ADU rules in Bell County, TX — also called accessory dwelling unit regulations or granny flat ordinances — cover setbacks, owner-occupancy, parking, and permit requirements.
Bell County does NOT have zoning authority over ADUs in unincorporated rural areas. Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233 limits county building authority to specific safety, flood, and subdivision matters; counties cannot impose general residential zoning. Bell County's Subdivision Regulations (most recently updated by Commissioners Court on December 2, 2024) govern lot creation but do not regulate ADU construction on an existing legally-platted lot. Properties inside the ETJ of Killeen, Belton, Temple, or Harker Heights follow that city's ADU rules.
Texas counties lack general zoning authority. Under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233, Bell County may regulate flood-damage prevention, fire-code minimum standards in defined areas, and subdivision platting, but cannot prohibit or specifically permit a homeowner from adding a second dwelling unit on a legally-platted parcel in the unincorporated county. Bell County's Subdivision Regulations (updated December 2, 2024) require a plat any time a tract under ten acres results from division and require 50 feet of frontage on a dedicated public road; they do not address ADU size, owner-occupancy, or unit count on a single platted lot. On-site septic (OSSF) capacity is reviewed by the Bell County Public Health District (254-778-7557) when no sanitary sewer is available, which can be the practical limit on adding a second dwelling. If the parcel falls inside the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Killeen, Belton, Temple, or Harker Heights, that city's subdivision and (where applicable) zoning rules apply. Texas state-level ADU preemption legislation (e.g., proposals carried as Senate Bill 673 in the 89th Legislature and Senate Bill 1412 in the 88th Legislature) has not been enacted into general statewide preemption.
No county-level penalty for adding an ADU on an existing platted parcel, but creating a new lot without a plat where required violates the Subdivision Regulations and Texas Local Government Code Chapter 232 — civil enforcement and refusal of utility connections are available remedies. OSSF non-compliance is enforced by the Bell County Public Health District under Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapter 285, with penalties up to $1,000 per day.
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See how Bell County's adu rules rules stack up against other locations.
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