Bolthole Index

Travis County, Texas

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Bee Cave, Texas

Bee Cave, Texas, in Travis County, sets its own zoning and runs its own building permits: the City of Bee Cave Planning and Development Department says that in most cases you will need a permit1, and all land inside city limits is classified into zoning districts2. Travis County's development permit covers only land outside corporate city limits3. We could not confirm who issues septic permits inside the city; start with the Travis County OSSF program4.

At a glance

Building permit
Required in most cases, issued by the City of Bee Cave1
Zoning
Yes. The city classifies all land within city limits into districts2
Building code
2015 International Building Code adopted by the city5
Septic
Not confirmed inside city limits; ask the Travis County OSSF program4
Manufactured homes
Permitted in the AG district; not marked permitted in the other districts the chart displays6
Minimum lot size
R-1 lots must be one acre or larger7
RV and tiny homes
Not confirmed; ask city Planning and Development1
Owner-builder
State licensing exemptions for electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning work on your own home; no confirmed exemption from city permits8

Who to call

Building permits

City of Bee Cave Planning and Development Department

Building permits, building inspections and zoning inside Bee Cave city limits

(512) 767-6600

planning@beecavetexas.gov

4000 Galleria Parkway, Bee Cave, TX 78738

Online permits →

Septic permits

Travis County Development Services - On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) Program

Septic (OSSF) plan review, permits and inspections for Travis County as TCEQ's authorized agent; whether it covers a given address inside Bee Cave is unconfirmed

512-854-4438

700 Lavaca, Suite 540, Austin, TX 78701

Online permits →

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

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in Bee Cave, Texas?

In most cases, yes. The City of Bee Cave Planning and Development Department states that you will need a permit for most work, and lists new construction and structural changes, residential and commercial, among the examples1. Bee Cave has adopted the 2015 International Building Code5.

The state's owner-builder exemptions are about trade licensing, not permits. A Texas homeowner who does electrical work on a dwelling they own and live in does not need a state electrician license, but that exemption does not exempt the work from locally administered building permits or inspections9. We did not find a Bee Cave rule exempting owner-built homes, so ask Planning and Development before you start.

Travis County's rules do not apply inside the city. The county's development permit covers land outside corporate city limits3.

Who issues building permits in Bee Cave, and how do you reach them?

Building permits and building inspections inside Bee Cave come from the City of Bee Cave Planning and Development Department, which says it is responsible for permitting, building construction and inspections1. The office is at Bee Cave City Hall, 4000 Galleria Parkway, Bee Cave, TX 78738; call (512) 767-6600 or email planning@beecavetexas.gov1.

Applications are online. The City of Bee Cave uses MyGovernmentOnline.org as its permitting site1. For a lot inside city limits, the county planning counter is the wrong office: Travis County Development Services handles land outside corporate city limits3.

The city's fee schedule exists, but we could not read it, so ask Planning and Development for current building permit fees.

Does Bee Cave have zoning, and what does it mean for lots, manufactured homes and ADUs?

Yes. Bee Cave zones the land inside its city limits and publishes an Official Zoning Map10. Every parcel in the city is classified into a district from the city's list, which includes an agriculture district (AG), residential districts R-1 through R-5, mixed-use, commercial and planned development districts, and the Hill Country Corridor Overlay2.

Rules differ by district. In the R-1 Residential Estate District, lots must be one acre or larger7. The city's use chart shows manufactured housing as permitted in AG and not marked permitted in the other districts it displays6. Accessory dwelling units are permitted in some districts, with one parking space per ADU11.

We could not confirm Bee Cave's setbacks, height limits, lot coverage or minimum home size. Ask Planning and Development for the standards in your district1.

Outside city limits the answer changes: Travis County has no county zoning authority in unincorporated areas12.

How do septic permits work in Bee Cave?

We could not confirm who issues septic permits for lots inside Bee Cave city limits. The city's building page points to the state's on-site sewage facility rules among the codes it follows1, and Texas requires a permit and approved plan to construct, alter, repair, extend and operate a septic system13.

