What Texas regulates on a fuel site
A Texas commissioners court cannot regulate the use of a building or property for business purposes under Local Government Code § 232.101(b), so outside city limits a gas station or c-store needs no use approval from the county [5]. What the state does regulate is the tank system: the TCEQ Petroleum Storage Tank program runs under 30 TAC Chapter 334 and operates as an EPA-approved state program under 40 CFR 282.93 [1, 6]. TxDOT controls connections to state highways and frontage roads [4], and the dispenser distances come from whichever fire code edition the county or city has adopted, as set out below.
The gas station site plan hub sets out the model fire code distances and the state tank table for every state the research covers, and site plans in Texas covers platting, seals and county powers statewide. This page is the fuel layer between them: the tank file, the driveways, the fire code a Texas county enforces, the aquifer counties and the metros.
The TCEQ tank file
On a Texas fuel site the tank file runs on its own calendar, apart from any city or county review, and it fixes where the tank field, the fill and vent points and the tanker path sit on the plan.
| Step | Texas rule | What it fixes on the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Construction notice | At least 30 days before UST construction, on Form TCEQ-00495 under 30 TAC 334.6; a call to the TCEQ region 24 to 72 hours before work starts; the notice is valid for 180 days [2, 7] | Tank field, fill and vent locations settled before the notice is filed |
| Completion report | Due within 30 days [2] | As-built tank locations |
| Installer | A licensed UST contractor, with a licensed installer on site at critical junctures (30 TAC 334, Subchapter I); contractor registration $232, On-site Supervisor License $111 [2, 8] | Contractor access to the tank field |
| Installation standards | 30 TAC 334.45 and 334.46; fill pipes labeled under 334.8(c)(5)(C) [2] | Fill point positions the tanker can reach |
| Registration | Within 30 days of first delivery, on Form TCEQ-00724, which carries the installer's or on-site supervisor's license number [2, 9] | None; an operating filing |
| Registration fee | $0: "As of September 1, 2007, petroleum storage tank owners no longer get charged registration fees." [1] | None |
| Delivery certificate | Renewed every year, at least 30 days before it expires [2] | None |
| Financial assurance | The owner's own, under 30 TAC Chapter 37, Subchapter I [9, 10]; the federal floor for petroleum marketers is $1 million per occurrence (40 CFR Part 280, Subpart H) [11] | None |
| Ownership change | Reported within 30 days [2] | None |
| Edwards Aquifer zones | A UST facility plan, with a $650 per tank fee [3] | Tank count drives the fee |
Two of those rules shape the schedule more than the sheet. The construction notice goes in at least 30 days ahead and lapses after 180 days [2], so it follows a settled tank layout rather than an early concept. In the Edwards Aquifer counties the tank facility plan is a separate TCEQ filing with its own per-tank fee [3].
How the Texas numbers compare
Texas charges nothing to register a tank [1]. Florida charges $50 per tank at initial registration and $25 per tank each year after, due July 1 [12]; North Carolina charges $420 per tank or compartment a year [13]; Ohio charges $100 per tank a year to BUSTR, and its mandatory fund adds $350 per tank with a $55,000 deductible or $550 per tank with an $11,000 deductible for program year 2026 [14]. The other difference is who carries the cleanup risk: Ohio's fund is mandatory and Georgia's GUST Trust Fund is optional with a $10,000 deductible [14, 15], while Texas leaves financial assurance to the owner under 30 TAC Chapter 37 [9]. The Georgia gas station page shows the Georgia side of that comparison.
The fire code is the county's or the city's
In unincorporated Texas the county adopts its own fire code. Waller County enforces the 2021 International Fire Code with all appendices, effective January 1, 2025 [16], and Montgomery County the 2024 IFC with Appendices B, C, D, H, I, J, L and P, effective May 14, 2025 [17]. Under Local Government Code Chapter 233, Montgomery County must approve or reject fire code plans within 30 days, as the South Montgomery County Fire Department (ESD 8) states [18].
