How to build a self storage facility in Texas

Feasibility, then land and zoning, then any special or conditional use permit, then the plat where the land is divided, then the site plan with its drainage, then the state filings (TDLR accessibility registration, an Edwards Aquifer plan where the site is in the program, construction stormwater coverage), then the driveway permit, then the building permit, construction and inspections, and, where the city or county issues one, the certificate that lets the doors open.

Some of those run in parallel once the site plan exists: the design professional can file with TDLR while the city reviews the site plan, and the civil engineer can prepare the stormwater plan alongside the aquifer plan. What cannot move is the front of the line. Until the zoning answer is known, every other dollar is spent on land that may not be usable for storage.

• Feasibility and the market study

• Zoning and use permits, city by city

• TDLR registration and accessible units

• The Edwards Aquifer plan and stormwater

• Driveway access and the site layout

• What it costs per square foot

A feasibility study asks whether the area around a site will support the facility and whether the site can hold it. The market half counts the storage already there and planned; the site half looks at zoning, access, shape, utilities and drainage. It is commissioned before the land is bought or during the due diligence period, and a construction lender may want to know who prepared it.

The feasibility guide covers what a study includes. This site prints no occupancy, rent or return figures for any market.

Inside a city, the zoning code decides. Chapter 211 of the Local Government Code gives cities the power to divide their land into districts and regulate the use of buildings and land in each, and each of the 13 codes read for this site has its own table of uses. Of the 13 city codes read for this site, most allow self storage by right only in some commercial or industrial districts; San Marcos allows it by right in none of its current districts. The Texas storage development directory sets all 13 in one table.

Outside a city, Texas counties have no general zoning power, and a city may not regulate the use of property in its extraterritorial jurisdiction through its subdivision rules unless another state law authorizes it. That removes the use table but not the other approvals below.

SourcesTexas Legislature, Local Government Code Chapter 211, Sec. 211.003 and 211.005, read 2026-09-23; City of San Marcos Development Code (as amended by Ord. No. 2026-08, effective June 16, 2026), Table 5.1 Land Use Matrix (page 5:9), Table 2.3, Table 4.8, Section 9.3.1.1 and Table 9.1 (pages 9:13 to 9:16), read 2026-09-23; Chapter 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.

Where the district allows storage only with a use permit, the permit goes to a public hearing. In most of the cities read, the planning commission holds the hearing and recommends and the city council decides; the permit can carry conditions on the site plan, the screening or the hours. The fee is set by the city's own schedule, and the zoning guide prints both for each city read.

Adding outdoor boat and RV storage can change this step. Several codes read treat it as a separate use or allow it in fewer districts, so the product mix is settled before the application is filed.

SourcesCity of San Antonio, Unified Development Code, Sec. 35-423 Specific Use Authorization (Sec. 35-320 cross-references it), read 2026-09-23; City of New Braunfels, Code of Ordinances, Chapter 144 Zoning, Sec. 144-3.6 Special use permits and Sec. 144-1.4 Definitions, read 2026-09-23; City of Georgetown Unified Development Code, Section 3.07 (Special Use Permit), Sections 3.07.010 to 3.07.060, read 2026-09-23.

If the land is being divided to create the lot for the facility, it may need a plat. Inside a city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction, an owner who divides land to lay out a subdivision or lots has a plat prepared, approved and recorded; a division into parts larger than five acres, each with access and with no public improvement dedicated, is not a division that needs one under that section. The city must act on a plat within 30 days after it is filed, unless the applicant asks in writing for more time and the city agrees, and a plat it does not disapprove in that time is approved.

Outside a city's jurisdiction, the county commissioners court approves plats. A county may not require one where every lot is more than 10 acres and no streets or public areas are laid out, among other exceptions.

SourcesTexas Legislature, Local Government Code Chapter 212, read 2026-09-23; Texas Legislature, Local Government Code Chapter 232, Sec. 232.001, 232.0015, 232.002, read 2026-09-23.

The site plan places the buildings, the drive aisles, the gate, the office, the fence, the parking and the drainage. For storage the number that matters most is impervious cover: a facility is close to fully covered by roof and pavement, and that drives the size of the detention and water-quality features, which take land out of the rentable footprint.

City codes add layout rules at this step. Among the codes read, some cap lot size or building height, require a masonry wall along a street, limit which way unit doors may face, or require paved and screened areas for outdoor vehicle storage.

