San Antonio, TX

San Antonio allows commercially sold fire pits with 25-foot clearance from structures. Spark arrestor screens must be in place. Fire pits cannot be used beneath balconies, porches, or…

San Antonio's Property Maintenance Code requires smoke alarms outside every sleeping area in one- and two-family homes, with interconnection and hard-wired power in most cases…

All possession, sale, use, transport, and manufacture of fireworks is prohibited within San Antonio city limits and within 5,000 feet of those limits, per the adopted International…

San Antonio's northwest areas near Camp Bullis and the Hill Country contain wildland-urban interface zones with elevated wildfire risk. The City Manager was authorized under a 2016…

San Antonio Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-46 makes it unlawful to burn solid waste on any premises in the city unless both the TCEQ and the fire department have approved it first…

Selling, transporting, dispensing, or storing propane (LP-gas) in Texas requires a license from the Railroad Commission of Texas under Natural Resources Code Chapter 113. Only the…

San Antonio Municipal Code Chapter 5 regulates pet stores through licensing, sanitation, and consumer disclosures. Texas does not impose a statewide retail puppy or kitten sale ban…

Anyone operating a grooming shop in San Antonio must first get a license from Animal Care Services under Sec. 5-110 of the city code. ACS reviews building construction, sanitation and…

Every dog, cat, and equine in San Antonio must be implanted with a registered microchip before it turns four months old, under Sec. 5-100 of the city code. Owners must keep the…

San Antonio Animal Care Services treats hoarding as cruelty under SAMC Chapter 5 and Texas Penal Code Section 42.092. ACS removes animals from neglectful conditions, and counts above…

Anyone operating an animal rescue organization in San Antonio, including one housing wild birds or reptiles, must first obtain a license from Animal Care Services. Operating…

San Antonio's Unified Development Code confines veterinary hospitals to industrial-zoned land: a small-animal veterinary hospital is permitted by right only in the "L" Light Industrial…

San Antonio bans feeding or sheltering wild animals and birds anywhere on airport property at San Antonio International and Stinson Municipal airports, with a narrow carve-out for…

San Antonio Municipal Code Chapter 5 treats cats as companion animals subject to rabies vaccination, ACS licensing, and humane care. Free-roaming cats may be impounded, and registered…

San Antonio sets no hive count, no setback, and no permit for backyard beekeeping. Honeybees fall outside both the city animal code and the Unified Development Code, so residential…

San Antonio bans no dog breeds. Texas Health & Safety Code 822.047 forbids breed-specific local rules, so pit bulls and every other breed are legal. The city instead regulates…

San Antonio lets a home keep up to eight domestic fowl with only one rooster, no permit required, plus two head of livestock. Fowl need a coop and run of at least 24 square feet.

San Antonio is one of the strongest mandatory spay-neuter cities in Texas. SAMC Section 5-26 requires all dogs and cats over six months to be sterilized unless owners hold an Intact…

San Antonio requires every dog owner to keep the animal on a leash whenever it leaves the owner's property, per Sec. 5-19 of the city code. Sec. 5-150(1) separately makes it a public…

San Antonio prohibits keeping wild and exotic animals within city limits under Chapter 5 of the Code of Ordinances. Prohibited species include non-human primates, wolf hybrids…

Feeding any animal or fowl belonging to the San Antonio Zoo, other than food purchased from the zoo's own vending machines, is illegal under Sec. 22-58, unless the San Antonio…

San Antonio requires any yard parking pad used for a vehicle, trailer, camper, or watercraft to be built of gravel with curbing, concrete, brick, or asphalt, and caps its width at 50…

San Antonio lets residents petition the Center City Development Office to create a resident-only parking permit zone under City Code Sec. 19-433 when at least 60 percent of curbside…

San Antonio limits commercial vehicles to 30 minutes in a marked loading zone under Sec. 19-163, bars noncommercial vehicles from loading zones between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., and fines…

Painting house or street numbers on San Antonio curbs or driveway approaches for pay is a licensed trade. Sec. 29-51 makes it unlawful to run that business, or work in it, without a…

San Antonio Code Chapter 19, Article VI regulates parking. Front yard parking on residential properties requires wheels on permanently maintained surfaces (concrete, asphalt, brick, or…

San Antonio restricts parking commercial vehicles in residential zones (City Code §19-194), and its Unified Development Code §35-383 bars truck-tractors, semi-trailers, and…

San Antonio bars parking a motor vehicle, watercraft, non-motorized camper, or trailer in the side or front yard of homes in the city's residential zoning districts under City Code…

San Antonio regulates abandoned and junked vehicles under Chapter 19, Article X (Junked Vehicles) and Sec. 19-396 (Wrecked/Abandoned Vehicles). Inoperable, unregistered, or dismantled…

New nonresidential buildings in San Antonio must reserve electrical panel capacity for future EV charging under a 2021 IECC amendment, Section C409. The rule requires enough spare…

