Zoning and special use permits for self storage in Texas cities

Texas cities get their zoning power from Chapter 211 of the Local Government Code, which lets a city divide itself into districts and regulate the use of buildings and land in each. Each of the 13 codes read for this site has a table of uses by district. Find the row for storage (each code names it differently: self service storage, convenience storage, mini-warehouse, mini-storage) and read across to your district.

The letters differ from code to code, so read each code's own key. In San Antonio's table, P is permitted by right, S needs a specific use authorization and a blank is not allowed; in Round Rock's, P/S means permitted with supplementary use standards; Marble Falls marks self storage R, a restricted use the Director may approve administratively if all requirements are met. Some codes add a restricted or limited category, a use allowed if it meets written standards, which staff can approve.

Which district a parcel is in comes from the city's official zoning map. This site does not read zoning maps or map viewers on your behalf: look the parcel up on the city's map, then confirm it with the city's planning staff before you rely on it.

SourceTexas Legislature, Local Government Code Chapter 211, Sec. 211.003 and 211.005, read 2026-09-23.

The table shows each code's own name for the use, the districts where it is permitted without a hearing, and the districts where it needs a use permit. District abbreviations are each city's own; the full names are in each city's code, and the San Antonio, Austin and Hill Country region pages print each city's record in full. For all 13 codes in one table with the fee and who decides, see the Texas storage development directory.

Where self storage needs a use permit, the permit is a land-use decision made after a public hearing, and who makes it varies. In most of the cities read, the planning commission holds a hearing and recommends, and the city council decides. Seguin and San Marcos give the decision to their Planning and Zoning Commissions, with an appeal to council. Austin sends a conditional use site plan to its land use commission. The fee is set by each city's own fee schedule; in Austin the use permit is itself a site plan.

Budget time for the hearing as well as the fee. Notice is part of the process: Seguin mails it to owners within 200 feet at least 10 days before the hearing, and Fredericksburg lists separate newspaper and letter notice costs. A developer who needs a use permit is buying land on the strength of an approval that has not been given yet, which is why the zoning question is the first rung on the ladder above.

Often, yes. Several codes treat outdoor storage of boats and RVs as a separate use from enclosed self storage, or allow it at a self storage site only in fewer districts. A site that would be approved by right for enclosed units can need a hearing, or be refused, once canopy rows or open parking are added. Decide the product mix before the zoning question is asked, not after.

San Antonio (Bexar County)

Table 311-2 lists "Boat And Marine - Storage (Outside Permitted)" as a separate use: specific use authorization in C-3 and ERZD, permitted by right in L, and not allowed in the other columns. In Table 311-2a it needs a specific use authorization in MI-1 and is blank elsewhere. The matrix has no separate row named for RV storage; the code's definition of recreational vehicle says boats are recreational vehicles, and its oversized vehicle definition excludes recreational vehicles.

SourceCity of San Antonio, Unified Development Code, Sec. 35-311 Tables 311-2 and 311-2a, and Sec. 35-A101 Definitions, read 2026-09-23.

New Braunfels (Comal County)

New Braunfels lists "Storage - Exterior storage for boats and recreational vehicles" as its own use. The matrix marks it permitted by right in C-3, C-4, M-1, M-2, MU-B, C-1B, M-1A and M-2A, and blank elsewhere. The district lists match except C-4, whose list omits it, and the code says the district list governs when the two conflict.

SourceCity of New Braunfels, Code of Ordinances, Chapter 144 Zoning, Secs. 144-4.2, 144-3.3, 144-3.4 and 144-1.4, read 2026-09-23.

Seguin (Guadalupe County)

Seguin's matrix lists "Working and licensed automotive, recreational vehicle or boat storage facilities" as its own use: permitted by right in I (Industrial), specific use permit in C and LI, and prohibited in all other districts. The same pattern applies to self storage with outside storage.

SourceCity of Seguin, Code of Ordinances, Appendix A Unified Development Code, Sec. 3.4.3 Land Use Matrix, read 2026-09-23.

Castroville (Medina County)

Castroville's Schedule of Uses lists "Boat Storage and Service Structures" under resort and related recreational uses, permitted in the C-H, I-I and P-D districts and not permitted in the others. No row is named for RV storage. "Camper Park" is a separate use, and "Storage of Autos", which the ordinance defines as land for storing operative or inoperative automobiles "and/or other vehicles" enclosed by a wall at least eight feet high, is permitted in I-I and needs a Specific Use Permit in C-H. The ordinance does not say whether RV or boat storage at a self storage facility falls under any of these rows.

SourceCity of Castroville, Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, Article II Section 1 Schedule of Uses (city PDF), read 2026-09-23.

