Self storage construction in the Hill Country

Each row is the city's own code, read at the code's own sections, with the section numbers and the date. Four of the five Hill Country codes use older names for the use: mini-warehouse, mini-storage, convenience storage, mini storage warehouse.

The zoning and special use permit guide sets these five codes beside the other eight read for this site, and the self storage construction cost guide prices the building once the land clears.

Boerne (Kendall County)

Boerne's Unified Development Code calls self storage a mini-warehouse. The Sec. 3-7 use table permits it by right in the Industrial Office (O3), Storage and Transportation (I1) and City Property districts, and allows it only with a special use permit in Regional Commercial (C4) and General Industrial (I3). Every other district column is blank, which the table defines as not permitted. The Heritage Corridor Overlay District (Sec. 3-15) prohibits a mini warehouse regardless of base zoning.

SourceCity of Boerne, Unified Development Code, Sec. 3-7 Permitted use tables, read 2026-09-23.

Kerrville (Kerr County)

Kerrville's zoning code (Chapter 60) calls the use Mini-Storage. Table 1, Land Use Table, marks it P (permitted) in the C-2 Light Commercial, C-3 General Commercial, and IM Industrial and Manufacturing districts, each subject to the supplementary requirements of Sec. 60-60(2). All other district columns are blank for Mini-Storage.

SourceCity of Kerrville, Code of Ordinances, Chapter 60 Zoning, Appendix A (Table 1, Land Use Table), read 2026-09-23.

Fredericksburg (Gillespie County)

Fredericksburg's zoning ordinance calls self storage Convenience Storage. It is a principal permitted use (by right) in the M-1 Light Manufacturing, M-2 Medium Manufacturing and M-3 Industrial Park districts. It needs a conditional use permit in C-1 Neighborhood Commercial, C-1.5 Medium Commercial, C-2 Commercial, MU-1 Mixed Use Infill and MU-2 Mixed Use Corridor. It is not listed in the residential, CBD, open space, public facilities or PUD districts.

SourceCity of Fredericksburg, Code of Ordinances, Appendix B Zoning Ordinance, Secs. 2.100, 3.000, 3.200, 3.205, 3.210, 3.310, 3.320, 3.330, 3.800, 3.810, 4.500, read 2026-09-23.

Marble Falls (Burnet County)

Marble Falls' Development Code calls the use Storage, Self. Table 3.1.6 marks it R (restricted) in the GC General Commercial and IN General Industrial districts and prohibited in every other district, including BP Business/Industrial Park. A restricted use is allowed subject to the use-specific standards in Section 3.2.1 and may be approved administratively by the Director if all requirements are met; the code attaches its public-hearing steps to conditional uses, not restricted ones.

SourceCity of Marble Falls, Code of Ordinances, Appendix B Development Code, Section 3.1.6 Industrial Uses (Table 3.1.6), read 2026-09-23.

Burnet (Burnet County)

The City of Burnet's zoning chapter calls the use a mini storage warehouse. It is a listed permitted use in the I-1 Light Industrial district, and the I-2 Heavy Industrial district allows the uses permitted in I-1. It can be authorized in C-3 Heavy Commercial with a conditional use permit, because Sec. 118-64 lets any I-1 use be authorized in C-3 that way. The definition caps each storage unit at 2,000 cubic feet.

SourceCity of Burnet, Code of Ordinances, Chapter 118 Zoning, Secs. 118-5, 118-48, 118-49, 118-64, read 2026-09-23.

In four of the five cities it does. Kerrville allows vehicle storage at a mini-storage site with paving and screening; Burnet permits boat and RV storage in its heavy commercial district; Boerne bars outdoor storage at a mini-warehouse; Marble Falls allows screened outdoor storage only in its industrial district.

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 one is needed, the city council decides in each city read: after a planning commission hearing in Boerne, Fredericksburg and Marble Falls, and after public hearings in Burnet. Kerrville permits mini-storage outright in three districts, and Marble Falls lets its Director approve self storage administratively where it is a restricted use.

Boerne's standards include a lot size cap, a minimum unit count, height limits next to homes, and no pre-engineered metal on walls facing the front yard of a commercially zoned lot. Kerrville and Marble Falls set their own conditions.

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.

Texas counties have no general zoning power, and Kendall County says it has no zoning; each county's own pages list something different. Kendall County requires permits for all development, and its Fire Marshal takes fire code building permit applications and issues certificates of occupancy for certain multi-family and non-residential developments. Kerr County lists floodplain, driveway, right-of-way, subdivision and septic permits and no building permit. Burnet County requires a building permit, priced by whether the site is in a flood hazard area, before a septic permit.