San Antonio regulates on-street parking through Chapter 19, Article VI of the Code of Ordinances. Time-limited parking is enforced between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM in posted areas (Sec…

Texas Occupations Code chapter 2308 sets the statewide rules for nonconsent towing and vehicle booting. A vehicle owner has 14 business days to demand a hearing in the justice court…

San Antonio puts the job of keeping trees off the sidewalk squarely on the property owner. Sec. 29-10 requires every occupant, owner or agent to keep trees and shrubs on their premises…

San Antonio bans weeds and grass over 12 inches in height on lots and parcels, treating them as a public nuisance. Code Enforcement can fine the owner and the city will mow the…

San Antonio actively encourages rainwater harvesting through SAWS (San Antonio Water System) rebate programs. SAWS offers $1.00 per gallon of storage up to $2,000 for residential…

San Antonio City Code section 34-323 assigns each property a landscape watering day by street address and bars in-ground sprinklers between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Under Stage I, irrigation…

San Antonio promotes native and drought-adapted landscaping as part of its water conservation strategy, enforced through SAWS drought restriction stages. During Stage 1 restrictions…

San Antonio requires a tree permit before removing a significant or heritage tree, clearing land, grading, or expanding a building or parking lot past 2,500 square feet. Sec…

San Antonio does not have a specific ordinance prohibiting or regulating artificial turf on residential properties. Given the city's emphasis on water conservation through SAWS…

San Antonio bans car stereos and vehicle sound systems audible 30 feet or more from the vehicle, or felt as vibration outside it, under City Code Sec. 21-54, with no intent…

San Antonio has not banned gas-powered leaf blowers and likely cannot enforce one because Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 382 reserves air-quality regulation to the state, while…

San Antonio treats amplified music and sound equipment as a noise nuisance under City Code Sec. 21-52(a)(1) whenever it disturbs a person of reasonable sensibilities, and backs that…

San Antonio noise ordinance quiet hours are 10 PM–6 AM Sun–Thu and 11 PM–6 AM Fri–Sat (City Code Ch. 21, Art. III). Residential cap 63 dB(A) day / 56 dB(A) night at the receiving…

San Antonio makes barking a public nuisance under Chapter 5. An animal noise nuisance means two recorded events in 24 hours where a dog is heard continuously for 20 minutes at 100…

San Antonio amended its construction noise ordinance in February 2022 (the 'Goodnight Construction Site' ordinance). Exterior construction is limited to 6 AM–10 PM Sun–Thu and 6 AM–11…

San Antonio does not cap aircraft noise by decibel; instead the aviation department's Chapter 3 code sets a formal complaint channel. Residents can report aircraft noise from San…

San Antonio regulates industrial noise under Chapter 21, Article III of the Code of Ordinances. Industrial zones have maximum permissible sound levels of 72 dB(A) daytime and 65 dB(A)…

San Antonio requires every short-term rental listing to display a valid city permit number, and it makes hosting platforms responsible for pulling noncompliant listings. Under Sec…

San Antonio's Type 1 short-term rental category is reserved for units that are owner- or operator-occupied under Sec. 16-1107(a). A non-owner-occupied unit must instead permit as a…

A San Antonio short-term rental permit must be revoked once a property racks up three or more citations accepted by municipal court within a rolling three-year period, under Sec…

San Antonio requires every short-term rental owner or operator to file a monthly Hotel Occupancy Tax report under Sec. 16-1104.01, even in months with zero rental revenue. Platforms…

San Antonio requires every short-term rental applicant to carry, at minimum, a liability insurance policy covering guest personal injury under Sec. 16-1108(c), and to self-certify that…

San Antonio requires STR permits through Development Services Department under UDC §35-374.01. Type 1 (owner-occupied) permits cost $300/3 years; Type 2 (non-owner-occupied) cost…

Under Sec. 16-1107(a)(2), a San Antonio Type 1 short-term rental requires that the owner be generally present at the property while it operates, distinguishing it from a whole-unit…

San Antonio short-term rentals must observe quiet hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday under Sec. 16-1108(e), and repeated noise…

Short-term rental operators must identify the off-street parking spaces serving the property on the permit application and comply with the parking standards in UDC Section 35-526…

San Antonio's STR ordinance (UDC § 35-374.01, updated by Ordinance 2024-06-13-0433) requires STR permit applications to specify maximum guest capacity, with sleeping areas and…

San Antonio exempts a home-based business from the sign permit process for exactly one on-premise sign, but the exemption is narrow: the sign cannot exceed one square foot of facing…

San Antonio allows home occupations by right in residential zoning under UDC Sec. 35-378, provided the business stays invisible from the street: no altered exterior, no outdoor…

San Antonio bars any home occupation from generating on-street parking or substantially increasing traffic in the neighborhood, under UDC Sec. 35-378(b). The same section folds in the…

Home daycare operations in San Antonio are regulated by the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (SAMHD) and must comply with state licensing through the Texas Health and Human…

