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Site plans in Texas

What a Texas site plan has to answer before a city or county will act on it: which government controls the land, which clock applies and which does not, who seals which sheet, and the state and local rules that move the layout.

Last reviewed

Start a projectSee the process
County land use control
None general: LGC 232.101(b) bars use regulation; counties regulate plats and infrastructure under Chapter 232 [1, 2]
Plat clock
30 days after filing (LGC 212.009(a)); HB 3699 took the site plan off that clock [3, 4]
Architect seal threshold
Required above 2 stories or 20,000 sq ft for private commercial buildings (Occ. Code 1051.606(a)(4)(D)) [5]
Construction stormwater
TCEQ TXR150000 at 1 acre or more disturbed [6]
Accessibility review
TDLR registration and RAS review at $50,000 or more of construction cost [7, 8]

What changes a site plan in Texas

Five conditions decide how a Texas site plan is drawn and which government reads it, and each one shows up on the first concept sheet.

County land answers to infrastructure orders, not to a use table. LGC 232.101(b) bars a commissioners court from regulating the use of a building or property for business, industrial, residential or other purposes [1]. Counties instead regulate subdivision plats and infrastructure under Chapter 232, and Bastrop County's rules for lodging and RV park developments treat them as subdivisions under Chapter 232, citing Attorney General Opinion GA-1007 [2]. The county plan is drawn to separation, road and service counts: Parker County requires 12 ft between RVs measured with slide-outs extended, and 2 dumpsters plus 1 per 50 additional spaces [9]. Jefferson County sets a road design load of 65,000 lbs for RV park roads [10].

The statutory clock is a plat clock. Under LGC 212.009(a), a city approves, approves with conditions or disapproves a plat within 30 days after filing, and a plat it does not disapprove is approved [3]. HB 3699 (2023) removed the plan, including the site plan, from that 30-day approval clock; it requires a plat only when land is dedicated to public use, and it bars a city from requiring a study that state law does not explicitly allow [4, 11]. It also added LGC 212.0081, under which a city publishes a completeness checklist and an application containing every listed item is considered complete [12]. The plat submittal is drawn to that published list.

ETJ control is now the landowner's choice. SB 2038 (2023), effective September 1, 2023, added Subchapters D and E to LGC Chapter 42: a resident, or the owner or owners of a majority in value of an area, may petition for release, and a city must release a valid petition immediately [13]. Under LGC 42.105(d), as the Supreme Court of Texas quoted it in Elliott v. City of College Station, No. 23-0767, the area is released by operation of law if the city fails to act by the later of the 45th day after it receives the petition or the next governing body meeting after the 30th day [14]. Austin had received 191 direct-release petitions and released 74 properties by December 15, 2023 [15]. A feasibility study on an ETJ parcel is therefore run twice, once under city platting and once after release.

SB 840 puts by-right multifamily on commercial land in cities over 150,000 in counties over 300,000. The Act took effect September 1, 2025 [16]. Its chapter "applies only to a municipality with a population greater than 150,000 that is wholly or partly located in a county with a population greater than 300,000" (LGC 218.002) [17]. In those cities it requires by-right multifamily of 3 or more units and mixed-use residential with at least 65% residential floor area in zones that allow office, commercial, retail, warehouse or mixed use [18, 19]. Density is 36 units per acre minimum, higher where the city allows more; height is 45 ft or the highest commercial height; parking is capped at one space per unit and setbacks at 25 ft [18, 19]. Heavy industrial zones are excluded [20], and once the official determines that a project complies, approval is administrative [21]. A law firm summary lists Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Frisco, Houston, Pasadena, Sugar Land, Austin and Round Rock as covered cities [19].

Accessibility review runs on its own track. A project with a total estimated construction cost of $50,000 or more is registered with TDLR, and its construction documents are reviewed by a Registered Accessibility Specialist under 16 TAC 68.50 against the 2012 Texas Accessibility Standards, under Government Code Ch. 469 [7, 8]. A local building official may require registration for a project below that cost [8]. The TDLR filing fee is $175, or $300 when a project registers late [22].

