Pads and site prep, San Antonio
Building pads and site preparound San Antonio.
Pads for houses, shops, barns and RVs on acreage around San Antonio and its ETJ: the lot cleared, cut and filled to plan, compacted in layers, with the city and aquifer rules checked first.
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Building pads, San Antonio
Site prep with the rules in the right order
A pad is the part of a build nobody sees once the slab is poured, and the part that causes trouble when it is rushed. Around San Antonio, the rules also decide the order of work before a machine touches the ground.
The tree ordinance covers private land in the city limits and the ETJ, and much of the northwest side sits over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, where cover and plans are regulated.
Highlander Construction is based next door in Helotes and handles the clearing, the pad and the drive as one job. Call and tell us about your land.
Local detail
What changes for pads in San Antonio
Clear only after the permit
Permits or affidavits are needed before clearing vegetation, construction or tree removal in the city limits and the ETJ (City of San Antonio FAQ). The pad site is cleared after that is sorted.
Aquifer rules on the northwest side
Over the recharge zone, SAWS limits impervious cover to 30 percent for single-family inside the city and 15 percent in the ETJ, and its Aquifer Protection Plan is approved before development (SAWS). TCEQ's plan can also be needed before soil is disturbed (TCEQ).
Limestone and clay
The north side sits on the Balcones Escarpment and is commonly limestone, while the south and east run to clay. Rock changes how a pad is cut; clay changes how it is compacted. We look at the ground before the plan.
Floodplains
Bexar County Public Works reviews construction near the 100-year floodplain (Bexar County). Inside the city, check with the city.
Questions
Building pads questions: San Antonio
Do I need a permit before you clear for a pad in San Antonio?
If the lot is in the city limits or the ETJ, permits or affidavits are needed before clearing vegetation. See the permit guide.
Does the Edwards Aquifer affect my pad?
If the land is over the recharge zone, SAWS limits impervious cover and plans can be needed before soil is disturbed. TCEQ's San Antonio office can confirm for your tract.
Can you build a pad for a metal shop or barn?
Yes. House, shop, barn and RV pads are cut, filled and compacted to the size and height your builder wants.
Can you also clear the lot and build the drive?
Yes. See land clearing in San Antonio and millings drives in San Antonio.
On the job
Photos from our work
Real photos from Highlander Construction jobs. Captions say what each shows. More in recent work.
Keep reading
Building Pads & Site Prep
House, barndominium, shop and RV pads cut, filled and compacted level, and ground leveled for concrete.
The full service AreaAll our work in San Antonio
Land clearing, dirt work, millings drives and demolition in San Antonio, with a focus on the northwest side: the Loop 1604 corridor, Scenic...
The area page Land ClearingLand clearing in San Antonio, permits sorted first.
Land and lot clearing across San Antonio and its ETJ, with a focus on the northwest side. The city's tree ordinance,...
Read the page Excavation & GradingExcavation and grading in San Antonio.
Excavation, grading and dozer work in San Antonio and its ETJ, mostly on the northwest side. Over the Edwards Aquifer,...
Read the pageGuides
Edwards Aquifer rules for land work.
Which counties, when a TCEQ plan is needed, what is excluded and what it means for each kind of job.
Read the guide
Do you need a permit to clear land here?
Tree ordinances, the Helotes survey, Edwards Aquifer plans, floodplains and who to call.
Read the guide
Caliche, road base or asphalt millings?
What each surface is, where it fits, what sets the price and why drainage matters more.
Read the guide
Free estimates
Building pads in
San Antonio?
Call (830) 328-3684 or send a few details. Estimates are free.