Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Cottonwood Shores, Texas

Cottonwood Shores’s own rules

• InspectionsLimited

  Existing structures proposed to be moved into Cottonwood Shores city limits.

  • The pre-inspection occurs before movement of the structure or issuance of permits.

  “Any type of existing structure(s) that are to be moved into the City of Cottonwood Shores shall have a pre-inspection performed prior to the moval [sic] of the structure or before any permit(s) will be issued.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Cottonwood Shores city limits.

  • The full list includes agricultural, single-family, multifamily, manufactured/mobile-home, open-space, utility/institutional, commercial, industrial, planned-unit-development, and conditional-use districts.

  “§ 2.04 Agricultural District - "A". [...] § 2.06 Single-Family Residential 1 District - "R-1". [...] § 2.07 Single-Family Residential 2 District - "R-2".”

• Permit processPartial

  Structures and buildings inside Cottonwood Shores city limits.

  • Construction plans must meet ordinance requirements and be approved by the City Engineer and/or City Building Official.

  “No structure or building shall be erected, converted, enlarged, reconstructed or structurally altered; unless Construction Plans meeting the requirements of this Ordinance have been approved by the City Engineer and/or City Building Official.”

Rules another office applies inside Cottonwood Shores

Cottonwood Shores does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  A Agricultural District inside Cottonwood Shores city limits.

  • The table states a minimum lot area of 43,560 square feet and a minimum lot width of 150 feet.

  minimum lot area: 43560 square feet · minimum lot width: 150 feet

  “A | 25 feet | 25 feet | 15 feet | 25 feet | 43,560 | 150 feet | 35 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 Single-Family Residential 1 District inside Cottonwood Shores city limits.

    “R-1 | 25 feet* | 5 feet | 15 feet | 5 feet*** | 5,000 | 50 feet | 35 feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  A Agricultural District inside Cottonwood Shores city limits.

  front yard setback: 25 feet · side yard setback: 25 feet · street side yard setback: 15 feet · rear yard setback: 25 feet

  “A | 25 feet | 25 feet | 15 feet | 25 feet | 43,560 | 150 feet | 35 feet”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Cottonwood Shores or Burnet County directly.

• Building permit — General residential construction inside Cottonwood Shores city limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Cottonwood Shores city limits.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Cottonwood Shores city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings inside Cottonwood Shores city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Cottonwood Shores city limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Cottonwood Shores means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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