Map of the United States with Texas highlighted
Locator map: Texas highlighted. State boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files.
RV resort and glamping concept
Concept visualization

Approval layers: state, county, city and ETJ

Texas splits land use power by type of government. Cities zone under LGC Ch. 211 and plat under Ch. 212 inside their limits, and plat in their ETJ; Houston, which has no zoning, requires a development plat within the city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction (Sec. 42-22), and its Planning Commission acts on development plats under Sec. 42-75 [23]. Counties plat and set infrastructure rules under Chapter 232 but do not regulate use [1]. HB 3697 (2023) made changes for counties in Chapter 232 parallel to HB 3699 [24], and county plat timelines sit in LGC 232.0025 [25].

LayerWho actsWhat it decides for a site plan
StateTCEQ, TDLR, TxDOT; state statutesConstruction stormwater and other environmental permits and accessibility review; the plat clock, ETJ release and SB 840 bind every covered city [6, 7, 3, 13, 17]
CountyCommissioners court, county engineer, fire marshalPlats and infrastructure orders for unincorporated land, with no use regulation [1, 2]
CityCouncil, planning commission, staffZoning, plats and site plans inside city limits; in Houston, the development plat [23]
ETJThe city, for plattingCity platting applies until the land is released by petition or election [13, 25]

Bastrop County applies a 30-day review under LGC 232.0025 to its lodging and RV park developments [2]. Which side of a city line a parcel sits on, and whether it has left an ETJ, is the first row of any Texas site data table.

Who prepares and seals what

Texas draws seal lines in statute and board rule, and county and city codes add a stage-by-stage rule on top. The studio's preliminary plan sits ahead of all of these seals: it fixes the layout, buildings, drives, parking, pads and yield with a site data table, and the engineer, architect and surveyor of record draw their sealed sheets from it.

DeliverableWho prepares or seals itRule
Private commercial building designAn architect above 2 stories or 20,000 sq ft; a multifamily building of no more than 2 stories and 16 units is also exempt [5]Occ. Code 1051.606(a)(4)
Assisted living and memory careAn architect for any building for 24-hour custodial care, regardless of stories or square footage [26]Occ. Code 1051.703(a)(1)
Public buildingsAn architect for public education, assembly and office buildings above $100,000, and for public alterations above $50,000 [26, 27]Occ. Code 1051.703(a); TBAE rules 1.211 to 1.213
Public works engineeringA professional engineer unless the work costs $8,000 or less (electrical or mechanical) or $20,000 or less (other) [28]Occ. Code 1001.053
Preliminary engineering documentsMay be released unsealed when marked as not for construction, bidding or permit use and showing the firm name and registration number; the marking applies to electronic files too [29, 30]22 TAC 137.33(e), (n); Board advisory EAOR45
Final engineering documentsSealed, signed and dated on the final version before release [29, 31]22 TAC 137.33(f); Occ. Code 1001.401(b)

Local codes add their own seal rules:

  • Bandera County. The optional 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); the Preliminary Plan is prepared by a registered surveyor or engineer, road and drainage plans are signed and sealed by a professional engineer before Preliminary Plat approval, and rental-community infrastructure plan originals carry both RPLS and PE seals [32].
  • Mansfield. At the Specific Use Permit stage, the metes and bounds description is signed and sealed by a registered surveyor (155.080(D)(3)) [33].
  • Montgomery County and Conroe. In the county a sealed commercial drainage plan is required once covered area, paving included, exceeds 15,000 sq ft [34]; Conroe requires a sealed engineering site plan [35].
  • San Antonio. City Code Sec. 10-8(a)(1) requires plans from a design professional for all Group A (assembly) occupancies [36].

How the work splits between the plan, the engineer and the architect is covered in who prepares a site plan, where unsealed site plans are accepted and do I need an architect for a site plan, and on the site plan architect and site plan consultant pages.