Cottage food operations are explicitly allowed in San Antonio's residential zones. UDC § 35-378(b)(4) exempts cottage food businesses from home occupation prohibitions. Operators must…

San Antonio caps accessory dwelling units at 800 square feet, or up to 1,600 square feet if that stays under half the primary home's floor area, under UDC Sec. 35-371. Detached units…

San Antonio requires the property owner to live in either the main house or the accessory dwelling as a permanent residence under UDC Sec. 35-371(a)(1), and bars charging rent on the…

San Antonio bars pure rental income from accessory dwelling units: the property owner must live in either the main house or the ADU as a permanent residence and can never collect rent…

Texas has no tiny-home-specific statute. Any transportable, chassis-mounted dwelling that reaches 320 square feet is manufactured housing under Occupations Code Chapter 1201, built to…

Building a residential swimming pool or spa in San Antonio requires a permit from Development Services. Apply through the BuildSA Customer Portal with a scaled site plan, and keep the…

San Antonio enforces the 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) Section 305 for residential pool barriers, requiring a 48-inch perimeter fence with self-closing…

San Antonio requires a new or repaired retaining wall to be designed by a registered professional engineer, with plans approved by the director of public works before a building permit…

San Antonio UDC §35-514 limits solid front-yard fences to 3 feet and open/decorative fences to 4–5 feet in front yards. Rear and side yards allow up to 8 feet under certain conditions…

San Antonio requires a building permit before constructing or substantially replacing a residential fence, issued by the Development Services Department for a flat $25 fee. The only…

San Antonio UDC §35-514 specifies approved fence materials: wood, chain link, stone, rock, concrete block, masonry brick, decorative wrought iron, or similar durable materials…

Texas treats boundary fences as private matters between neighbors. Bexar County does not mediate disputes, and shared costs require written agreement. HOA covenants and surveys usually…

Garage sale signage in San Antonio is regulated under Chapter 16, Article XII (Garage Sales) and Chapter 28 (Signs). Residents may post up to 3 signs to advertise their sale, beginning…

Along the IH-10 West/Loop 1604 corridor outside city limits, San Antonio bans off-premise billboards outright and caps on-premise freeway-facing signs at 40 feet (pole) or 50 feet…

Inside any San Antonio historic district or on a designated landmark, a window sign, defined under UDC Sec. 35-612 as anything placed inside a window or on the glass to communicate…

Inside San Antonio's Military Lighting Overlay Districts near Lackland AFB, Randolph AFB, Camp Bullis/Camp Stanley and Martindale Army Air Field, decorative holiday lighting is exempt…

New off-premises digital signs, digital billboards, are prohibited across San Antonio and its ETJ. Only the roughly 13 LED billboards from a 2007 pilot program, plus narrowly…

Political signs in San Antonio are regulated as temporary signs under Chapter 28 (Signs) of the Code of Ordinances. They may be displayed for up to 90 consecutive days, must be staked…

Since 2021, Texas House Bill 1927 lets most adults 21 and older carry a handgun concealed without a permit. The optional License to Carry under Texas Government Code chapter 411 still…

Under the Motorist Protection Act, Texas Penal Code section 46.02(a-1) lets adults legally entitled to possess a firearm carry a handgun inside their own motor vehicle or watercraft…

Texas allows open carry of handguns in a holster for adults 21 and older. House Bill 1927 (2021) removed the License to Carry requirement. Long guns have long been openly carried. San…

Texas Local Government Code Section 229.001 broadly preempts municipal regulation of firearms, ammunition, knives, and related accessories. Cities cannot adopt or enforce ordinances…

San Antonio does not regulate plastic straws or stirrers. Texas state law preempts city container regulations, and restaurants may distribute single-use plastic straws freely without…

San Antonio has no ordinance restricting expanded polystyrene foam cups, plates, or takeout containers. Texas state law preempts local container bans, so restaurants and retailers may…

Bexar County cannot ban plastic carryout bags. The Texas Supreme Court in City of Laredo v. Laredo Merchants Association struck down local bag bans as preempted by the Texas Health and…

Texas SB 4 (2017), codified in Government Code Chapter 752, prohibits any Texas city from adopting sanctuary policies. San Antonio is not a sanctuary city; SAPD must honor ICE…

Under Texas Government Code Section 673, Bexar County agencies, public colleges, and state contractors with seven or more employees must enroll in the federal E-Verify system to…

San Antonio enforces IFC and IBC sprinkler requirements through SAMC Chapter 10 and 11 for new commercial and multifamily construction. Texas Government Code Section 1301.551 preempts…

San Antonio has not adopted a mandatory green building code such as IgCC or CALGreen. The Build San Antonio Green program and CPS Energy rebates incentivize voluntary residential and…

San Antonio's Fire Code, Sec. 11-40 amending Section 915.4, requires carbon monoxide detection in new buildings and points existing buildings to Section 1103.9. Under Section 1103.9.1…

