Self storage construction in the San Antonio region

Each row is the city's own code, read at the code's own sections, with the section numbers and the date. District names and letters are the city's. Which district a parcel is in comes from the city's official zoning map, which this site does not read for you.

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

San Antonio (Bexar County)

San Antonio's Unified Development Code lists "Self Service Storage" in Table 311-2, the nonresidential use matrix in Sec. 35-311. It is permitted by right (P) in C-2, C-3, D, L, I-1, I-2 and the ERZD column, needs a specific use authorization (S) in O-1, O-1.5 and O-2, and is not allowed (blank) in NC and C-1. The residential use matrices (Tables 311-1 and 311-1a) do not list it, and the code presumes an unlisted use is prohibited in that district.

SourceCity of San Antonio, Unified Development Code (Chapter 35), Sec. 35-311 Use Regulations, Table 311-2 Nonresidential Use Matrix, read 2026-09-23.

New Braunfels (Comal County)

New Braunfels splits self storage into two uses in its land use matrix (Sec. 144-4.2). The matrix marks "Mini-warehouse/self-storage units (no boat and RV storage permitted)" permitted by right in C-1, C-2, C-3, M-1, M-2, MU-B, C-1B, C-2A, M-1A and M-2A, and "Mini-warehouse/self-storage units with outside boat and RV storage" permitted by right in C-3, M-1, M-2, MU-B, C-1B, M-1A and M-2A. The district use lists match the matrix except MU-B, whose list names only the version with no outside boat and RV storage, and the code says the district list governs when the two conflict. Both uses are blank (prohibited) in every other district, though, unless otherwise noted in the chapter, an application for a special use permit may be made for any use not permitted in a district, except PD.

SourceCity of New Braunfels, Code of Ordinances, Chapter 144 Zoning, Sec. 144-4.2 Land use matrix, with district lists in Secs. 144-3.3 and 144-3.4, read 2026-09-23.

Seguin (Guadalupe County)

Seguin's Unified Development Code land use matrix (Sec. 3.4.3) has two self storage rows. "Self-Storage (no outside storage)" is permitted by right in C (Commercial), LI (Light Industrial) and I (Industrial). "Self-Storage (with outside storage)" is permitted by right in I and needs a specific use permit in C and LI. Both are prohibited in every other district, including NC, P and DHD.

SourceCity of Seguin, Code of Ordinances, Appendix A Unified Development Code, Sec. 3.4 Use, 3.4.3 Land Use Matrix, read 2026-09-23.

Castroville (Medina County)

Castroville's Schedule of Uses (Article II, Section 1) does not list self storage or mini-warehouses as a use. A separate listed use, "Storage Warehouse", is permitted in the C-H (Commercial), I-I (Industrial) and P-D (Planned Development) districts; the ordinance does not say whether self storage falls under it. The Community Development Director may interpret a new or unlisted use as similar to a listed use. If it is not found substantially similar, the applicant may request an amendment to the zoning ordinance to define the use and set the districts where it is permitted or needs a Specific Use Permit. Anyone adversely affected by the director's determination may appeal to the Board of Adjustment within 10 days of the decision.

SourceCastroville's schedule of uses was read; self storage is not listed. City of Castroville, Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, Article II Section 1 Schedule of Uses, and the Classification of New and Unlisted Uses section (city PDF), read 2026-09-23.

San Antonio (Bexar County), the node districts

In Table 311-2a, the nonresidential matrix for the UD, RD, FR and MI districts, "Self Service Storage" is permitted by right in the UD Major and Minor Nodes, the RD Major and Minor Nodes, MI-1, MI-2, and the Village Center M1 and M2 columns. It is blank (not allowed) in FR Ag Commercial, Village Center FR / FR Minor Node, MI-1 Minor Node and MI-2 Minor Node.

SourceCity of San Antonio, Unified Development Code, Sec. 35-311, Table 311-2a Nonresidential Use Matrix, read 2026-09-23.

In three of the four cities it does. San Antonio lists outside boat and marine storage as its own use and has no separate row for RV storage; New Braunfels lists exterior storage for boats and recreational vehicles as its own use; and Seguin allows self storage without outside storage by right in C, LI and I, but self storage with outside storage by right only in I and with a specific use permit in C and LI. Castroville's code lists boat storage structures but does not say how it treats boat or RV storage at a storage facility.

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.

Where a use permit applies, San Antonio and New Braunfels send the decision to the city council after a commission hearing, and Castroville's council issues specific use permits after a public hearing and a commission recommendation; self storage is not a listed use there, so its path starts with the director's interpretation. Seguin gives the decision to its Planning and Zoning Commission, with an appeal to council.

Standards shape the site plan as much as the district does. San Antonio requires a plan of development and screening from adjacent residential, NC, C-1, O-1 and O-2 districts; Seguin's zoning code prints no storage-specific standards but applies corridor design rules in its corridor overlay districts, such as properties that front or adjoin IH 10 within 500 feet; Castroville sets parking by storage floor area.

