Bexar County HOA architectural review committees control exterior changes, paint, fences, and accessory structures. Chapter 209 sets procedural rights but CCRs give broad substantive authority.
Most master-planned communities in unincorporated Bexar County and the San Antonio suburbs impose an architectural review process through a recorded Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions. Owners must submit plans for additions, detached structures, pools, fences, paint color changes, driveway expansions, and landscaping modifications before starting work. The architectural control committee, which may be the board itself or a separate ACC, reviews applications against published design guidelines. Chapter 209 of the Texas Property Code imposes several baseline protections. Associations must make design guidelines available to owners on request and post them on the association website. Committees cannot deny an application based on criteria not in the recorded guidelines. Texas Property Code 202.018 requires associations to respond to a written plan submission within a reasonable time, and many CCRs adopted after 2015 specify 30 to 45 day turnaround. Decisions must be in writing with reasons for denial. Owners have a right to request reconsideration and, for certain categories like religious displays, solar panels, and flags, state law limits what the committee may restrict.
Starting work without ACC approval can result in fines under the schedule adopted by the board (typically 50 to 250 dollars per violation), suspension of amenity access, and court orders compelling removal of non-conforming improvements. Willful violations can expose the owner to attorneys fees.
See how Bexar County's architectural review rules stack up against other locations.
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