Texas City, TX Accessory Structures: Garage Conversions (2026)

Texas City Code of Ordinances § 160.026(E) is the garage conversion rule in the zoning chapter. It sits in the parking requirements for District A-2, patio homes, the zero lot line detached single-family district. Division (E)(1) requires all zero lot line homes to have a two-car garage. Division (E)(2) requires driveways designed to accommodate two vehicles off-street. Division (E)(3) then provides that the elimination of a garage space by enclosing the garage with a stationary building wall shall be prohibited.

The practical effect is that a garage in a District A-2 subdivision in Texas City, Galveston County cannot be turned into a bedroom, office or den by framing in the door opening. The wording covers any garage space, so partial enclosure that eliminates one of the two spaces is caught too.

District A-2 was written to squeeze more homes onto smaller lots. It carries a minimum lot area per dwelling unit of 4,000 square feet, a minimum front yard of 15 feet (20 feet where the garage faces the street), and a subdivision size limit of at least 1 acre and at most 10 acres. Because lots are small, the two-car garage and two-vehicle driveway are the parking supply, and the enclosure ban protects it.

Outside District A-2, the residential districts take a different route. Districts A and A-1 require two off-street parking spaces per dwelling unit in their own parking divisions, and § 160.081 sets off-street parking requirements more broadly. Any conversion also needs the Building Official's review under § 160.111, which bars permits unless the plan shows the premises used in conformity with chapter 160. Section 160.109 lists conversion among the acts the Building Official can act against when it violates the chapter.