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.

San Antonio (Bexar County), the definition

San Antonio's UDC defines a self-service storage facility as a storage business for residential or commercial goods kept for long periods, where separate units are rented to individual customers who get exclusive, independent access to their own unit.

SourceCity of San Antonio, Unified Development Code, Appendix A, Sec. 35-A101 Definitions and Rules of Interpretation, read 2026-09-23.

Seguin (Guadalupe County), use 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.

Castroville (Medina County), parking

Castroville's Table of Parking Standards (Table 5.2) requires self storage facilities to provide at least one parking space per 1,000 square feet of storage and allows at most one per 500 square feet, plus the listed requirements for an office and an on-site apartment.

SourceCity of Castroville, Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, Article V, Section 7 Table of Off-Street Parking, Table 5.2 (city PDF, page 211), read 2026-09-23.

Texas counties have no general zoning power; Chapter 231 allows county zoning only in named areas such as military zones and certain lakes. Bexar County's own pages say what does apply: its Fire Marshal decides when a building permit is needed for anything that is not a single-family dwelling (a single structure with three or fewer units), the fee is built from four parts, and Public Works reviews construction near the 100-year floodplain.

The permit pages of Comal, Guadalupe, Medina and Atascosa Counties were not read for this site. Ask the county engineer and fire marshal there before relying on anything for land outside a city.

Bexar County

On land outside any city in Bexar County, the county Fire Marshal's Office decides whether a building permit applies to anything other than a single-family dwelling, which the county defines as one structure holding no more than three dwelling units. The permit reaches clearing a site, new construction, renovation and a change of occupancy. It issues only once the Fire Marshal has a Permit Verification Form signed by Bexar County Public Works, confirming the Public Works and Environmental Services permits the project needs, the on-site drainage evaluation, any platting, and, within five miles of a military installation, exterior lighting that follows the Military Lighting Court Order. Filing is in person, by appointment, at 9810 Southton Rd. The county advises filing the Site Development (stormwater) and Floodplain Development permits 45 days or more ahead of the verification form.

SourceBexar County Public Works, Building Permits page; Bexar County Fire Marshal, Permits & Applications page, read 2026-09-23.

Bexar County

Under the Bexar County Fire Marshal fee schedule, a commercial building permit fee adds up four pieces: a plan review and administrative fee, a building permit and inspection fee, a $200 fee for the final inspection and certificate of occupancy, plus a 4.5 percent technology surcharge. To check a project's stated value, the county uses $200 per square foot for commercial construction. Plan review has a $100 minimum, and every building needs its own permit.

SourceBexar County Fire Marshal's Office, Fee Schedule (PDF headed "FEE SCHEDULE (January 1, 2024)"), read 2026-09-23.

Bexar County

Any construction on property near the 100-year (1 percent annual chance) floodplain goes through Floodplain Development Permit review by Bexar County Public Works, which can ask for a flood study prepared by a professional engineer. The county takes these applications on its online permitting portal and charges $50 per activity.

SourceBexar County Public Works, Floodplain Development Permits 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.

Medina, Bexar and Comal appear on 30 TAC 213's list of Edwards counties; Guadalupe and Atascosa do not. The contributing zone is the area upstream of the recharge zone, generally north and northwest of it, and the rule describes it as lying within Medina, Bexar and Comal Counties; the recharge zone itself comes from TCEQ's official maps. On the recharge zone a commercial site needs an approved plan before construction; in the contributing zone, only where five acres or more are disturbed, or less as part of a larger common plan that could disturb five or more.

The Texas Water Development Board describes the Edwards as mostly partially dissolved limestone that recharges fast through karst, and on the recharge zone the rule requires permanent best management practices that remove 80 percent of the increase in total suspended solids a development causes. The aquifer and stormwater guide has the fees and the review clock.

SourcesTexas Administrative Code, 30 TAC 213, Subchapter A title and Sec. 213.3(8), read 2026-09-23; Texas Administrative Code, 30 TAC 213, Subchapter B, Sec. 213.22(2), read 2026-09-23; Texas Administrative Code, 30 TAC 213, read 2026-09-23; Texas Administrative Code, 30 TAC 213, Sec. 213.21(b) and Sec. 213.23(a), read 2026-09-23; Texas Water Development Board, Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer page, read 2026-09-23.

All five counties are in TxDOT's San Antonio District, which takes driveway permit applications for state highways. Canyon Lake in Comal County and Medina Lake in Medina County are two of this region's reservoirs. Much land near a lake is outside city limits, where Chapter 231 allows county zoning only in named areas that include certain lakes, so ask the county whether a special provision reaches it.

SourcesTexas Department of Transportation, San Antonio 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; 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.