Statewide overlays

OverlayRuleWhat appears on the plan
Construction stormwaterTCEQ TXR150000, effective March 5, 2023 and expiring March 5, 2028, covers construction that discharges stormwater to surface water and disturbs an acre or more; small sites run 1 to under 5 acres, large sites 5 acres or more [6, 37]Disturbed acreage and phasing
Groundwater certificationWhere LGC 212.0101 requires a groundwater availability certification, the 30-day plat clock starts only when it is submitted (LGC 212.009(b-1)) [38]Water source
Edwards Aquifer30 TAC Chapter 213: a WPAP in the recharge zone and a Contributing Zone Plan upstream, in Medina, Bexar, Comal, Kinney, Uvalde, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties; regulated activities need TCEQ approval before soil is disturbed [39, 40]Recharge features and impervious cover
Petroleum storage tanksTCEQ PST program under 30 TAC Chapter 334, with financial assurance under 30 TAC Chapter 37, Subchapter I; $0 annual registration since September 1, 2007; the installer's license number goes on Form TCEQ-00724 [41, 42, 43]Tank field and dispenser layout
Public water and wastewaterA public water system at 15 connections or 25 people for 60 days a year; an OSSF over 5,000 gpd, about 100 hookups, needs a TCEQ domestic wastewater permit; billing residents separately for water or sewer makes the park a utility needing a CCN under 30 TAC 291 [44]Hookup counts, drainfield and plant sites
State highway accessTxDOT frontage road connections spaced 425 ft one-way and 510 ft two-way at 50 mph or more (Access Management Manual) [45]Driveway count and location
Campground safetySB 1 (89th Leg., 2nd C.S., 2025) created Health and Safety Code Chapter 762: a campground complies with NFPA 1194, 2021 Edition, and local regulation of sanitation, electrical, LPG and fire protection is limited [46, 47]; a campground cabin in a floodplain carries an emergency ladder to its roof under HSC 762.002(a)(1), and floodplain evacuation plans are filed with county or municipal emergency management [48]Fire access and cabin siting
Development moratoriaHB 2559 (2025), effective September 1, 2025: notice not later than the 30th day before a hearing, readings not less than 28 days apart, and a three-fourths vote for final adoption [49]Schedule risk on a pending application

Floodplain elevation and fill rules are set locally, by Houston, Waller County and Montgomery County among others; they are set out under each jurisdiction and under climate and site factors below.

Top jurisdictions: Houston, Austin and San Antonio

The jurisdiction rows below are limited to the three Texas cities whose process rules were read from primary documents. For Dallas-Fort Worth, see the Dallas-Fort Worth metro page and the Mansfield express car wash model project.

JurisdictionInstrumentWhat the submittal carriesReview facts
HoustonDevelopment plat under Code Sec. 42-22 in the city and ETJ; submittal requirements in Sec. 42-46; plat classes I, II and III (Sec. 42-23) [50, 51, 52]A detailed site plan, in 2 copies, for development plat approval at the Houston Permitting Center [50]The director or the Planning Commission, as applicable; variances go to the commission (Sec. 42-81) [53, 51]
AustinSite plan under the Land Development Code; Site Plan Lite for 5 to 16 units, infill up to 1 acre, with applications accepted from June 16, 2025 [54, 55]Small project status where modified drainage criteria are met: no drainage or water quality review for the tier, and no onsite detention below 8,000 sq ft of impervious cover [56]Site plan review counted 1,470 steps across 11 departments (McKinsey, reported in 2023) [57]
San AntonioUDC Chapter 35; the ERZD overlay applies to all base zones (Sec. 35-521) and restricts uses that produce or store hazardous materials (Sec. 35-332) [58, 59]ERZD documentation under Sec. 35-B105: scale, north point, floodplain preservation areas, recharge features, erosion control plan and impervious cover percentage [60]TCEQ technical review of an administratively complete Edwards application: 90 days (30 TAC 213.4(e)) [61]

Houston. Chapter 42 applies in the city and its ETJ (Sec. 42-20, 42-22) [53]. A parking lot or its expansion, a retaining wall or fence under 8 ft, a detached single-family home on a recorded lot and a temporary school classroom are exempt from the development plat (Sec. 42-22) [53]. A retail center on a major thoroughfare with 80 ft or less of right-of-way may get a 5 ft or zero building line (Sec. 42-150, 42-153, 42-154) [62]. Unrestricted reserves proposed for multifamily carry a parks and open space fee per unit (Sec. 42-251) [63]. New structures in the 100-year or 500-year floodplain sit at the 500-year elevation plus 2 ft, and critical facilities plus 3 ft (Chapter 19, effective Sept. 1, 2018) [64]; 31% of the city lies in the 100-year floodplain [65]. Automated car washes need 2.5 stacking spaces per bay (Sec. 26-492) [66]. The Houston metro page covers the city and its suburbs, and the truck stop model project in Waller County shows an unzoned county on the I-10 corridor west of the city.