In the model text, as Seattle's 2021 fire code adopts it, IFC Section 2303.1 keeps dispensers 10 ft or more from lot lines, and the fully extended hose may not reach within 5 ft of building openings [19]; the same section keeps dispensers 20 ft or more from fixed ignition sources, and IFC 2303.2 puts the emergency shutoff within 100 ft of, but not less than 20 ft from, the dispensers [20]. Waller County's Fire Marshal asks for architectural plans that include a full site plan showing every fire lane and fire hydrant, with the governing code sections referenced [16]. A Texas forecourt is therefore checked against the adopted edition first, and the plan dimensions each lot line, ignition source and shutoff distance on the sheet.
Access: TxDOT on frontage roads and state highways
On a site that fronts a state highway or frontage road, TxDOT's spacing tables decide the driveways before the canopy is placed.
| TxDOT rule | Number | What it means for a fuel site |
|---|---|---|
| Frontage road connections, 50 mph or more (Access Management Manual Table 2-1) | 425 ft one-way, 510 ft two-way [4] | How many driveways the frontage holds |
| Frontage road connections at lower speeds (Table 2-1) | 30 mph or less: 200 ft; 45 mph: 360 ft one-way, 435 ft two-way [4] | Tighter spacing on slower frontage |
| Other state highways, 50 mph or more (Table 2-2) | 425 ft [21] | Corner sites on state routes |
| U-turn lanes | Spacing measured from the inside edge of the U-turn lane to the first access connection [22] | Driveways near a frontage turnaround move back |
| Exit ramp to first driveway (Roadway Design Manual 8.1.21) | At least 250 ft where constrained; a driveway at least 100 ft upstream of an entrance ramp [23] | Sets the usable frontage near a ramp |
| Exit ramp to downstream intersection (RDM 15.8.1) | 1,750 ft urban, 925 ft rural, recommended minimum [24] | Interchange geometry around the site |
| Right-turn deceleration lane (Table 2-3) | Over 45 mph with right-turn volume over 50 vph; 45 mph or less with over 60 vph [25] | A deceleration lane takes frontage |
| Houston District traffic studies | Minor study at 50 to 150 peak-hour trips; major study at 150 or more peak-hour or 1,500 or more daily trips; a driveway serving more than 20 vehicles a day is commercial [26, 27] | Study scope sized from the program |
| Traffic impact analysis | Signed, sealed and dated by a Texas-licensed engineer [28] | Engineer of record's document |
The note under Table 2-1 matters for a site that sells diesel: the distances are for passenger cars on level grade and may be adjusted for downgrades or significant truck traffic [4]. On the deceleration lane, heavy truck volume is a listed reason to provide one below the volume thresholds [25]. The Waller County truck stop model project applies these tables to an I-10 interchange in full.
The local layer: counties, cities and the aquifer
Unincorporated counties. Without use control, a county reaches a fuel site through Chapter 232 platting, street, drainage and driveway standards, floodplain permits and its fire code [29]. Waller County, on the I-10 corridor west of Houston, defines a subdivision as the division of a tract into two or more parts with any part of 10 acres or less, so a whole parcel can take a plat exemption while QSR or hotel pads of 10 acres or less trigger a plat [29]. An on-site septic system can serve up to 5,000 gallons per day; past that line the site needs a TCEQ wastewater permit [30], applied for at least 330 days before discharge begins [31]. The plan shows the wastewater route, a utility connection or a drainfield area, and the engineer of record sizes it against that line.
Cities. Inside city limits the use question comes back. Dallas lists car washes as a use where an SUP may be required in several districts, with residential adjacency review in many planned development districts [32], which reaches a fuel site that adds a wash bay; the car wash site plans in Texas page covers those wash rules. In Frisco, the Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed PSP25-0014 on May 27, 2025, an HEB with accessory gas pumps and a car wash on one lot of 22.8± acres in PD-254-Retail [33]. In Houston, with no use zoning, the entitlement for a fuel site is the development plat: the city treats it as a site plan approved under Sec. 42-22, and it applies to new construction across the city and its ETJ [34].