Austin (Travis County)

Austin's Land Development Code has no use named boat storage or RV storage, but it does list a "Recreational Equipment Maintenance and Storage" use, defined as the use of a site for the maintenance, service, or storage of sports equipment, watercraft, watercraft motors, trailers, motorcycles, or motor-homes. The Section 25-2-491 use table permits that use only in the CR (Commercial Recreation) base district (R&D, PUD and P carry endnote references) and not in any other base district, and ETOD combining district zoning prohibits it. Two other listed uses are related: vehicle storage (long term storage for vehicles, including vehicles towed from private parking areas and impound yards), which the table permits in CS, CS-1, CH, MI and LI and makes conditional in CBD and DMU, and marina, whose definition includes wet or dry storage of seaworthy watercraft for profit, which the table permits only in CR.

SourceCity of Austin Land Development Code, Sections 25-2-4 and 25-2-491, read 2026-09-23.

Georgetown (Williamson County)

Georgetown covers boat and RV storage through its "Self Storage, Outdoor" use, defined as a fenced, access-controlled area with individual spaces, not fully enclosed, leased for storing motor vehicles, trailers, boats and similar items. Table 5.04.010 allows it with limitations in the Industrial (IN) district and by City Council Special Use Permit in General Commercial (C-3); it is not allowed elsewhere in the table. The code separately defines vehicle storage as long-term storage (over 72 hours) of vehicles, typically tow-aways or impound yards.

SourceCity of Georgetown Unified Development Code, Sections 5.04.010 and 16.02, read 2026-09-23.

San Marcos (Hays County)

San Marcos defines "Self Storage, Outdoor" as individual storage spaces, not fully enclosed, leased for storing motor vehicles, trailers, boats and similar items, so boat and RV storage falls inside the self storage use. Table 5.1 has a single Self Storage row covering both indoor and outdoor, conditional only in the Commercial (CM) district. The code separately says general outdoor storage is accessory only and not a primary use, pointing to Section 5.1.7.7 for self storage.

SourceCity of San Marcos Development Code (Ord. No. 2026-08, effective June 16, 2026), Section 5.1.7.7 (page 5:35) and the accessory Outdoor Storage provision in Chapter 5, read 2026-09-23.

Boerne (Kendall County)

Boerne's use tables list no separate boat or RV storage use. The nearest entries are RV park, outdoor equipment storage (a temporary use in CR and City Property), and oversize vehicle and machinery rental, sales and service (permitted by right in I1, I3 and City Property), whose standards cover boat, marine craft and trailer sales with outdoor storage and display. The mini-warehouse standards bar outdoor storage of any kind on the property, so open boat or RV parking cannot be part of a mini-warehouse.

SourceBoerne's use tables were read; no boat or RV storage use by that name is listed. City of Boerne, Unified Development Code, Sec. 3-7 Permitted use tables; Sec. 3-6.D.15, read 2026-09-23.

Kerrville (Kerr County)

Kerrville does not list boat or RV storage as its own use, but it expressly lets a mini-storage facility store recreational vehicles, boats and automobiles if the storage area is paved and screened from public view. The site or concept plan must show those areas, and no RV or boat parking or storage is allowed within 50 feet of residential zoning or residentially zoned MU or PD property.

SourceCity of Kerrville, Code of Ordinances, Sec. 60-60(2); Sec. 60-17 Terms defined, read 2026-09-23.

Fredericksburg (Gillespie County)

Fredericksburg does not list boat or RV storage as a separate use. The closest listed use is Vehicle Storage, defined as long-term storage of operating or non-operating vehicles with tow-away and impound yards as typical examples; it needs a conditional use permit in M-2 Medium Manufacturing and PF Public Facilities. The code's definition of recreational vehicle includes boats and boat trailers, but the code does not say that boat or RV storage falls under Vehicle Storage.

SourceCity of Fredericksburg, Code of Ordinances, Appendix B Zoning Ordinance, Secs. 2.100, 3.320, 3.600, 7.860, read 2026-09-23.

Marble Falls (Burnet County)

Marble Falls lists no separate boat or RV storage use. Its Storage Yard use (conditional in BP, restricted in IN) is defined as outdoor storage of only operable equipment and construction materials temporarily stored for eventual off-site use; the definition does not mention boats or RVs. The only outdoor storage the code allows at a self-storage site is in the IN General Industrial district, where screened outdoor storage areas are regulated and wrecked or inoperable vehicles are barred; in GC self storage must be fully enclosed.

SourceCity of Marble Falls, Code of Ordinances, Appendix B Development Code, Table 3.1.6, Table 3.2.1.E, Division 14.3 Definitions, read 2026-09-23.

Burnet (Burnet County)

The City of Burnet lists "boats and recreational vehicle sales, service, and storage" as a permitted use in the C-3 Heavy Commercial district. Under Sec. 118-64 a C-3 use can be authorized in C-2 Medium Commercial with a conditional use permit. C-3 uses must be conducted in a building or on an outdoor area paved with concrete, asphalt or another all-weather surface that is landscaped, screened or fenced.