San Antonio's Property Maintenance Code requires every dwelling unit door to have hardware that tightly secures the entrance, plus security devices on doors, attic access, windows and…

San Antonio's Code Official carries the authority to inspect any structure under the Property Maintenance Code, accepting written reports from approved agencies or inspecting directly…

San Antonio enforces the 2023 National Electrical Code as its electrical standard, with city-specific amendments in Sec. 10-52 covering everything from dwelling-unit definitions to…

San Antonio enforces the 2024 International Plumbing Code, Chapters 2 through 15 plus Appendices B through E, as its plumbing standard under Sec. 10-81, layered with local amendments…

Before you build, enlarge, alter, move, demolish, or change a building's occupancy in San Antonio, City Code Sec. 10-6(a) requires applying to the Building Official and obtaining a…

San Antonio childcare centers are licensed and inspected by Texas Health and Human Services Commission Child Care Regulation under 26 TAC Chapter 746, layered with SAMC Chapter 10…

San Antonio adopts the International Building Code (IBC) with local amendments through Chapter 10 of the Code of Ordinances. Scaffold erection and use must comply with OSHA 29 CFR 1926…

Elevator safety in San Antonio is regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 754. All elevators, escalators, and…

SAWS WaterSaver Landscape Coupon, administered by the Conservation Department, pays residential customers for replacing high-water turf with drought-tolerant landscape, supporting…

SAWS' recycled water program, set out in San Antonio Code Secs. 34-1141 through 34-1145, limits recycled water to commercial, industrial, irrigation, and streamflow uses under a…

San Antonio's drought and water conservation ordinance classifies failing to repair a controllable leak as unlawful "waste" of water. SAWS enforces the rule citywide and in its ETJ…

San Antonio Municipal Code Chapter 21 and Texas Penal Code Section 42.01 (Disorderly Conduct) prohibit urinating or defecating in any public place. The act is a Class C misdemeanor…

San Antonio Municipal Code Chapter 21 bans aggressive solicitation involving touching, blocking pedestrians, persistent following, threatening conduct, or solicitation near ATMs and…

Marijuana possession stays a state crime in San Antonio: two ounces or less is a Class B misdemeanor under Texas Health and Safety Code 481.121. Since July 2019, SAPD officers may cite…

San Antonio bans loitering in public for the purpose of soliciting prostitution under City Code Sec. 21-25(c), a Class C misdemeanor. Officers must weigh circumstances like repeated…

Riding a skateboard, bicycle, skates or rollerblades in a San Antonio city park is illegal outside a short list of approved spots. Sec. 22-26 confines wheeled recreation to designated…

San Antonio Municipal Code Chapter 21 caps residential noise at 70 dB(A) day and 63 dB(A) overnight at the property line. SAPD can cite hosts and tenants, while repeat-call…

The 2011 San Antonio Smoke-Free Air Ordinance, codified at SAMC Chapter 13, bans smoking in restaurants, bars, workplaces, sports venues, and within 20 feet of building entrances…

Texas Transportation Code Section 552.005 requires pedestrians outside marked crosswalks to yield to oncoming vehicles. San Antonio Police continue to cite jaywalkers, unlike…

Inside San Antonio's downtown central business district, it is a Class C misdemeanor to hold an open container or drink alcohol in public. Consumption on a licensed bar or restaurant…

San Antonio hotels collect a 9% city Hotel Occupancy Tax under SAMC Chapter 31 (7% general plus 2% expansion) on top of the 6% Texas state HOT, producing a 15% combined burden…

San Antonio caps noise from entertainment-zoned property, the bars, nightclubs and live-music venues where amplified sound concentrates, at 85 decibels using the Leq averaging method…

San Antonio classifies the continued or frequent sounding of a car horn, alarm or other vehicle signal device as a noise nuisance under City Code Sec. 21-52(a)(4), unless the horn is…

San Antonio's noise ordinance exempts air-conditioning units, heat pumps, and pool equipment from citation only when sound stays at or below 63 dBA on residential property or 70 dBA on…

Generators in unincorporated Bexar County are regulated only by TX Penal Code 42.01 and electrical permit rules. Emergency-outage use is broadly reasonable; San Antonio Chapter 21 dBA…

Drone pilots cannot fly inside the Class C or D airspace covering San Antonio International and Stinson Municipal Airports without FAA Air Traffic Control Tower authorization. Anyone…

Texas law (Government Code § 423.009) preempts local drone regulation, so San Antonio cannot enact its own UAS ordinances. Recreational drone operators must follow FAA rules, including…

Any person, including a tenant, can trigger a San Antonio dangerous-building inspection by filing a complaint that a hotel, apartment or other building may be substandard or unsafe…

San Antonio enrolls apartment complexes of five or more units in a mandatory Apartment Inspection Program once an owner racks up three program points in six months. Enrolled owners…

Uber, Lyft and other transportation network companies operating at San Antonio's airports must use the TNC's own app for every trip and confine pick-ups and drop-offs to zones the…