Travis County is the state-authorized agent for septic permits in unincorporated areas and in municipalities it has interlocal agreements with14. Whether Bee Cave is one of them is what to ask, starting with the Travis County OSSF program at 512-854-44384. Near Lake Travis, the Lower Colorado River Authority regulates septic systems within a 2,000-foot zone15.

Soils matter too. Only 4.2% of Travis County soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system16.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Bee Cave?

We could not confirm whether Bee Cave allows RV occupancy, temporary camping or tiny homes on private land inside city limits. The city's use chart did not give a verified classification for them. Ask Planning and Development at planning@beecavetexas.gov before you buy or park anything1.

What we can confirm is narrower: manufactured housing is shown as permitted in the AG district only among the districts the chart displays6.

Outside city limits the picture is different. Travis County has adopted no zoning, so no county zoning rule limits RV or tiny-home occupancy on unincorporated land17. That does not carry into Bee Cave, and septic and building rules still apply.

Building a home in Bee Cave: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the parcel is inside Bee Cave city limits. Land outside the limits falls under Travis County's development permit instead3.
  2. Find the parcel's zoning district and check that your use is allowed there2.
  3. If you are dividing land, plan for a Preliminary Plat before a Final Plat; a Final Plat is required to record the subdivision18.
  4. If the site is in a special flood hazard area, apply to the floodplain administrator for a floodplain development permit19.
  5. Create an account on MyGovernmentOnline.org and apply for the building permit1.
  6. Settle septic with the Travis County OSSF program before you design the house4.
  7. Once the permit is issued, ask Planning and Development how to schedule each inspection1.

What to check before you buy land in Bee Cave

Ask for the deed restrictions. The city notes that a homeowners' association or deed restrictions may add requirements even where a city permit is not needed1.

Driveways onto a state highway need a TxDOT permit; the application is Form 105820. We could not confirm a separate city driveway rule.

For wells, Texas groundwater conservation districts generally require a permit where one covers the property21, and we could not confirm a Bee Cave well rule.

Travis County's effective property tax rate is 1.5%22, and the median property tax bill is $7,487 a year23. The county's typical home value is $476,40024. For land outside Bee Cave, see the Travis County page.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm the text of the city code that requires a building permit; the Planning and Development page says that in most cases you will need a permit, so confirm your project with the office1.
  • Septic authority inside Bee Cave city limits is unconfirmed; ask the Travis County OSSF program before you close on a lot4.
  • Lots near Lake Travis may fall under Lower Colorado River Authority septic review instead of the county15.
  • Setbacks, height limits, RV and tiny-home rules are unconfirmed inside Bee Cave; get them in writing from Planning and Development1.

Sources

  1. City of Bee Cave Planning and Development Department (beecavetexas.gov)
  2. City of Bee Cave, TX — UDC § 3.2 Zoning Districts (Bee Cave), quoted and re-checked
  3. Environmental Review of Development Proposals, quoted and re-checked
  4. Travis County Development Services - On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) Program (traviscountytx.gov)
  5. City of Bee Cave, TX — Building Code, § 24.02.051 (Bee Cave), quoted and re-checked
  6. City of Bee Cave, TX — UDC § 3.3 Land Use Regulations (Bee Cave), quoted and re-checked
  7. City of Bee Cave, TX — UDC § 3.2 Zoning Districts (Bee Cave), quoted and re-checked
  8. Exemptions to Electrician Licensing (2026 county census)
  9. Exemptions to Electrician Licensing (Texas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  10. City of Bee Cave, TX — UDC § 3.2 Zoning Districts (Bee Cave), quoted and re-checked
  11. City of Bee Cave, TX — UDC § 3.3 Land Use Regulations (Bee Cave), quoted and re-checked
  12. traviscountytx.gov, quoted and re-checked
  13. Getting a Permit for an OSSF - Such as a Septic System (Texas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  14. Permit Enforcement, quoted and re-checked
  15. Permit Enforcement, quoted and re-checked
  16. 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
  17. Texas law on county zoning and building authority
  18. City of Bee Cave, TX — UDC § 2.3 Platting Requirements (Bee Cave), quoted and re-checked
  19. City of Bee Cave, TX — UDC § 8.2 Administration (Bee Cave), quoted and re-checked
  20. Section 4: Driveway Permits, Design, and Materials (Texas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  21. Water Code Chapter 36 — Groundwater Conservation Districts (Texas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  22. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  23. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  24. Typical home value (Zillow): 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.