SourceCity of Burnet, Code of Ordinances, Chapter 118 Zoning, Secs. 118-47, 118-64, read 2026-09-23.

Where a code allows the use, it often attaches conditions: storage only, no business run from a unit, screening from homes, limits on where the doors face, a masonry wall along the street. These shape the site plan as much as the district does, so read them before the layout is drawn.

San Antonio (Bexar County)

Sec. 35-380 sets extra conditions for miniwarehouse/self-service storage facilities in the districts the Use Matrix (Table 311-2) allows. A plan of development must be submitted to the director of planning and development services showing building locations, lot area, number of storage units, sign type and size, building height, parking layout with ingress and egress, and visual screening and landscaping. The development is limited to storage and the activities needed for its operation, safety and maintenance, in addition to the uses authorized in the applicable district. Screening is required to protect adjacent property in more restrictive districts (all residential districts, NC, C-1, O-1 and O-2), advertising signs other than the facility's own identification are banned, and all building elevations must be of finished quality. Facilities may be one building or several, with or without climate control, with exterior unit access or interior corridors.

SourceCity of San Antonio, Unified Development Code, Sec. 35-380 Miniwarehouses/Self-Service Storage, read 2026-09-23.

New Braunfels (Comal County)

New Braunfels has no stand-alone self storage section, but its definition limits units to storage only, with no sales or business inside units, and says industrial use does not include self storage. Its parking schedule requires at least four spaces, one per 800 square feet of service or retail area plus one per living quarters, no storage of material or vehicles in required parking, rental vehicles in separate striped spaces, and drive aisles in the storage area at least 24 feet wide. In C-1 the district list adds "no outside storage".

SourceCity of New Braunfels, Code of Ordinances, Chapter 144 Zoning, Secs. 144-1.4 and 144-5.1, read 2026-09-23.

Seguin (Guadalupe County)

New development and redevelopment, other than single-family residential, on properties in Seguin's corridor overlay districts (for example, properties that front or adjoin IH 10, within 500 feet) must meet extra design standards. No portion of a building of unadorned concrete block or of corrugated or any metal surface may be visible from any adjoining right-of-way, though side and rear facades may be permitted if landscaped enough to obscure the facade up to 75 percent of the building height. Outdoor storage behind the main structure may be permitted if it is completely screened from public view by buildings, landscaping or fencing.

SourceCity of Seguin, Code of Ordinances, Appendix A Unified Development Code, Sec. 3.3 Overlay districts, read 2026-09-23.

Austin (Travis County)

Two Austin overlay rules prohibit convenience storage even where the base district would allow it. Section 25-2-653(D) lists convenience storage among the prohibited uses on property with ETOD (equitable transit-oriented development) combining district zoning. Section 25-2-766.12(A) prohibits convenience storage in a TOD (transit oriented development) district, under initial district regulations that apply until council adopts a station area plan.

SourceCity of Austin Land Development Code, Sections 25-2-653 (ETOD Combining District Regulations), 25-2-766.11 and 25-2-766.12 (TOD Initial District Regulations), read 2026-09-23.

Georgetown (Williamson County)

Georgetown's UDC Section 5.04.020.Q sets standards for indoor and outdoor self storage. Facilities are storage only (an accessory leasing office, accessory retail and one security residence allowed), indoor facilities must operate fully inside a building, and indoor facilities in C-1 must be climate controlled and reached only from shared interior hallways. Bay doors cannot face a public street unless set back at least 40 feet, gated sites need at least 60 feet of driveway before the gate, chain-link fencing is barred from front and street setbacks, and outdoor storage needs paving, no wrecked or inoperable vehicles, and an eight-foot masonry screening wall along any public right-of-way.

SourceCity of Georgetown Unified Development Code, Section 5.04.020 (Commercial Use Limitations), subsection Q, read 2026-09-23.

San Marcos (Hays County)

San Marcos Section 5.1.7.7.B limits self storage sites to storage plus the leasing office, bans inoperable vehicles unless all fluids are drained, bars outdoor self storage from required setbacks, and requires a Type A/B transitional protective yard wherever the site adjoins any district other than HI or HC.

SourceCity of San Marcos Development Code (Ord. No. 2026-08, effective June 16, 2026), Section 5.1.7.7 Self Storage (page 5:35), read 2026-09-23.