Austin. Site Plan Lite Phase 2 was adopted March 6, 2025 [54, 55]. Austin staff read SB 840 as allowing residential use by right in all commercial base zones [20]. The infill plat drainage review threshold was raised from 11,500 sq ft to 17,780 sq ft [67]. Travis, Williamson and Hays are 30 TAC 213 counties under the Edwards Aquifer rules [39]. Each new dwelling unit needs a unique address or building number before the residential building permit application is submitted [68]. The Austin metro page carries the city's detail.

San Antonio. The ERZD designation is appended to the base zone as a suffix, for example "MF-33(ERZD)" [58]. In the ETJ recharge zone, SAWS Category 3 caps impervious cover at 15% for single-family, multifamily and commercial uses (Ordinance 81491); the Category 2 example is 30% for single-family, 50% for multifamily and 65% for commercial [69]. Floodplain buffer zones take no impervious cover, and the drainage area buffer zone takes 10% at most (City Code Ch. 34, Art. VI, Div. 6) [69, 70]. A SAWS fee applies to underground storage tanks in the recharge and transition zones [58]. The city builds to the 2024 IBC and IEBC, effective May 1, 2025 (Ordinance 2025-01-30-0075) [36]. An accessory dwelling is reviewed against UDC 35-371, with an owner occupancy covenant recorded with Bexar County (Information Bulletin 402) [71]. The San Antonio metro page and the restaurant conversion model project carry the city's detail.

Asset rules that change the Texas plan

Texas asset rules are mostly county and city rules layered on the state triggers above. The rows below carry only rules read from the adopted documents.

AssetRuleNumbers that shape the plan
RV parks and resortsCounty infrastructure orders under Chapter 232, plus the TCEQ water, wastewater and stormwater triggers [9, 44]Parker County: 5.0 acre minimum, internal roads to county road standards, a driveway permit or TxDOT letter [9]; Wilson County: 10 ft between units, and a tiny house on wheels is treated as an RV [72]; Fannin County: 10 per acre [73]; Callahan County: 25 ft separation and PE-sealed water and sewer [74]; Jefferson County: one-way roads 20 ft, two-way 24 ft, cul-de-sacs with a 50 ft radius, and a preliminary site plan stage [10]; El Campo: 20 units per acre (Art. 10.15); Ferris: 22 ft by 36 ft spaces, 10 ft separation, 25 ft from property lines [75, 76]; in Burnet County, an adopted design flow of 100 gallons per space per day puts a 150 to 250 site resort at 15,000 to 25,000 gpd, three to five times the 5,000 gpd TCEQ line [77]
Campgrounds, glamping and cabinsHSC Chapter 762: "campground" includes commercial cabin properties and RV parks (Water Code 13.087), and NFPA 1194 (2021) applies regardless of unit type [48]; Bastrop and Wilson counties treat lodging developments with RV parks under Chapter 232 [2, 72]Bastrop keys on-site sewage plans to the 5,000 gpd threshold [2]
Car washesCity codes set stacking, setbacks and pretreatment [78]Tyler (UDC Sec. 10-389): 3 spaces per automatic service position plus 1, 10 per attendant wash line plus 6, spaces 9 x 20 ft, and lanes abutting residential set back 80 ft [78]; Houston: 2.5 per automated bay [66]; Aubrey (Art. 13.06): grit interceptors and oil-water separators installed before the certificate of occupancy, a 90-day pumping default and full evacuation at least every 180 days [79]; Mansfield: a Specific Use Permit decided on seven findings (155.080(F)), with a fee of $2,500 plus $100 per acre and a $7,500 maximum (Ordinance OR-2379-24) [33, 80]
Fuel and travel centersTCEQ PST registration [41, 42, 43]; in unincorporated Waller County, no zoning, with control through infrastructure rules and Fire Marshal plan review under the 2021 IFC, effective January 1, 2025 [81, 82]Structures in the 100-year floodplain at least 2 ft above the 500-year elevation [81]; frontage road spacing of 425 ft or 510 ft [45]; Buc-ee's San Marcos: 74,000 sf and 128 fueling positions [83]
RV and boat storage, self storageUnincorporated Montgomery County has no zoning; Conroe has no zoning ordinance; Dallas allows a mini-warehouse by SUP only in CR, RR, mixed use and multiple commercial districts (Sec. 51A-4.213(7)) [84, 85, 86]Montgomery County: one Development Permit per canopy or building at $150 plus $0.015 per sq ft, under a County Fire Code (2024 IFC) effective May 14, 2025 [34, 87]; Conroe: detention on tracts of 1 acre or more [35]
Multifamily, mixed use and conversionsSB 840 in covered cities [17, 21]; an owner may convert an office, retail or warehouse building at least five years old to residential or mixed-use residential by right, and a city may not require nonresidential uses in a mixed-use zone [21]The density, height, parking and setback terms set out above [18, 19]
Senior livingThe Health and Human Services Commission licenses assisted living under Health and Safety Code Ch. 247 and 26 TAC Ch. 553, as Type A and Type B; Alzheimer's certification takes a Type B license [88]An architect of record from the first construction document set, at any size [26]
Accessory dwelling unitsTexas has no statewide ADU law: SB 673 passed the Senate on April 10, 2025 and died in the House [89]; Dallas has no by-right path, only ADU Overlay rezoning or a Board of Adjustment special exception [90]Set city by city, as in San Antonio and Austin above [71, 68]
Restaurant conversionsA San Antonio office or retail suite turned full-service restaurant is a change of occupancy to Group A-2 under the 2024 IBC and IEBC [36]Design professional for Group A; TDLR registration at $50,000 or more [36, 22]