SourcesCity of Boerne, Unified Development Code, Sec. 3-6.D.15 Mini-warehouse, read 2026-09-23; City of Georgetown Unified Development Code, Section 5.04.020 (Commercial Use Limitations), subsection Q, read 2026-09-23; City of Kerrville, Code of Ordinances, Sec. 60-60(2) Mini-storage facilities, read 2026-09-23.

A commercial building with an estimated construction cost of $50,000 or more is registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for accessibility review. The design professional files the plans within 20 business days of issuing them, and a city may not accept the building permit application until the project is registered. The owner has the finished building inspected within one year.

The Texas Accessibility Standards then set how many storage units must be accessible: 5 percent, at least one, up to 200 spaces, and 10 plus 2 percent of the spaces over 200 above that. The TDLR and accessibility guide has the fees and the rest of the rule.

SourcesTexas Legislature, Government Code Chapter 469, read 2026-09-23; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, 2012 Texas Accessibility Standards, Chapter 2 Scoping Requirements, Section 225.3, read 2026-09-23.

In Medina, Bexar, Comal, Hays, Travis and Williamson Counties, and in Kinney and Uvalde, the Edwards Aquifer rule may apply. On the recharge zone a commercial development files a Water Pollution Abatement Plan and has it approved before construction; a contributing-zone site files a plan once it disturbs five acres or more, or is part of a larger common plan that could. The zones come from TCEQ's official maps. By rule, review is to finish within 90 days after the application is administratively complete, and the application fee for a non-residential site runs from $3,000 to $10,000 by acreage.

SourcesTexas Administrative Code, 30 TAC 213, Subchapter A title and Sec. 213.3(8), read 2026-09-23; Texas Administrative Code, 30 TAC 213, Sec. 213.4(a)(1) and Sec. 213.5(a)(1), (b)(3), (b)(4)(C)(vi), read 2026-09-23; Texas Administrative Code, 30 TAC 213, Sec. 213.21(b) and Sec. 213.23(a), read 2026-09-23; Texas Administrative Code, 30 TAC 213, Sec. 213.4(a)(2) and (e), read 2026-09-23; Texas Administrative Code, 30 TAC 213, Sec. 213.14(a) Table 1 and Sec. 213.27(b) Table 2, read 2026-09-23.

Anywhere in Texas, a site that disturbs one acre or more and discharges to surface water needs coverage under TCEQ's construction general permit. From one to under five acres the operator keeps a stormwater pollution prevention plan and posts a site notice, with no Notice of Intent and no NOI fee, and sends a copy of the notice to any municipal storm sewer operator receiving the discharge; at five acres or more, or as part of a common plan that will disturb five or more, the primary operator files a Notice of Intent before construction, $225 electronically. Where the Edwards rule applies, construction still waits for the aquifer plan approval.

SourcesTexas Commission on Environmental Quality, Stormwater General Permit for Construction Activities, read 2026-09-23; Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, TPDES Construction General Permit TXR150000 (2023), read 2026-09-23.

A driveway onto a state highway needs a TxDOT access driveway permit on Form 1058 from the district office before any work in the right of way, unless permitting on that highway has been transferred to the city or an eligible county. The San Antonio District covers the San Antonio region counties and Bandera, Kendall and Kerr; the Austin District covers Travis, Williamson and Hays and Blanco, Burnet and Gillespie. On a county road, the counties read for this site list their own driveway permits; ask the city about a city street. The access guide covers the layout that follows from the gate.

SourcesTexas Department of Transportation, Access Management Manual, Chapter 2, Section 4: Driveway Permits, Design, and Materials, Permits, read 2026-09-23; Texas Department of Transportation, Use of Right of Way by Others Manual, Chapter 2, Section 6: Access Driveways, read 2026-09-23; Texas Department of Transportation, San Antonio District page, read 2026-09-23; Texas Department of Transportation, Austin District page, read 2026-09-23; Kendall County Engineer, "Permits Required, Building Codes, Certificates of Occupancy, and Zoning Regulations Verification Letter for Interested Parties", dated March 4, 2026, read 2026-09-23; Kerr County, County Engineer department page, read 2026-09-23.

A storage facility uses little water, but the office, any restroom and any climate-controlled building need power, and the office needs water and wastewater service. Where there is no sewer, the counties read for this site permit septic systems: Kerr County Environmental Health, under a new order effective August 7, 2026 that requires a permit for every new system regardless of tract size; Burnet County, after the building permit; and Kendall County, among its development permits.