Round Rock (Williamson County)

Round Rock Section 2-91(jj) allows only multi-story, interior-access self-service storage in C-1, with no exterior roll-up unit doors. Units are storage only, site lighting cannot glare onto adjacent residential lots, each unit gets at most one 20-amp, 110-volt circuit, and a caretaker residence is allowed only in LI and I. LI and I facilities on a designated arterial need a fully landscaped street yard at least 25 feet deep with no parking, masonry walls or fences facing the street, full enclosure, and any RV, boat or trailer storage kept out of the street yard behind a building wall or eight-foot fence.

SourceCity of Round Rock Code of Ordinances, Sec. 2-91 (Supplementary use standards), subsection (jj) Self-service storage, read 2026-09-23.

Boerne (Kendall County)

Boerne's use-specific standards cap a mini-warehouse lot at five acres and require at least 20 units. If the site is next to residential on any side, buildings are limited to 20 feet (a separate office or caretaker residence may be up to 35 feet). On commercially zoned lots, perimeter building walls that face the front yard need architectural features consistent with surrounding uses and cannot use pre-engineered metal building components. Overhead doors cannot face the front street, chain link and barbed wire are prohibited, all paving must be concrete, and no outdoor storage of any kind is allowed.

SourceCity of Boerne, Unified Development Code, Sec. 3-6.D.15 Mini-warehouse, read 2026-09-23.

Kerrville (Kerr County)

Kerrville's Sec. 60-60(2) limits mini-storage to storage only and allows one manager or caretaker apartment. It requires paved drives and parking, one parking space per 10,000 square feet of floor area, a continuous marked fire lane, and an eight-foot loading area along building faces with unit access. Buildings must be at least 20 feet apart, unit doors cannot face the public right-of-way, and next to residential zoning the height is one story, generally 15 feet maximum.

SourceCity of Kerrville, Code of Ordinances, Sec. 60-60(2) Mini-storage facilities, read 2026-09-23.

Marble Falls (Burnet County)

In GC General Commercial, Marble Falls requires self storage to be conducted entirely inside an enclosed building, with every unit reached from an interior hallway, a 30-foot height maximum, and a six-foot masonry privacy fence enclosing the self-storage area (office and customer parking excepted). In IN General Industrial, outdoor storage areas must be screened from the street by a masonry wall or fence at least eight feet tall, must comply with Section 4.6.5, cannot sit in a required setback or required parking, and cannot hold wrecked or inoperable vehicles. In both districts, a facility adjacent to a major arterial must be set back at least 150 feet from its right-of-way, and unit doors cannot be visible from public rights-of-way or residentially zoned or used property.

SourceCity of Marble Falls, Code of Ordinances, Appendix B Development Code, Section 3.2.1 Restricted and Conditional Uses, Table 3.2.1.E Industrial Restricted and Conditional Use Standards, read 2026-09-23.

Seguin (Guadalupe County), self storage standards

Seguin's Unified Development Code prints no standards written specifically for self storage: it is not in the limited-use section (Sec. 3.5), the parking table (Sec. 5.3) has no self storage line, and Chapter 7 has no self storage definition. General site standards such as landscaping, screening and lighting still apply.

SourceSeguin's zoning code was read; it prints no self storage standards. City of Seguin, Code of Ordinances, Appendix A Unified Development Code, Chapters 1 through 7, read 2026-09-23.

Texas counties have no general zoning power. Chapter 231 of the Local Government Code, titled County Zoning Authority, authorizes county zoning only in specific named areas, such as Padre Island, military zones and the areas around certain lakes, and gives counties no general power to zone. So outside a city there is usually no use table to clear; where land sits near a lake, ask the county whether one of those special provisions reaches it.

A city's extraterritorial jurisdiction, the band of unincorporated land around it, is not zoned by the city either. Chapter 212 lets a city extend its subdivision rules into that band but bars it from regulating the use of buildings or property there unless another state law allows it, and a law in effect from September 1, 2023 lets owners petition to be released from it.

That does not mean nothing applies. A county may require a plat when land is divided, a county that meets the population test may adopt a fire code that reaches new commercial buildings, and counties run their own permits: among those read for this site, Bexar, Kerr and Burnet list a floodplain development permit, and Kendall, Kerr and Burnet list septic permits. What each county read for this site actually requires is on the San Antonio, Austin and Hill Country region pages.

SourcesChapter 231 was read; it grants counties no general zoning power. Texas Legislature, Local Government Code Chapter 231 (all subchapters A through M read), read 2026-09-23; Texas Legislature, Local Government Code Chapter 212, Sec. 212.003, read 2026-09-23; Chapter 42 was read; it grants no zoning power in the ETJ. Texas Legislature, Local Government Code Chapter 42 (read in full) with Chapter 211, read 2026-09-23; Texas Legislature, Local Government Code Chapter 232, Sec. 232.001, 232.0015, 232.002, read 2026-09-23; Texas Legislature, Local Government Code Chapter 233, Subchapter C, Sec. 233.061 and 233.062, read 2026-09-23.