San Antonio's Sec. 19-660 splits micromobility devices into three legal classes: electric bicycles capped at 20 mph and 100 pounds, motor-assisted scooters with a motor no bigger than…

San Antonio requires any dockless scooter or e-bike company to register and hold a city permit agreement before charging riders. Fleet size is capped at the number the permit…

San Antonio's Bike Plan and SAMC Chapter 19 govern bicycle operation on city streets, requiring motorists to provide three feet of passing distance, while the citywide bike network…

Texas lets golf carts onto public roads in four defined situations rather than by general permission: inside a platted master planned community, on a beach open to vehicular traffic…

San Antonio levies a local occupation tax on every business, profession or occupation equal to half the state's occupation tax and fee for that classification. Operators must buy a…

San Antonio taxes and decals every skill, pleasure, or music coin-operated machine, the category covering eight-liner and game-room devices, at up to a quarter of the state occupation…

Texas nonprofits can conduct bingo only under a license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which absorbed the Texas Lottery Commission's charitable bingo program on…

Texas Penal Code § 47.02(a) makes betting at cards, dice, or any game of chance a Class C misdemeanor. Section 47.02(b) supplies a defense: gambling that happens in a private place…

Texas licenses no retail sportsbook and no betting app. Placing a wager on the outcome of a game, contest, or a player's performance is a criminal offense under Penal Code §…

San Antonio adopts the San Antonio Property Maintenance Code as its minimum housing standard under Sec. 6-51, and multifamily complexes with five or more units that rack up repeated…

San Antonio has NO local just-cause eviction ordinance. Texas is a no-cause termination state under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001: a month-to-month tenancy may be ended by either party on…

Texas Property Code Sections 92.101 through 92.110 set statewide security-deposit rules for San Antonio landlords. Deposits must be returned within 30 days of move-out with an itemized…

Texas allows landlords to end fixed-term leases at expiration and to terminate month-to-month tenancies with at least 30 days' written notice for any lawful reason. San Antonio has no…

San Antonio has no comprehensive tenant anti-harassment ordinance like Los Angeles or Seattle. Tenants rely on Texas Property Code Section 92.331 retaliation rules and SA Fair Housing…

Texas has no statewide source-of-income protection. San Antonio Fair Housing Code Chapter 2-92 covers traditional protected classes but does not broadly add source of income citywide…

San Antonio has NO local rent control ordinance. Tex. Local Gov't Code § 214.902 preempts any Texas municipality from adopting rent control unless the governor approves it after a…

San Antonio does not have a comprehensive rental property registration program for standard residential rentals. However, the city does require short-term rental registration through…

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005, a Texas landlord must give a defaulting or holdover tenant at least three days' written notice to vacate before filing a forcible detainer (eviction)…

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.019 a residential late fee must be reasonable and may be charged only if written in the lease and the rent stays unpaid two full days after due. A fee is…

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001, either party may end a month-to-month tenancy by giving notice, and the tenancy ends on the later of the date in the notice or one month after notice is…

In Texas a squatter can claim title only through adverse possession, with periods that shorten as the claim strengthens: 3 years under title or color of title (§ 16.024), 5 years with…

San Antonio provides a green cart for yard trimmings and food scraps under Sec. 14-17, but the program is not mandatory: a resident can decline it entirely and simply keep once-a-week…

San Antonio homes must use and pay for the city's garbage, brush, and refuse service; Sec. 14-30(a) makes it mandatory outside a narrow apartment or mobile-home-park exemption, with…

San Antonio residents get a blue recycling cart with once-a-week pickup under Sec. 14-12, accepting paper, cardboard, metal cans, and rigid plastics loose and unbagged. Carts with…

San Antonio's Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-41 sets tight placement and collection windows for commercial dumpsters and roll-out containers, especially downtown. In the Central Business…

San Antonio picks up brush only twice a year on a fixed, evenly spaced citywide schedule under Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-13, and it's unlawful to set brush at curbside outside that…

San Antonio collects garbage weekly, with recycling and organics on separate days. Use the city's My Collection Day tool to find your days. When a holiday falls on a weekday, that day…

Dumping trash, debris, junk, or garbage on any San Antonio street, waterway, drain, or public or private lot is unlawful and a declared public nuisance under Municipal Code section…

San Antonio provides curbside bulky item collection for single-family residents through the Solid Waste Management Department. Items not accepted include brush, construction debris…

San Antonio's solid waste management department sets exact rules for where wheeled carts go and when: clear of sidewalks, mailboxes, and parked cars by three feet, out no earlier than…

San Antonio issues every serviced household a blue cart for weekly recycling under Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-12. Only city-designated materials go in loose, never bagged, and the…

San Antonio requires every food establishment to post its current health permit and the latest city inspection report where customers can see it. The Metropolitan Health District also…

San Antonio relies on Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 728 and Metro Health guidance for sharps disposal. Used syringes must go in puncture-resistant containers, never in household…

Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 438 requires every San Antonio food employee to complete an accredited food handler course within 60 days of hire. Metro Health enforces during…

San Antonio's Property Maintenance Code (SAPMC) requires all structures to be maintained free of pest infestations. Property owners must eliminate rodent, insect, and vermin harborage…

San Antonio requires a procession permit under City Code Sec. 19-631 before organizing any parade, march or public assembly that blocks the normal flow of pedestrian or vehicular…

San Antonio requires a Fire Code operational permit before running any portable outdoor gas-fired heating appliance, from patio heaters to event-scale units. Section 324 of the amended…

Any food booth at a San Antonio street fair or festival needs a Fire Code operational permit, $35 a day if prepaid or $45 if paid on site, under Section 323 of the amended 2024…

Reserving a San Antonio park pavilion for a birthday party, family reunion or other gathering requires a paid reservation through the Department of Parks and Recreation. Sec. 22-10…

Restaurants in San Antonio's downtown business district need an annual sidewalk cafe permit from the Downtown Operations Department before placing tables and chairs on the public…

San Antonio makes it unlawful to camp in any public place outside city-designated areas under City Code Sec. 21-28, a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to $500. The ban covers…

San Antonio bars sitting or lying in the downtown right-of-way when it blocks pedestrians, but only after a police warning. The central-business-district rule under City Code Sec…

San Antonio requires a director-issued permit before anyone builds a fire escape, balcony, awning or connecting walkway that extends into a public street, alley, sidewalk area or…

Abutting property owners in San Antonio, not the city, are on the hook for sidewalk, curb, parkway and driveway repairs. Sec. 29-11 requires owners to keep these areas in good, safe…

San Antonio makes it unlawful to place or maintain 'appurtenances' (planters, trash receptacles, fences, vending machines, public artwork, bike racks and similar street furniture) on…

Most San Antonio city parks close at 11:00 p.m. and reopen at 5:00 a.m., with Woodlawn Lake Park closing at midnight and natural-area creekway parks closing at sunset. Sec. 22-28 makes…

San Antonio's youth curfew, City Code Secs. 21-121 through 21-125, still bars anyone under 17 from public places between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., and from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on school…

Shooting commercial film or movie production in a San Antonio city park, on the River Walk, or at Alamo Plaza requires a permit from the San Antonio Film Commission. Sec. 22-34 sets…

San Antonio's Unified Development Code excludes Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) from tree preservation protection. Owners and developers may remove it without a tree permit…

San Antonio names eight non-native invasive tree species, including Chinese tallow, tree of heaven and salt cedar, as unprotected under its tree preservation ordinance. Sec…

Bexar County and San Antonio do not have specific ordinances restricting bamboo. Texas state law does not regulate bamboo planting. Encroaching bamboo may be addressed under general…

Texas HB 1686 (2023) protects front-yard vegetable gardens across Bexar County. Neither municipalities nor HOAs can ban food production on residential property. San Antonio also…

San Antonio's Unified Development Code requires new construction and substantially improved structures in the regulatory floodplain to sit at least one foot above the base flood…

San Antonio adopted the IECC with local amendments through SAMC Chapter 10, requiring high-reflectance and high-emissivity roofing on low-slope commercial and multifamily roofs in…

Bexar County opted into TCEQ Rule 30 TAC 114.512, prohibiting commercial vehicles over 14,000 pounds GVWR from idling more than five consecutive minutes when temperatures fall between…

San Antonio bans dumping acids, oils, paint, automotive fluids, pesticides and other pollutants into the city's Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) under Code of Ordinances…

Within the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone, San Antonio Code Sec. 34-912 bans nearly all construction in designated floodplain preservation areas covering watersheds over 100 acres. The…

San Antonio's UDC requires property developers to manage all stormwater flowing through their property, including drainage from upstream development. The Storm Water Design Criteria…

Texas prohibits damaging, destroying, or removing a sand dune or its vegetation seaward of a dune protection line or within a critical dune area unless a permit authorizes the work…

San Antonio can designate a building, site, structure or district a historic and cultural landmark under UDC Sec. 35-607 once it meets at least three of ten listed criteria, from…

Any exterior change to a building in a San Antonio historic district, or to a designated landmark, needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic and Design Review Commission…

San Antonio's Unified Development Code confines tattoo parlors and body piercing studios to "C-3" General Commercial zoning: Table 311-2's Nonresidential Use Matrix marks both uses "P"…

San Antonio outlaws vehicle painting, service, or repair as a home occupation anywhere in the city's residential zoning districts, under UDC Sec. 35-378(b)(1). Unlike other…

San Antonio towing companies must hold a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation license under Occupations Code Chapter 2308 plus a city wrecker permit under SAMC Chapter 19…

San Antonio licenses sexually oriented businesses under San Antonio Municipal Code Chapter 21 and zones them through Unified Development Code Section 35-373, requiring annual permits…

