Tiny home rules in Bexar County, TX — covering tiny houses on wheels (THOWs), park model RVs, and tiny home on foundation builds — determine where they are legal and how they get permitted.
Bexar County cannot restrict tiny homes in unincorporated areas. Texas counties have no zoning or minimum dwelling-size authority. Tiny homes on foundations are treated like any single-family dwelling; a septic (OSSF) permit is required, and floodplain rules apply if applicable.
Texas Local Government Code Ch. 232 expressly bars commissioners courts from regulating the size of buildings on a tract: 'unless otherwise authorized by state law, a commissioners court shall not regulate the size of a building that can be constructed.' Bexar County therefore imposes no minimum-square-footage rule and no separate tiny-home approval. The Bexar County Fire Marshal does not require a building permit for single-family dwellings of three or fewer units. International Residential Code Appendix Q (tiny houses ≤400 sq ft) only applies if a city has adopted it — Bexar County itself has not. State and county requirements that DO apply: an OSSF (septic) permit through Bexar County Environmental Services for any new dwelling, and a Floodplain Development Permit if the site touches the 100-year floodplain. A tiny home on wheels (THOW) registered as an RV is treated as a recreational vehicle, not a dwelling.
Septic without OSSF permit: county Environmental Services enforcement and fines. Floodplain build without permit: NFIP non-compliance, possible removal. No county dwelling-size or design-review violations exist.
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See how Bexar County's tiny homes rules stack up against other locations.
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