county rules differ, "the more stringent of the two shall apply" [8].
Chapter 232: infrastructure plans and plats
Bastrop County's requirements state that lodging and RV park developments "are subdivisions under Chapter 232" and cite Attorney General Opinion GA-1007 [12]. Other counties write RV park orders of their own, and each binds only in its own county. Read the county's adopted order before drawing:
| County | Adopted rule | What it sets |
|---|---|---|
| Parker | Infrastructure Requirements for RV Parks, adopted December 26, 2023 | 5.0 acre minimum; 12 ft between RVs with slide-outs extended; internal roads to county road standards; 2 dumpsters plus 1 per 50 additional spaces [6] |
| Parker (attachment) | Pad and setback standards | Pads hardened at least 12 ft by 40 ft; 25 ft from public right of way, 15 ft from property lines and internal roads [6] |
| Bastrop | Infrastructure Requirements for Lodging and RV Park Developments (adopted 8/24/2020, revised 9/12/2022) | Subdivision treatment under Chapter 232; 30-day review under LGC 232.0025; all-weather access; base amenities serve up to 50 spaces, plus one set per 30 additional spaces; "A Tiny House on wheels shall be treated as a Recreational Vehicle" [12] |
| Wilson | Lodging and RV Park Development Requirements (7/22/2019) | 10 ft between units; buried electric per the NEC; 40 ft of public road frontage; 2,500 or 5,000 gal of water storage [13] |
| Fannin | RV Park Regulations (approved November 14, 2023) | A "maximum of 10 Recreational Vehicles per acre"; county fire code by reference [14] |
| Jefferson | Appendix 7, RV Park Development Regulations (2023) | One-way roads 20 ft, two-way 24 ft, cul-de-sacs with a 50 ft radius, 65,000 lb road design load; a preliminary site plan stage before construction plans [15] |
| Callahan | Infrastructure Requirements for RV Parks | 25 ft between RVs; a 50 gpd per site wastewater estimate; PE-sealed, TCEQ-approved water and sewer specifications [16] |
| Bandera | Subdivision and Land Development Regulations, rental community Appendix A as the analog | Review fee of $250 plus $10 per rental space [4] |
State law sets the clock. Under LGC 232.0025 the county must give notice of an incomplete plat application within 10 business days and act within 30 days, with extensions of up to 30 days only by written agreement [1]. HB 3697 (2023) made parallel changes for county plats in Chapter 232, according to The National Law Review, a secondary source [17]. Two provisions limit what a county may demand: LGC 232.00285 bars a county from requiring a development plan unless other law explicitly authorizes it, and LGC 232.001(h) (2023) bars any analysis, study, document or agreement that state law does not explicitly require [1]. Clocks can also stop: Kerr County suspended statutory plat deadlines on July 22, 2026 under LGC 418.016(e) [18]. The Bandera County RV resort model project walks this path stage by stage.
Flood damage prevention orders
Counties regulate floodplain development through flood damage prevention orders adopted under Water Code 16.315, and the county's own rules, not the state, set the numbers [18, 1]:
| County | Rule | What shapes the layout |
|---|---|---|
| Kerr | Flood Damage Prevention Orders 37967 and 38000 (2020) | "A floodplain determination or permit is required for any work in the floodplain"; much of the floodplain is "Zone A," without a detailed study [18] |
| Waller | Subdivision and Development Regulations, Appendices B and E | Structures in the 100-year floodplain elevated "two (2) feet or more above the 500-year floodplain elevation," and within the 500-year floodplain "one (1) above the 500-year floodplain elevation"; "No development permits will be issued in a Flood Hazard Area below the base flood elevation"; compensating storage for fill in the 100-year and 500-year floodplain [8] |
| Jefferson | Appendix 7, RV Park Development Regulations (2023) | A cap on headwater elevation at internal culverts (Sec. 9.4) [15] |
| Bandera | Rental community analog, Appendix A 4.1.14 | Finished floors "at least one foot above base flood elevation"; no increase in post-development 100-year peak flow, under a PE-sealed drainage plan [4] |
Federal rules sit underneath. Under 44 CFR 60.3(c)(14), an RV in a Special Flood Hazard Area must meet manufactured home elevation and anchoring unless it is on site fewer than 180 consecutive days or is fully licensed and ready for highway use [19]. A park model or long-stay site that stays past 180 days falls outside that exemption.
Floodplain siting is now argued in public. RV PRO reported that of 136 deaths in the July 2025 flood, "at least 44" occurred among people camping or at campgrounds [20]. State law now reaches the county desk too: under SB 1, campground evacuation plans are filed with county or municipal emergency management, and each campground cabin in the floodplain needs "an emergency ladder capable of providing access to the cabin's roof" (HSC 762.002(a)(1)) [21]. Lay out sites, cabins and the exit route against the mapped floodplain from the first concept, and see the Texas floodplain and RV park post for the design consequences.
Wastewater: OSSF permit or TCEQ permit
Wastewater decides the permit path, and often the size of the first phase.