Every San Antonio retailer selling cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, or alternative nicotine must hold an annual Texas Comptroller permit under Tax Code Chapter 154…

San Antonio secondhand dealers, including used-jewelry buyers, used-merchandise stores, and metal recyclers, must register under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1956 and report…

Pawnbrokers operating in San Antonio must hold a Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner license under Texas Finance Code Chapter 371. Maximum interest is roughly 20% per month on…

Massage therapists and establishments in San Antonio must hold Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation credentials under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 455. SAPD Vice and Code…

Any infill or redevelopment project on property zoned 'D' Downtown must follow the Downtown Design Guide in UDC Appendix G, per Sec. 35-310.11(b) and Sec. 35-425. Sec. 35-650 layers a…

San Antonio's Unified Development Code lets developers build more units as of right under Sec. 35-360 by trading extra open space, affordable units, or commercial retrofits for density…

San Antonio's Unified Development Code (UDC), codified at SAMC Chapter 35, governs zoning, subdivision, and land use citywide. The SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan and dozens of…

San Antonio's Unified Development Code sets aside an FR Farm and Ranch zoning district to preserve rural, agricultural land with a 25-acre minimum lot size and by prohibiting…

Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 251 protects farms operating one year or longer from nuisance suits based on changed surrounding conditions. The state shield applies in San Antonio but…

San Antonio requires street trees along the public right-of-way whenever a development adds five or more parking spaces or goes through subdivision review. Sec. 35-512 sets spacing by…

San Antonio protects any tree of six inches or greater trunk diameter as a 'significant tree,' but five hardy natives, Ashe juniper, huisache, mesquite, Arizona ash and hackberry, need…

San Antonio classifies a tree as a heritage tree once it reaches 24 inches in trunk diameter, or just 12 inches for six ornamental natives like Texas persimmon and Texas mountain…

San Antonio caps how bright a digital sign or billboard can glow under Code of Ordinances Sec. 28-43: full-color displays can't exceed 7,000 nits by day or 2,500 nits at night, with…

San Antonio's Unified Development Code requires outdoor lighting for signs, parking, and other uses to be arranged so the light source is concealed from adjacent residential…

San Antonio requires full-cutoff fixtures on residential lighting that reaches the property line, and caps parking-lot light poles at 15 to 30 feet depending on the fixture's cutoff…

San Antonio's Unified Development Code requires any homeowners' association formed to maintain a subdivision's common facilities, like parks or open space, to adopt articles of…

San Antonio HOAs draw their fine power from the Texas Residential Property Owners Protection Act, not a city ordinance. Since January 2024 an association must adopt a written…

Texas Property Code Chapter 209 (the Residential Property Owners Protection Act) requires all HOA board meetings to be open to homeowners. Boards must provide advance written notice of…

Texas Property Code Chapter 202 and Chapter 209 govern HOA architectural review authority. Associations may enforce deed restrictions on exterior modifications, but must follow…

Texas Property Code Chapter 209 governs HOA assessments and liens. Associations with 15 or more lots must offer payment plans for overdue assessments (minimum 3-month term). Before…

Texas Property Code Section 209.007 provides homeowners with the right to a hearing before the board or a board-appointed committee to dispute violations or fines. Before filing suit…

Texas Property Code Chapters 202 and 209 govern enforcement of CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions). The association must provide written notice and a 30-day cure period before…

Property Code Section 202.007 voids any homeowners association rule that bans drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving natural turf, and Section 202.008 bars fines for a brown…

Texas Property Code section 202.012 stops homeowners associations from banning display of the U.S. flag, the Texas flag, or an official U.S. armed forces flag. An association can…

A Texas property owners' association cannot sell your home at a trustee's sale the way a mortgage lender can. Tex. Prop. Code Section 209.0092 requires the association to obtain a…

Texas Property Code Section 209.016 sets no cap on how much of a subdivision an association can rent out, no minimum lease term, and no grandfather clause: a declaration can still ban…

Texas Labor Code Chapter 62 reserves minimum-wage authority to the state and ties Texas to the federal $7.25 floor. San Antonio cannot enact a higher private-employer minimum, so…

Texas appellate courts have struck down municipal paid sick leave ordinances in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio as preempted under the Texas Minimum Wage Act. HB 2127 (2023) further…

San Antonio cannot ban flavored tobacco or flavored vape products. Texas House Bill 1771, signed in 2023, preempts cities and counties from regulating the sale, distribution…

Selling, giving, or furnishing tobacco, e-cigarettes, or any nicotine product to anyone under 21 is illegal in San Antonio under Texas Health & Safety Code section 161.082, which…

San Antonio's Fire Code bars barbecue pits, grills, and fuel-fired heaters in apartment and condo buildings whenever they create a fire hazard, and it specifically prohibits use within…

San Antonio's Fire Code Section 4104.2 bans operating charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of a combustible surface. The…

