Neither Austin Ordinance Reaches Out Here
The point most often missed, because the entire Austin development conversation of the last few years has been reported as though it applied to the region.
HOME and Subchapter F are provisions of the City of Austin's land development code. A property in Round Rock, in Kyle, or on unincorporated county land is governed by that jurisdiction's rules instead, and none of them adopted Austin's. The full position is on our page covering what the lot can hold now.
How Do I Find out Which Jurisdiction I Am In?
Each Surrounding City Is Its Own System
Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Georgetown, Kyle, Buda, San Marcos, Leander, Lakeway and Bee Cave each adopt and enforce their own codes, set their own fees and run their own inspections.
They are not variations on Austin's approach and should not be assumed to work the same way. Some are more permissive about what a lot may hold than Austin now is; others considerably less. Asking the specific city is a short conversation that avoids a long problem.
Are the Suburbs More or Less Restrictive Than Austin?
We publish no requirements, fees or timelines for the individual suburban cities. There are too many and they differ substantially, and each will quote its own position for your address.
Unincorporated County Land Is Different Again
Texas gives counties considerably narrower regulatory authority than cities, and county land is not zoned in the way a city is. The three counties this region spans, Travis, Williamson and Hays, are each their own jurisdiction with their own processes.
The general consequence for a fire rebuild is lighter oversight and less documentation, which sounds like an advantage and tends to become a discount when a later buyer or their lender finds nothing to verify the work against.
Contractors Vary in Usefulness
A builder who works constantly in Austin may never have filed in Georgetown or in unincorporated Hays County, and the process, fees and inspection sequence differ. It is a fair question to put to anyone quoting, and recent experience in your specific jurisdiction is worth more than broader experience elsewhere.
Travis County in Context
Where Austin's rules apply to newer stock on larger lots, see our page about the south-eastern neighbourhoods. Where they apply most consequentially of all, see our page for the east side neighbourhoods.
What Does Not Apply Out Here
None of it. The three unit allowance opened to applications on 5 February 2024, the small lot use at 1,800 square feet followed on 16 August 2024, and both are City of Austin provisions confined to SF-1, SF-2 and SF-3 inside the city.
Equally, the Subchapter F cap of 0.4 floor to area ratio or 2,300 square feet, the planes rising 15 feet and angling in at 45 degrees, and the 5,750 square foot multi-unit threshold have no application beyond the city limits. Each suburb sets its own figures.
Two further numbers are worth holding. The 35 foot base height that applies in Austin's three single-family districts is an Austin figure and not a regional one. And the 40 percent building coverage and 45 percent impervious cover limits attaching to multi-unit lots inside the city likewise stop at the boundary. This region spans three counties, and a property may sit in any of them.
Travis County Questions
My Address Says Austin but I Am in Pflugerville.
Common across this region, and the appraisal record settles it. Pflugerville permits your work, not Austin, and Austin's ordinances do not apply to you.
Can I Build Three Units on My County Lot?
HOME is an Austin ordinance and does not reach unincorporated county land. What your parcel supports is a question for the county, and the answer will not be Austin's answer.
Will You Buy Outside the City?
Yes, across the surrounding cities and unincorporated county land. The jurisdiction affects the process and therefore the figure, and it does not stop us buying.