- Up to 5,000 gallons per day. The park can use an OSSF permitted under 30 TAC 285 [22]. TCEQ puts that ceiling at "approximately 100 hookups" [2]. In Waller County, OSSF planning materials must be approved before the OSSF application is made (30 TAC 285.4(c)) [8].
- Design flow. Burnet County's OSSF order sets 100 gallons per unit per day for RV park design [23]. At that rate a 150 to 250 site resort produces 15,000 to 25,000 gpd, well above the OSSF ceiling [23, 2].
- Above 5,000 gpd. The options are a TCEQ Chapter 222 subsurface drip permit or a TPDES discharge permit, and drip systems over 5,000 gpd are also regulated as Class V injection wells [22, 24]. TCEQ asks for domestic wastewater applications "at least 330 days before the proposed discharge begins" [25].
- Contested cases. A discharge permit can be challenged. The Village at Grape Creek, a tiny home village in Fredericksburg, applied for TPDES Permit WQ0016363001 to discharge "up to 20,000 gallons per day... into the Pedernales River" [26]. In such a case, the San Antonio Report reported, SOAH alone "has up to six months to set a hearing" [27].
Bandera County also requires the subdivider to "ascertain and certify that an acceptable OSSF system can be installed on each tract or lot in subdivision unless public sanitary sewer collection facilities are made available to the site" (5.2.2) [4].
Public water and groundwater
- Public water system. A system serving "at least 15 connections or 25 people at least 60 days out of the year" is a public water system [2], reviewed by TCEQ under 30 TAC Chapter 290. Parker County's order requires the public water system plans to be sealed by a PE [5].
- Utility status. A park that bills residents separately for water or sewer becomes a utility that needs a certificate of convenience and necessity under 30 TAC 291 [2].
- Groundwater proof. Bandera County is a priority groundwater management area. Its plats carry a groundwater certification sealed by a PE or P.G., based on an aquifer test of 24 hour minimum, with one test and one observation well per 100 acres [4]. One well is dedicated to the groundwater district as a monitoring well, with "a minimum of 4-in. casing" and "a minimum of 10-foot radius around the well" [4].
- TCEQ's checklist. TCEQ's RV park compliance page covers public water supply, wastewater, a ban on waste burning and stormwater [28]. Over the Recharge, Contributing or Transition Zone of the Edwards Aquifer, it says "more stormwater requirements may apply" [28].
Fire codes adopted by counties
Texas now has a statewide floor for campgrounds. Per the Senate Research Center's analysis of C.S.S.B. 1 (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session), a new Chapter 762 "Requires a campground to comply with the National Fire Protection Association 1194, Standard for Recreational Vehicle Parks and Campgrounds, 2021 Edition, other than Sections 1.1.1 and 5.1.1.1," and excludes "a campground owned or controlled by a governmental entity" [3]. The bill was signed and took effect on September 5, 2025 [29].
Counties add their own codes:
| County | Fire code | What it asks of the site plan |
|---|---|---|
| Waller | Waller County Fire Code on the 2021 IFC with all appendices, effective 1/1/2025 | "All architectural plans must include a full site plan that shows all fire lane/fire access roads, fire hydrant locations, and reference the relevant codes"; fire code permit plans "stamped by a licensed design professional"; occupancy requires a Fire Marshal certificate of compliance [7] |
| Fannin | County fire code adopted by reference in the RV order | Fire review rides on the RV order [14] |
| Kendall | County Fire Code | A 2025 development agreement on the court's agenda carried rainwater harvesting, fire code impounded water and dark sky compliance [30] |
Counties can also require stored water for fire fighting under LGC 232.109: 2,500 gallons for under 50 units, and for 50 or more units 2,500 gallons with centralized water or 5,000 gallons [1]. The county-permit model is the same for other unzoned assets: see the Waller County truck stop and the Montgomery County RV and boat storage model projects.
Where the preliminary site plan fits
Bandera's sketch plan is "A map showing a potential subdivision of land not required to be drawn with precision" (2.2.27), and the rules set no requirements for its content (Section 3.2) [4]. Waller County's regulations set no seal requirement in Section 3.1, the pre-application procedure [8].
Sealed stages include road and drainage plans "signed and sealed by a Professional Engineer" before preliminary plat approval in Bandera (6.1.3), the groundwater certification, the public water system plans, and the final plat [4]. The plan you take to the county is preliminary. Engineering, including grading, drainage, water and wastewater design, is done by your engineer of record, who builds the sealed set on it. For what the preliminary plan carries, see preliminary site plans and site plan architect.
Outside Texas: where counties zone
Texas county practice differs from other RV markets in one basic way: elsewhere the county zones.
- Mohave County, Arizona. RV parks are allowed by right in C-RE, C-2H, and R-RV with an approved RV Park Plan; most other districts need a Special Use Permit from the Board of Supervisors after a Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation, and an R-RV rezoning needs at least 2 contiguous acres [31]. See the snowbird RV park model project and RV park site plans in Arizona.
- North Carolina wastewater. RV spaces are sized at 100 gpd each, the local health department can approve systems up to 1,500 gpd, and a PE is required above that [32]. See RV park site plans in North Carolina.
