Travis County has limited zoning authority compared to municipalities. Texas Local Government Code Chapter 240 grants counties only narrow powers over subdivisions, flood plains, and a few enumerated topics. Use districts and specific plans of the city sense are not available.
Texas state law preempts comprehensive county zoning. Travis County cannot adopt the use, density, and form districts that cities like Austin maintain. Instead Travis County regulates land through Chapter 240 of the Texas Local Government Code, which authorizes county subdivision review, floodplain ordinances, on-site septic system regulation, and specific topics like fireworks zones and lake regulation. Any property owner inside an Austin or Pflugerville full-purpose annexation falls under city zoning. Properties in Austin extraterritorial jurisdiction face dual review: city subdivision rules plus county requirements. Truly unincorporated parcels follow only Travis County subdivision and floodplain regulations, leaving substantial property rights flexibility.
Subdivision and floodplain violations under Travis County rules can incur civil penalties up to 1,000 dollars per day under Texas Local Government Code, plus injunctive relief and stop-work orders.
Travis County, TX
Travis County enforces floodplain development through Chapter 82 and participates in NFIP. The 2018 Llano River / Lake Travis flood raised the lake 18 feet i...
Travis County, TX
Travis County has no zoning authority under Texas law and does not impose building setbacks in unincorporated areas. Setbacks are governed by recorded subdiv...
Travis County, TX
Travis County itself cannot offer a density bonus because counties lack use-zoning authority under Texas law. Density bonuses for affordable housing apply on...
See how Travis County's specific plans overview rules stack up against other locations.
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