Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Eagle Pass, Texas

At a glance

Zoning

Yes: the city has a zoning ordinance with named districts¹⁵

Building permit

Required inside city limits; applied for with the city Planning Department⁶³

Building codes

City adopted the 2015 International codes and the 2014 NEC²

Certificate of occupancy

Required; the city form lists a $40 fee⁶⁷

Septic permits

Texas requires a permit; who issues it inside city limits is unconfirmed⁸⁴

RV or tiny home living

Not confirmed; ask the Planning Department³

Subdivisions

Regulated; final plats need Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council approval⁹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Does Eagle Pass, Texas have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. The City of Eagle Pass zones land inside city limits through the zoning districts and regulations in Appendix A of its Code of Ordinances¹. The published ordinance establishes districts such as R-5 Garden Home and R-6 Third One-Family⁵. Which district a parcel sits in decides what you can build, so confirm it with the Planning Department before you buy.

Dimensional rules differ by district. In the R-5 Garden Home district, a single-family lot needs at least 4,500 square feet and an average width of at least 45 feet¹⁰. R-5 requires a front yard of at least 10 feet and a rear yard of at least 10 feet, with 10 feet between buildings¹¹. Buildings in R-5 may not exceed two and one-half stories or 35 feet¹². We have not confirmed the numbers for other districts, a minimum home size or lot coverage limits, so ask the Planning Department for the district your parcel is in.

Do you need a building permit in Eagle Pass, and who issues it?

Inside Eagle Pass city limits, construction follows the city's Code of Ordinances and the codes the city has adopted: the 2015 International Building, Residential, Fire, Mechanical, Plumbing, Existing Building and Energy Conservation Codes, the 2014 National Electrical Code and the 2012 Texas Accessibility Standards². The city's Planning Department takes building permit applications³, and the city lists an online permit portal for submittals.

A certificate of occupancy is also required before a building or premises is used or occupied, except for agricultural use of vacant land, and is applied for together with the building permit⁶. The city's application lists inspection categories including zoning requirements, gas, sewer, final electrical, mechanical, plumbing and building, and off-street parking¹³. The certificate of occupancy fee on the city form is $40⁷. We could not confirm an owner-builder exemption inside city limits, so assume a permit applies and ask the Planning Department.

How do septic permits work inside Eagle Pass?

Texas requires a permit and approved plan to construct, install, alter, extend or repair a septic system (OSSF)⁸. The Maverick County septic authorized agent is listed by TCEQ with its area served as unincorporated county⁴. We could not confirm who issues septic permits for a lot inside Eagle Pass city limits, or whether a new home there must connect to city water and sewer. Ask the city Planning Department first, then the county septic agent.

The state's 10-acre exemption for a single-family dwelling⁸ is unlikely to matter on a city lot, because it requires a tract of at least 10 acres. For soils, about 20% of Maverick County soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field¹⁴. That is a strict rating, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system if septic is allowed on your lot.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Eagle Pass?

We could not confirm an Eagle Pass rule on living in an RV, camping on private land, or occupying a tiny home, manufactured home or accessory dwelling inside city limits. The zoning ordinance excerpts we reviewed do not state an RV-occupancy rule. Because the city zones by district, the answer depends on the district and on the city's Certificate of Occupancy requirement⁶. Call the Planning Department at (830) 773-7781³ with the parcel address and ask in writing before you move anything onto the lot.

Building a home in Eagle Pass: the steps, in order

1. Ask the city Planning Department which zoning district the parcel is in and what that district allows³.
2. Check lot size, setbacks and height for that district; for R-5 the figures are in the zoning section above¹⁰.
3. If the land would be divided, note that final plats need Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council approval⁹.
4. Settle water and sewer or septic: confirm with the city and the county septic agent who issues septic permits for the address⁴.
5. Apply for the building permit and the certificate of occupancy together⁶, building to the city's adopted codes².
6. Pass the city's inspections, then collect the certificate of occupancy¹³.

What stays with Maverick County, and what to check before you buy in Eagle Pass?

City rules apply only inside Eagle Pass city limits. For land outside the city, use the Maverick County page, where unincorporated rules differ: the county's septic authorized agent serves unincorporated county⁴. Septic permitting for the address, any private well, and floodplain questions are not answered by the city's zoning rules, so confirm each with the office that handles it. The city publishes a floodplain development permit application, but we could not confirm when it is required, so ask the Planning Department about the parcel's flood zone.

For budgeting, Maverick County's effective property tax rate is 1.4%¹⁵ and its median property tax bill is $2,112 a year¹⁶. Annual precipitation averages 19.7 inches¹⁷.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm who issues septic permits inside Eagle Pass city limits; ask the city Planning Department and the county septic agent before you rely on a septic system⁴.
• The only dimensional rules we confirmed are for the R-5 Garden Home district, so a parcel in another zoning district may have different lot size, setback and height limits¹⁰.
• The city requires a certificate of occupancy before premises are used or occupied, except agricultural use of vacant land⁶.
• We could not confirm rules on RVs, tiny homes, accessory dwellings, short-term rentals or driveway access inside city limits; ask the Planning Department³.

Sources

1. Ordinance No. 2020-01 (Eagle Pass), quoted and re-checked
2. Certificate of Occupancy Permit Application (Eagle Pass), quoted and re-checked
3. City of Eagle Pass Planning Department (eaglepasstx.gov)
4. Maverick County OSSF (Septic) Authorized Agent (www6.tceq.texas.gov)
5. Ordinance No. 2020-01 (Eagle Pass), quoted and re-checked
6. Certificate of Occupancy Permit Application (Eagle Pass), quoted and re-checked
7. Certificate of Occupancy Permit Application (Eagle Pass), quoted and re-checked
8. Getting a Permit for an OSSF - Such as a Septic System, quoted and re-checked
9. Ordinance No. 2023-10 (Eagle Pass), quoted and re-checked
10. mcclibraryfunctions.azurewebsites.us (Eagle Pass), quoted and re-checked
11. mcclibraryfunctions.azurewebsites.us (Eagle Pass), quoted and re-checked
12. mcclibraryfunctions.azurewebsites.us (Eagle Pass), quoted and re-checked
13. Certificate of Occupancy Permit Application (Eagle Pass), quoted and re-checked
14. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
15. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
16. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
17. Annual precipitation: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.