Asset detail sits on RV park site plans in Texas, car wash site plans in Texas, gas station site plans in Texas and RV and boat storage site plans in Texas, with the RV park approval guide for Texas counties and the model projects in Bandera County and Montgomery County. National detail is on the RV park, campground, car wash, truck stop and RV and boat storage hubs.

Law changes and shot clocks

LawEffectiveWhat it changes for the plan
SB 2038 (2023)September 1, 2023ETJ release by petition or election under LGC Chapter 42, Subchapters D and E [13]
HB 3699 (2023)September 1, 2023The completeness checklist (LGC 212.0081); plat period extensions for one or more periods of up to 30 days each on written request; wider delegation of plat approval to staff [12, 91]
HB 3697 (2023)Not statedParallel changes for counties in Chapter 232 [24]
SB 840 (2025)September 1, 2025By-right multifamily on commercial land in covered cities, approved administratively once compliance is determined [16, 21]
SB 1 (2025, 2nd C.S.)Signed September 5, 2025NFPA 1194 (2021) for campgrounds, with cabin and floodplain rules [46, 48]
HB 2559 (2025)September 1, 2025Notice, reading and vote rules for development moratoria [49]
SB 673 (2025)Died in the HouseNo statewide ADU mandate [89]

The municipal plat clock is 30 days after filing (LGC 212.009(a)), with a further 30 days after planning commission action where a governing body also approves (LGC 212.009(b)), and extensions under LGC 212.009(b-2) as amended by HB 3699 [3, 91]. HB 3699 removed the site plan from the 30-day approval clock [4, 11]. Other rule-based periods a Texas schedule meets are TCEQ's 90-day technical review of an administratively complete Edwards Aquifer application [61], the 45th-day test for ETJ release petitions [14], and Mansfield's rule that a Specific Use Permit lapses after 2 years unless construction is substantially underway (155.080(H)) [33].

Climate and site factors

Flood and drainage rules are the site factors Texas counties and cities write into their codes most often.

  • Waller County. Structures in the 100-year floodplain are elevated at least 2 ft above the 500-year flood elevation, no development permit issues in a Flood Hazard Area below base flood elevation, and developers provide compensating storage for all fill in the 100-year and 500-year floodplains [81]. The county's zero net increase detention policy sets a 0.55 ac-ft per acre minimum with 30 ft maintenance berms and 4:1 slopes [81].
  • Montgomery County. The Drainage Criteria Manual, adopted August 26, 2025, counts gravel and road base as 100% impervious, with the same 0.85 runoff coefficient as concrete and asphalt [92].
  • Jefferson County. The RV park rules cap headwater elevation at internal culverts (Sec. 9.4) [10].
  • Bandera County. Rental-community rules require 50 ft of lot frontage per lot on an OSSF, a finished floor at least 1 ft above base flood elevation, and no increase in 100-year peak flow [32].