Related pages
- RV site plans: RV park site plans, RV resort site plans, campground site plans and RV park site plans in Texas.
- Guides: how many RV sites per acre, how to make a site plan and RV park regulations by state.
- Statewide and metro context: Texas site plans, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth.
- Renderings for court and lender meetings: RV park and resort rendering.
- From the blog: waterfront campgrounds in Texas and RV resort entitlement from raw land to ribbon cutting.
- Ready to plan a site: start a project.
Frequently asked questions
Does an RV park need zoning approval in a Texas county?
Not in unincorporated areas. As the Texas Association of Counties sets out LGC 232.101(b), a commissioners court may not regulate the use of a building or property for business, industrial, residential or other purposes [1]. Inside city limits, city zoning applies: the City of Burnet requires a conditional use permit for RV parks in its C-3 district [9].
How does a Texas county treat an RV park under Chapter 232?
Can an RV park in Texas use septic?
When does an RV park become a public water system?
When it serves "at least 15 connections or 25 people at least 60 days out of the year" [2]. TCEQ then reviews the water system under 30 TAC Chapter 290.
Which fire code applies to a Texas RV park?
Statewide, C.S.S.B. 1 (2025) requires campgrounds to comply with NFPA 1194, 2021 Edition, with stated exceptions [3]. Counties add their own: Waller County's fire code is based on the 2021 IFC with all appendices, effective January 1, 2025 [7], and Fannin County's RV order adopts the county fire code by reference [14].
How fast must a Texas county act on a plat?
Under LGC 232.0025, within 30 days after a complete application, with an incompleteness notice due within 10 business days [1].
Does the 30-day plat clock cover an RV park site plan?
Can RVs sit in a Texas floodplain?
Under 44 CFR 60.3(c)(14), only if on site fewer than 180 consecutive days or fully licensed and ready for highway use, unless elevated and anchored like a manufactured home [19]. County orders can be stricter: Waller County issues no development permits in a Flood Hazard Area below the base flood elevation [8].
Sources
- 1)County Subdivision Handbook (January 2026), on Local Government Code Chapters 232 and 42 (official text: Texas Legislature), Texas Association of Counties. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 2)RG-499, RV parks: water, wastewater and stormwater requirements (revised February 2024), Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 3)Bill analysis, C.S.S.B. 1, 89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session (new Chapter 762, campgrounds), Senate Research Center, Texas Senate. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 4)Bandera County Subdivision and Land Development Regulations (revised through August 25, 2022), Bandera County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 5)Recreational Vehicle Parks Infrastructure Requirements (revised edition), Parker County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 6)Infrastructure Requirements for Recreational Vehicle Parks, Parker County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 7)Fire Marshal (Waller County Fire Code), Waller County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 8)Subdivision and Development Regulations (amended December 6, 2023), Waller County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 9)Ordinance 2022-34, amending Chapter 118 to require a conditional use permit for RV parks, City of Burnet, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 10)Local Government Code Sec. 212.009, approval procedure for plats (Texas Legislature; text read via FindLaw), FindLaw. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 11)Legislative update, September 1, 2023, Number 35 (HB 3699), Texas Municipal League. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 12)Infrastructure Requirements for Lodging and RV Park Developments (revised September 12, 2022), Bastrop County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 13)Wilson County Infrastructure Requirements for Lodging and Recreational Vehicle Park Developments (July 22, 2019), Wilson County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 14)Order Adopting Recreational Vehicle Park Regulations (approved November 14, 2023), Fannin County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 15)Appendix 7, Recreational Vehicle Park Development Regulations (2023), Jefferson County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 16)Callahan County Infrastructure Requirements for Recreational Vehicle Parks, Callahan County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 17)2023 Texas Legislative Update: issues affecting real estate entitlement, The National Law Review. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 18)Kerr County Engineer, Kerr County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 19)Recreational Vehicle (glossary, 44 CFR 59.1 and 60.3(c)(14)), Federal Emergency Management Agency. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 20)Texas May Tighten RV Park Safety Rules After Kerr County Flood, RV PRO. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 21)89(2) SB 1, Senate Committee Report version, bill text, Texas Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 22)30 TAC Chapter 285, On-Site Sewage Facilities, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (state copy). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 23)On-Site Sewage Facility Order, Burnet County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 24)30 TAC Chapter 217, Subchapter I, Subsurface Drip Irrigation, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 25)Municipal Domestic Wastewater: The Permitting Process, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 26)Notice of Hearing, TPDES Permit WQ0016363001, The Village at Grape Creek, LLC (TCEQ Docket 2024-1985-MWD), Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 27)Fight against Hill Country wastewater plant heads to hearing, San Antonio Report. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 28)RV Parks: Compliance Resources, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 29)TX SB1, 2025, 89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session (bill status), LegiScan. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 30)Commissioners Court agenda, March 4, 2025, Kendall County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 31)Mohave County Zoning Ordinance (revised through August 3, 2026), Mohave County, Arizona. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 32)RV Parks Guidance (August 21, 2024), 15A NCAC 18E, NCDHHS On-Site Water Protection Branch. Accessed 2026-10-09.
How these sources were chosen and when the page is reviewed: how we research.