Moratoria. A Texas city that wants to pause fuel applications works under HB 2559 (2025), in force since Sept. 1, 2025: public notice by the 30th day before the hearing, readings at least 28 days apart, and three-fourths of the governing body for final adoption [35]. Fuel is not exempt from that kind of pause elsewhere: Warren, Michigan approved an up to 8-month moratorium on car washes and gas stations on May 19, 2026, with complete prior applications exempt [36].
The Edwards Aquifer counties. Eight counties sit under TCEQ's Edwards Aquifer rules in 30 TAC Chapter 213: Medina, Bexar, Comal, Kinney, Uvalde, Hays, Travis and Williamson. Over the recharge zone a site files a Water Pollution Abatement Plan, and upstream a Contributing Zone Plan [37]; TCEQ approves regulated activities before any soil is disturbed [38], and its technical review clock is 90 days from administrative completeness (30 TAC 213.4(e)) [39]. A fuel site in those zones also files the $650 per tank UST facility plan [3]. San Antonio adds two tank rules of its own over the aquifer: UDC Sec. 35-521 attaches a SAWS fee to underground tanks in the recharge and transition zones, and Sec. 35-332 restricts the production and storage of hazardous materials inside the ERZD overlay [40, 41]. Paving is capped as well: a commercial site under SAWS Category 3 in the ETJ recharge zone keeps impervious cover to 15%, against 65% in the Category 2 commercial example [42], so the forecourt, store and drives are measured against that cap on the first sheet.
The Texas metros and fuel corridors
| Market | What governs a fuel site | Numbers on the record |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | Development plat in the city and its ETJ (Sec. 42-22) [34]; unzoned Waller and Montgomery counties around it, each with its own fire code [16, 17] | First in the US for growth: plus 126,720 residents, July 2024 to July 2025 [43] |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | City use tables, SUPs and planned development districts, as in Dallas and Frisco [32, 33] | 8,477,157 residents on July 1, 2025, up 838,863 from 2020 [43]; Princeton (Collin County) was the fastest-growing US city in 2024, up 30.6% [44] |
| Austin | Travis, Williamson and Hays are 30 TAC 213 Edwards counties [37] | 2,620,945 residents on July 1, 2025 [43]; Buc-ee's San Marcos has 128 fueling positions [45] |
| San Antonio | ERZD overlay and the SAWS tank fee over the recharge zone [40, 41] | 2,813,140 residents in 2025 [43] |
The interstates carry the travel center programs. On I-20, TDLR's registry lists the Eagles Nest Travel Center at FM 1189 in Brock, Parker County: a 7,380 SF store at an estimated $2.1M, registered in 2020 [46]. Convenience Store News reported Pilot's Eagle Pass site with 85 truck parking spaces and 8 diesel lanes [47]. AOL reported the cost of Buc-ee's San Marcos at $47.2 million (secondary) [48]. Hearings can turn on money rather than land use: in August 2014 Corinth's council voted 3-2 to deny economic incentives for a Buc-ee's at Corinth Parkway and the I-35E frontage road (96 pumps, 600+ spaces, 18 acres) after 97 residents signed up to speak, The Dallas Morning News reported [49]. The conditions Boerne attached to its I-10 Buc-ee's are set out on the San Antonio metro page, and the truck stop site plan hub covers diesel lanes and truck courts.
Approval path and seals in Texas
The statutory clock in Texas belongs to the plat: LGC 212.009(a) gives a city 30 days after filing to act on it [50]. Since HB 3699 (2023), plans, site plans among them, sit outside that 30-day clock [51], so a fuel site plan runs on the city's own calendar. TDLR registration, with review by a Registered Accessibility Specialist, applies once estimated construction cost reaches $50,000 (16 TAC 68.50) [52]. Under Occupations Code 1051.606(a)(4), a private commercial building not exceeding 2 stories or 20,000 sq ft is exempt from the architect requirement [53]. Engineering documents released before they are final may go out unsealed when marked as not for construction, bidding or permit use and showing the firm name and registration number (22 TAC 137.33(e)) [54]; the final version is sealed, signed and dated before release (137.33(f)) [55].