Proof points

  • SB 840 in use. A count of SB 840 activity found 8,488 new housing units across 19 major Texas cities proposed or approved from September 2025 to May 2026 [93]. A practice guide reports that in Austin some rezoning cases were no longer needed after SB 840 [94], while one Austin applicant still pursued a negotiated rezoning (C14-2025-0089) instead of the by-right route [93].
  • Market depth. The Dallas metro ranked first nationally with 71,788 housing units authorized in 2024, and Houston authorized 65,747 [95]. Houston added 126,720 people from July 2024 to July 2025, first nationally, and Dallas-Fort Worth added 123,557, second [96]. Austin's metro authorized 32,294 units in 2024 against 38,773 in 2023 [95].
  • Hotel pipeline. Dallas led the US hotel pipeline with 183 projects and 22,840 rooms at Q2 2026 [97].
  • Storage projects on the TDLR record. Alfalfa RV and Boat Storage in Lago Vista (TABS2023022296) filed $1,400,000 for 47,000 SF, and CY-TEX in Cypress (TABS2025021589), registered June 18, 2025, filed $600,000 for 70,000 SF; both values are owner estimates [98, 99]. Cornerstone RV and Boat Storage in Conroe, registered April 23, 2024, filed an owner estimate of $1,470,000 for paving, a detention pond, an office and 17 storage buildings over 319,181 square feet [100].
  • A travel center approved with conditions. Boerne approved a Buc-ee's on I-10 with dark sky, buffer and traffic-study conditions [101].
  • Construction volume. TCEQ reported 14,572 active construction stormwater NOIs as of October 2023 [37].

What the preliminary plan carries in Texas

The studio's preliminary site plan lays out the whole project short of engineering: where each building sits and what it holds, room and floor plans, the internal road and aisle network, parking, pads and units, and the yield count, all keyed to a site data table. On a Texas site that table leads with jurisdiction (city, ETJ or unincorporated county), then disturbed acreage measured against the 1 acre TXR150000 trigger [6], the hookup count against the 5,000 gpd wastewater line [44], frontage road connection spacing [45], and, on commercial land in a city SB 840 covers, a by-right multifamily yield set beside the commercial scheme [18].

Pipe design for sewer and water, grading, drainage and the stormwater pollution prevention plan stay with the client's engineer of record, who designs and seals them over the preliminary layout; where the Occupations Code calls for an architect, the architect of record seals the building set [5]. Developers use the same sheet at the city or county concept meeting, in a lender package and for a general contractor's pricing. How the handoff works is covered by site plan services and the preliminary versus final site plan guide; site plan cost, what a site plan is and floodplain rules for Texas RV parks give background.

Texas borders Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Arkansas; every state the studio covers is on the service areas page.

Frequently asked questions

Can a Texas county zone my RV park out?

No. LGC 232.101(b) bars a commissioners court from regulating the use of a building or property for business, industrial, residential or other purposes [1]. Counties apply Chapter 232 infrastructure rules instead, as Bastrop and Parker counties do for RV parks [2, 9].

How long does a Texas city have to act on my plat?

30 days after filing under LGC 212.009(a), and a plat the city does not disapprove in that period is approved [3]. On the applicant's written request the period can be extended for one or more periods of up to 30 days each (LGC 212.009(b-2)) [3].

Is my site plan on the 30-day clock?

No. HB 3699 (2023) removed the plan, including the site plan, from the 30-day approval clock, which now protects plats [4, 11].

What makes a plat application complete in Texas?

It contains every item on the city's published completeness checklist, which LGC 212.0081, added by HB 3699, requires the city to publish [12].

Does SB 840 apply in my city?

Only in a city with a population over 150,000 that lies wholly or partly in a county with a population over 300,000 [17, 21]. There, multifamily and mixed-use residential are allowed by right in zones that allow office, commercial, retail, warehouse or mixed use, at 36 units per acre minimum, higher where the city allows more [18].

Do I need an architect for a 15,000 sq ft one-story retail building in Texas?

No, if it is privately owned: an architect is required for a private commercial building only above 2 stories or 20,000 sq ft (Occ. Code 1051.606(a)(4)(D)) [5].

When is TDLR registration required?