The permit pages of Gillespie, Bandera and Blanco Counties were not read for this site. Ask the county before relying on anything for land outside a city there.

Kendall County

According to the Kendall County Engineer, every development needs county permits, among them driveways, work in the county right-of-way, outdoor lighting, on-site sewage facilities, and site improvements whether in the floodplain or not. Kendall County has adopted no building code for single-family homes. It has adopted a Fire Code, administered by the County Fire Marshal, who issues certificates of compliance and of occupancy for some multi-family and non-residential developments. Land use is unregulated and there is no zoning in the unincorporated county.

SourceKendall 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.

Kendall County

Kendall County's Forms and Permits page lists, under the Fire Marshal, a Fire Code Building Permit Application, a Fire Code Special Construction Permit Application, a Fire Protection System Permit Application and an Operational Permit Application. The Fire Code Building Permit Application asks for occupancy classification, including Storage Group S-1 and S-2, construction type, and total project cost, and says no plan review happens before the fee is received.

SourceKendall County, Forms & Permits page, read 2026-09-23.

Kerr County

Kerr County's Engineer page says the department permits floodplain development, public utility installation in county right-of-way, driveways on county-maintained roads, and subdivision construction. A floodplain determination or permit is required for any work in the floodplain, for a fee, by appointment. The county's subdivision and manufactured home rental community rules apply outside the Kerrville and Ingram city limits.

SourceKerr County, County Engineer department page, read 2026-09-23.

Kerr County

Neither the Kerr County Engineer page nor the Environmental Health pages list a county building permit or building code review. The county permits they list are floodplain, right-of-way utility, driveway, subdivision and septic (OSSF) permits; a Water Well Permits button on the Environmental Health page links to the Headwaters Groundwater Conservation District, not a county office. The county's department directory lists no fire marshal office.

SourceKerr County's permit pages were read; no building permit is listed. Kerr County, County Engineer page, Environmental Health pages, and department directory links on the home page, read 2026-09-23.

Kerr County

Septic systems (on-site sewage facilities) in Kerr County are permitted by Environmental Health. A new OSSF Order, approved by Commissioners' Court on July 13 and in effect since Aug. 7, 2026, requires a permit for every new septic system no matter the tract size. Wastewater flows of 5,000 gallons or more have their own linked path on the page.

SourceKerr County Environmental Health Department, On-Site Sewage Facility page, read 2026-09-23.

Burnet County

Burnet County says it requires building and septic permits. A 911 address comes first, and a building permit is needed before a septic permit. Building permits are Class A ($25, outside any flood hazard area, no structure inspections) or Class B ($400, inside a designated flood hazard boundary, needing an elevation certificate or engineer letter and/or a flood zone site plan). Septic permits are $250 for most systems and $400 for aerobic systems.

SourceBurnet County, On-Site Sewage Facilities (OSSF) & Development Permits page; Development Services page, read 2026-09-23.

Burnet County

Burnet County requires a development permit for any work in a designated flood hazard area, with a site plan and a pre-construction elevation certificate, plus pre-pour and finished construction inspections. New construction and substantially improved structures must be built with one foot of freeboard, and the county recommends two feet in an A zone.

SourceBurnet County, Floodplain Development page, read 2026-09-23.

SourceChapter 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.

The USDA's official description of the Comfort soil series, whose type location is on a ridge outside Boerne, describes clayey soils full of limestone fragments that are shallow to hard limestone bedrock, 10 to 20 inches down. NRCS says the series covers over 100,000 acres; the soil report for a particular site says what is under it.

None of the six Hill Country counties appears on 30 TAC 213's list of Edwards counties, so the TCEQ aquifer plan is not a step here; construction stormwater coverage still applies where an acre or more is disturbed, or less as part of a larger common plan that will disturb an acre or more.

SourcesUSDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Official Series Description, COMFORT Series (Rev. 01/2018), read 2026-09-23; Texas Administrative Code, 30 TAC 213, Subchapter A title and Sec. 213.3(8), read 2026-09-23; Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Stormwater General Permit for Construction Activities, read 2026-09-23.

TxDOT splits the region. Bandera, Kendall and Kerr are in the San Antonio District; Blanco, Burnet and Gillespie are in the Austin District. Either district takes driveway permit applications for state highways, and no work in the right of way starts before the permit is executed.

SourcesTexas Department of Transportation, San Antonio District page, read 2026-09-23; Texas Department of Transportation, Austin District page, read 2026-09-23; Texas Department of Transportation, Access Management Manual, Chapter 2, Section 4: Driveway Permits, Design, and Materials, Permits, read 2026-09-23.