| On the preliminary site plan | Added by the engineer or architect of record |
|---|---|
| Canopy, dispensers and store, with the adopted fire code distances dimensioned | Canopy structure, fire protection and electrical design |
| Tank field, fill and vent points, tanker path | Tank and piping design, filed with TCEQ through a licensed installer |
| Driveways placed against TxDOT Table 2-1 or city spacing | Traffic impact analysis and geometric design |
| Detention reserve and floodplain line | Drainage, detention and floodplain design |
| Site data table: jurisdiction, acreage, impervious cover, parking, fueling positions | Sealed civil, structural and MEP sets |
The preliminary site plan is the sheet a developer takes to the city or county meeting, to a lender and to a contractor for pricing; the engineer of record builds the sealed set on it. The preliminary vs final site plan guide explains that handoff, and the car wash and gas station regulations by state guide compares the state layers. For background, read tanks, traffic and regulations in fuel site permitting and gas station and c-store site selection and layout. To start a Texas fuel site, send the parcel.
Frequently asked questions
Does Texas charge a fee to register gas station tanks?
How early must TCEQ hear about a new underground tank?
Can a Texas county refuse a gas station through zoning?
How far apart must driveways be on a Texas frontage road?
Which fire code sets dispenser distances on a Texas site?
Is there a Texas deadline for site plan approval?
Does a c-store need an architect in Texas?
Not if it is a private commercial building not exceeding 2 stories or 20,000 sq ft; Occupations Code 1051.606(a)(4) exempts those buildings from the architect requirement [53].
Sources
- 1)Petroleum Storage Tanks Registrations: Am I Regulated?, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 2)RG-475b, Installing a New or Replacement Underground Storage Tank, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 3)Underground Storage Tank Facility Plan (Edwards Aquifer), Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 4)Access Management Manual, Chapter 2, Section 3: Frontage Roads (Table 2-1), Texas Department of Transportation. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 5)Local Government Code § 232.101(b), county regulatory authority (statute text quoted via millercreekrvpark.com, secondary), Texas Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 6)40 CFR Part 282, Approved Underground Storage Tank Programs, eCFR. Accessed 2026-10-09.
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- 8)UST contractor registration and on-site supervisor licensing, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 9)Form TCEQ-00724, Underground Storage Tank Registration and Self-Certification, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-10.
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- 11)Underground Storage Tank Financial Responsibility, Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Accessed 2026-10-10.
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- 14)Financial assurance fund coverage, Ohio Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Release Compensation Board. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 15)What is the GUST Trust Fund?, Georgia Environmental Protection Division. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 16)Fire Marshal, Waller County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 17)Montgomery County Fire Code (2024 IFC, Appendices B, C, D, H, I, J, L, P), Montgomery County, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 18)Permits and Inspections, South Montgomery County Fire Department (ESD 8). Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 19)Seattle Fire Code 2021, Chapter 23: Motor Fuel-Dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages, City of Seattle. Accessed 2026-10-10.
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- 31)Municipal Domestic Wastewater: The Permitting Process, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 32)Dallas Development Code, Chapter 51A (use regulations excerpt), City of Dallas, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 33)Planning & Zoning Commission meeting agenda, May 27, 2025, City of Frisco, Texas. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 34)Approval of a development plat, Houston Permitting Center. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 35)H.B. 2559 (2025), enrolled bill text, Texas Legislature.
- 36)Moratorium on Car Washes and Gasoline Stations, City of Warren, Michigan. Accessed 2026-10-10.
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- 42)Aquifer Protection Ordinance, San Antonio Water System. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 43)Slow Growth Impacts Nation's Largest Counties Hardest (Census release CB26-56), US Census Bureau. Accessed 2026-10-10.
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- 45)Buc-ee's to open new 74,000-square-foot travel center in San Marcos August 12, CBS Austin. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 46)TDLR TABS2020021148, Eagles Nest Travel Center (Brock), Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 47)What's In Store: Love's Travel Stops, Parker's Kitchen & Pilot, Convenience Store News. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 48)Buc-ee's announces 2 new Texas locations slated for 2026, AOL (secondary). Accessed 2026-10-10.
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