Tarrant County, TX Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Unlike cities, counties in Texas have very limited general zoning power. Tarrant County does not impose citywide setback requirements on most unincorporated parcels. Instead, setbacks are governed by three main sources. First, platted subdivisions filed with the County Clerk commonly dedicate front, side, and rear building lines on the plat itself; these plat setbacks are enforceable through Local Government Code Chapter 232 subdivision rules. Second, OSSF rules under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 and 30 TAC Chapter 285 impose mandatory setbacks from septic tanks and drain fields: typically 5 feet from buildings, 10 feet from property lines, 50 feet from private wells, and 100 feet from public water wells. Third, the Tarrant County Floodplain Administrator enforces floodplain development permits under the National Flood Insurance Program, which can require additional setbacks from floodways and base flood elevations. Tarrant County also enforces IRC residential code setbacks for life-safety issues like fire separation between structures. Within incorporated cities (Fort Worth, Arlington, Grapevine, Keller, Southlake, Mansfield, etc.), municipal zoning ordinances set specific setbacks that preempt county rules. HOA and subdivision CCRs commonly add stricter setbacks than the plat, and these are enforced privately under Texas Property Code Chapter 202.