Anyone operating a food truck, pushcart, trailer, or vending food on foot in San Antonio must hold a current mobile food establishment permit from the Metropolitan Health District…

San Antonio bars mobile food vending within 300 feet of a school around school hours, bans it in the downtown business district without a special permit, and caps residential-area…

Under Texas Health & Safety Code Section 437.0045, a county, city, or public health district may require a food truck permit only if the Department of State Health Services would…

After severe weather, San Antonio has no guaranteed storm-debris pickup. City Code section 14-25(e) gives the Solid Waste Management director authority to decide the response; absent…

San Antonio has no ordinance targeting cryptocurrency mining. Facilities are allowed by right in nonresidential zoning like any data-processing use. The only mandatory rule is Texas's…

San Antonio's UDC has no dedicated data-center use. Data centers fall under "Office Data Processing & Management" in the Nonresidential Use Matrix, permitted by right in office…

San Antonio sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks per zoning district in the Unified Development Code's dimensional matrix, Table 310-1. A single-family lot zoned R-20 needs…

Building height in San Antonio is capped per zoning district in UDC Table 310-1 and administered under Sec. 35-517. Single-family districts R-20 and R-6 top out at 35 feet or 2½…

San Antonio caps accessory structures, garages, sheds, workshops, at 50 percent of the combined side and rear yard area on any lot. Sec. 35-370(b) adds a hard floor-area ceiling of…

Texas has no recreational cannabis program, so San Antonio's Unified Development Code provides no commercial cannabis zoning. Only state-licensed Compassionate Use dispensing…

Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 481 prohibits all personal cannabis cultivation. San Antonio cannot authorize home grows under home-rule authority, and any number of plants…

Home cultivation of marijuana is illegal in San Antonio under Texas state law. Texas Health & Safety Code § 481.121 makes possession of marijuana a criminal offense, and cultivation…

San Antonio maintains a no-soliciting framework where residents can display 'No Soliciting' signs. While the city does not operate a formal no-knock registry, solicitors who ignore…

San Antonio Code Chapter 22 requires solicitors, peddlers, and itinerant vendors to obtain a permit from the city through SAPD. Applicants undergo fingerprinting and a background…

Texas Health and Safety Code Sec. 342.004 lets San Antonio require every property owner to keep real property free of weeds, brush and nuisance conditions, and Sec. 342.008 lets the…

San Antonio enforces property blight standards through the San Antonio Property Maintenance Code (SAPMC, effective May 2025) and Chapter 6, Article IV of the Code of Ordinances. Code…

Solar panel installation in San Antonio requires a building permit from the Development Services Department and pre-approval from CPS Energy for grid-tied systems. UDC § 35-398 governs…

Texas Property Code § 202.010 prohibits HOAs from banning or unreasonably restricting solar energy devices, including solar panels and solar roof tiles (added by HB 431). HOAs may…

San Antonio limits residential properties to 4 garage sales per year, one per quarter, under Chapter 16, Article XII. Each sale may last no more than 2 consecutive days. Registered…

Texas is a one-party consent state. You may legally record a conversation if you are a party to it or have consent from one participant. Texas Penal Code §16.02 governs wiretapping…

Residential security cameras are legal in Bexar County without a permit. Texas allows video recording on your property and publicly visible areas. Cameras must not target private…

The Texas Legislature has authorized exactly one vehicle checkpoint program, and it has nothing to do with alcohol. Government Code Section 411.0095 lets the Department of Public…

Texas has never enacted an express statutory right to film police, so the legal boundary for a bystander with a phone is set by the offense of Interference with Public Duties, Texas…

Texas Penal Code Section 38.02 makes it a crime to refuse your name, residence address, or date of birth only after a peace officer has already lawfully arrested you. Being detained on…

No Texas statute obliges a driver to consent to a vehicle search, and none requires an officer to warn you that you may refuse. What Texas law does require is a paper trail: Article…

Texas regulates extra lighting by color, count, height and aim rather than by naming underglow. Transportation Code Section 547.305 bars any lamp showing red from directly in front of…

Texas grants no square inches of windshield to a camera. Transportation Code Section 547.613(a)(1) makes it a misdemeanor to operate a vehicle with an object or material placed on or…

Texas banned motorcycle lane splitting in plain words on September 1, 2023. Transportation Code Section 545.0605(a)(3)(B), added by House Bill 4122 of the 88th Legislature, says the…

Texas outlaws license plate covers in Transportation Code Section 504.945(a)(7), which makes it an offense to display a plate carrying a coating, covering, protective substance or…

Texas does not prohibit owning, mounting or using a radar detector in a private passenger vehicle. The one radar offense in the vehicle equipment chapter, Transportation Code Section…

Texas is one of the states that never wrote a studded tire calendar. Transportation Code Section 547.612(c) is the whole of the law: a tire on a moving vehicle may not carry a block…

Texas allows film down to 25 percent light transmission on both front side windows and on the windshield strip, with a matching ceiling of 25 percent luminous reflectance, and it sets…