Answers from the rulebook for Bee Cave

Bee Cave’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    Construction regulated by Bee Cave city inside city limits.

    • The adopted building code is the 2015 International Building Code and its appendices.
    • The source notes Ordinance 25, sec. 2B, adopted 3/24/09, and Ordinance 484 adopted 6/28/2022.

    building code edition: 2015 International Building Code

    “The 2015 International Building Code, and any appendices thereto [...] is hereby adopted.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land within Bee Cave city limits.

    • District boundaries are delineated on the Official Zoning Map.
    “divided into zones, also called districts”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Land within Bee Cave city limits.

    • All land within city limits is classified into the districts in Table 3.2-1.
    • The table lists AG, R-1 through R-5, MU-N, MU-C, MU-TC, C-1 through C-3, PDD, P, and the Hill Country Corridor Overlay.
    “All land within the City Limits is classified”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Residential Estate District (R-1) inside Bee Cave city limits.

    • The R-1 district is generally at the urban fringe and is for land subdivided for single-family residential purposes and associated uses.

    minimum lot area: >= 1 acre (R-1 Residential Estate District)

    “The Residential Estate District (R-1) is a residential district generally located at the urban fringe of the City that includes land subdivided for single-family residential purposes and associated uses. Lots must be one (1) acre or larger.”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured housing inside Bee Cave city limits; the published chart shows it as permitted in AG and not marked permitted in the other displayed districts.

    • The use chart defines P as permitted by-right and a blank use-chart cell as prohibited.
    • The chart marks Manufactured Housing as P with footnote 2 in AG.
    “Manufactured Housing | P^{2} [...] 2 per unit”
  • Accessory dwellingsLimited

    Accessory dwelling units inside Bee Cave city limits, in districts where the published use chart marks ADUs as permitted.

    • The use chart defines P with footnote notation as permitted by-right subject to referenced conditions.
    • The chart lists parking of one space per ADU.

    parking: per 1 space per ADU

    “Accessory Dwelling Unit | P^{1} [...] 1 per ADU”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision of property inside Bee Cave city limits.

    • A Preliminary Plat is required before a Final Plat.
    • A Final Plat is required to record subdivision of property and cannot be recorded until improvements are accepted or construction surety is filed with the City.
    • A Short Form Final Plat applies only to unplatted property subdivided into five or more lots when Public Facilities are not required.
    “Final Plat | Required to record subdivision of property”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Development in areas of special flood hazard inside Bee Cave city limits.

    • Application is made to the floodplain administrator on forms furnished by that administrator.
    • Plans may include location, dimensions, and elevation of proposed changes and structures, including manufactured-home placement.
    • Additional information includes lowest-floor elevation, nonresidential floodproofing elevation, engineering or architectural certification for floodproofed nonresidential structures, and description of watercourse or drainage alteration or relocation.
    “Application for a floodplain development permit shall be presented to the floodplain administrator”
  • Permit processPartial

    Subdivision applications inside Bee Cave city limits.

    • The preliminary-plat application must include a preliminary drainage plan, preliminary utility plan, and an approved petition for subdivision waiver where applicable.
    • The City will not consider concurrent Preliminary Plat and Final Plat approval unless the subdivider has executed an Improvement Agreement with the City.
    “Preliminary Plat Application must include the following:”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Bee Cave or Travis County directly.

  • Building permit — Residential construction inside Bee Cave city limits.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built dwellings inside Bee Cave city limits.
  • Inspections — Residential construction inside Bee Cave city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Residential occupancy inside Bee Cave city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Bee Cave city limits.
16 more unanswered
  • Setbacks
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Bee Cave publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Travis County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Travis County: county rules, score and offices