At $50,000 or more of estimated construction cost, under 16 TAC 68.50 [8]. The filing fee is $175, or $300 when a project registers late [22].

Does Houston require a plat for development without subdividing?

Yes. A development plat, which Houston defines as a site plan approved under Sec. 42-22, is required for new construction or exterior enlargement in the city and its ETJ [50, 53].

Sources

  1. 1)Local Government Code 232.101(b), limits on county land use regulation (statute text quoted at millercreekrvpark.com), Texas Legislature (text via a secondary site). Accessed 2026-10-10.
  2. 2)Infrastructure Requirements for Lodging and RV Park Developments (court approved Sept. 12, 2022), Bastrop County. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  3. 3)Local Government Code 212.009, plat approval period (text via FindLaw), Texas Legislature (text via FindLaw). Accessed 2026-10-10.
  4. 4)TML Legislative Update, September 1, 2023, Number 35 (HB 3699), Texas Municipal League. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  5. 5)Occupations Code 1051.606, architect exemptions (text via texas.public.law), Texas Legislature (text via texas.public.law). Accessed 2026-10-10.
  6. 6)Stormwater General Permit for Construction Activities, TXR150000, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  7. 7)Elimination of Architectural Barriers at a glance, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (via issuu). Accessed 2026-10-10.
  8. 8)16 TAC Chapter 68, Elimination of Architectural Barriers administrative rules, including 68.50 (text via corada.com), Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (text via corada.com). Accessed 2026-10-10.
  9. 9)Infrastructure Requirements for Recreational Vehicle Parks (December 2024), Parker County. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  10. 10)Appendix 7, Recreational Vehicle Park Development Regulations (2023), Jefferson County. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  11. 11)House Bill 3699, enrolled text (88th Legislature, 2023), Texas Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  12. 12)House Bill 3699, Senate Amendments Section-by-Section Analysis (88th Legislature), Texas Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  13. 13)Bill Analysis, S.B. 2038 (88R), Senate Research Center, Texas Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  14. 14)Elliott v. City of College Station, No. 23-0767, quoting LGC 42.105(d) (txcourts.gov), Supreme Court of Texas. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  15. 15)Implementation of ETJ release bill (SB 2038), memo, City of Austin. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  16. 16)Texas SB 840, enrolled text (via LegiScan), Texas Legislature (text via LegiScan). Accessed 2026-10-10.
  17. 17)SB 840 enrolled bill, Local Government Code Sec. 218.002 (capitol.texas.gov, SB00840F), Texas Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  18. 18)Client Briefing: Texas Senate Bill 840 and Texas Senate Bill 2477 (89th Legislature, 2025 Session), Foley and Lardner. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  19. 19)Texas Senate Bill 840: By-Right Multifamily Development Now in Effect, Haynes Boone. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  20. 20)SB 840, Codes and Ordinances Joint Committee, September 24, 2025, City of Austin. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  21. 21)TML Legislative Update, August 29, 2025, Number 33 (SB 840), Texas Municipal League. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  22. 22)Registration help sheet, EAB FORM-002 (July 2021), Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  23. 23)Chapter 42, Subdivisions, Developments and Platting, redline, City of Houston Planning and Development. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  24. 24)2023 Texas Legislative Update: Issues Affecting Real Estate Entitlement, National Law Review. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  25. 25)2026 County Subdivision Handbook, Texas Association of Counties. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  26. 26)Occupations Code 1051.703, buildings that require an architect (text via texas.public.law), Texas Legislature (text via texas.public.law). Accessed 2026-10-10.
  27. 27)Regulatory compliance determination letter on TBAE rules 1.211 to 1.213, Office of the Governor of Texas. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  28. 28)Occupations Code 1001.053, public works exemption (text via FindLaw), Texas Legislature (text via FindLaw). Accessed 2026-10-10.
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  32. 32)Subdivision and Land Development Regulations (revised through August 25, 2022), Bandera County. Accessed 2026-10-10.
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  43. 43)Petroleum Storage Tanks Registrations: Am I Regulated?, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  44. 44)RG-499 (revised February 2024), utility rules for RV parks and similar developments, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed 2026-10-10.
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  46. 46)SB 1 (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session), House bill analysis, Texas Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
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  54. 54)HOME Amendments, City of Austin. Accessed 2026-10-10.
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