Ask each utility early, before the site plan is final. A climate-controlled building or a multistory building with a lift needs more power than a row of drive-up units, and the utility sets the terms and the timing of any extension.

SourcesKerr County Environmental Health Department, On-Site Sewage Facility page, read 2026-09-23; Burnet County, On-Site Sewage Facilities (OSSF) & Development Permits page; Development Services page, read 2026-09-23; Kendall County Engineer, "Permits Required, Building Codes, Certificates of Occupancy, and Zoning Regulations Verification Letter for Interested Parties", dated March 4, 2026, read 2026-09-23.

The buildings are usually pre-engineered steel: frames and panels designed by the manufacturer for the site's loads, interior partitions dividing the units, and roll-up doors. The product mix decides the cost. Terrapin Construction Group's May 2026 national benchmarks put hard cost at $55 to $85 per gross square foot for single-story drive-up, $80 to $120 for single-story climate-controlled, $25 to $55 for covered boat and RV and $65 to $95 for enclosed boat and RV, excluding land, soft costs, and furniture, fixtures and equipment. The cost per square foot guide has the full table, and two guides compare the products: climate-controlled or drive-up, and covered or enclosed boat and RV storage.

SourceTerrapin Construction Group, self storage construction cost article, updated May 2026, read 2026-09-23.

Inside a city, the building permit is reviewed against the commercial building code the city has adopted, which state law sets at the International Building Code as of May 1, 2012, with any local amendments the city adopts; cities may also consider later ICC editions. The TDLR registration has to be in place before the city will accept the application.

Outside a city, the state commercial building code in Local Government Code 214.216 does not reach, because it applies to commercial buildings in a municipality. A county with more than 250,000 people, or a county next to one, may adopt a fire code for unincorporated areas that reaches new commercial buildings, and where one is adopted no one may build a covered building without the county's permit. Williamson County's Fire Marshal reviews commercial construction under the 2018 International Fire Code; Kendall County's Fire Marshal runs a fire code building permit.

SourcesTexas Legislature, Local Government Code Chapter 214, Sec. 214.216, read 2026-09-23; Texas Legislature, Local Government Code Chapter 233, Subchapter C, read 2026-09-23; Williamson County, Texas, Fire Marshal, Construction Permits page, read 2026-09-23; Kendall County Engineer, "Permits Required, Building Codes, Certificates of Occupancy, and Zoning Regulations Verification Letter for Interested Parties", dated March 4, 2026, read 2026-09-23.

This site holds no record of a city's certificate of occupancy rules; ask the city's building department. Where a county has adopted a fire code, the building may not be occupied until the county issues a certificate of compliance. Kendall County's Fire Marshal issues certificates of occupancy for certain multi-family and non-residential developments; Williamson County says it has no authority to issue one. Within a year after completion, the TDLR accessibility inspection is due.

SourcesTexas Legislature, Local Government Code Chapter 233, Subchapter C, Sec. 233.063 and 233.064, read 2026-09-23; Kendall County Engineer, "Permits Required, Building Codes, Certificates of Occupancy, and Zoning Regulations Verification Letter for Interested Parties", dated March 4, 2026, read 2026-09-23; Williamson County, Texas, Frequently Asked Questions, Infrastructure - Developers category, read 2026-09-23; Texas Legislature, Government Code Chapter 469, Sec. 469.105, read 2026-09-23.

A facility can be approved and built in phases: the whole site graded, drained and fenced once, the first rows built, and pads left for later buildings. Two rules make that worth planning at the start. Construction stormwater counts the larger common plan, so a phased site is measured by the whole plan rather than by the first phase. And an approved Edwards plan expires two years after issuance unless substantial construction has begun, and expires with no extension if more than 50 percent is not built within 10 years.

SourcesTexas Commission on Environmental Quality, Stormwater General Permit for Construction Activities, read 2026-09-23; Texas Administrative Code, 30 TAC 213, Sec. 213.4(g) and (h), read 2026-09-23.

SBA 504 and 7(a) are federal loan programs that list real estate and buildings among eligible uses; SBA's 504 page lists the purchase, construction or renovation of existing buildings or land, and bars speculation or investment in rental real estate and passive businesses. Whether a storage project qualifies is for the lender and SBA to decide. The financing programs guide names the programs and links the agencies, and prints no rates.

SourcesU.S. Small Business Administration, 504 loans, read 2026-09-23; U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loans, read 2026-09-23.