TCEQ's Edwards Aquifer rules cover Bexar, Medina, Comal, Uvalde, Kinney, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties, not Bandera, Kendall, Kerr or Gillespie (TCEQ RG-11). On the regulated zones, a plan must be approved before soil is disturbed for activities such as construction and land clearing (TCEQ). Agricultural activities, clearing without soil disturbance and single-family homes on lots over five acres are excluded (30 TAC 213.3). Confirm your tract with TCEQ's San Antonio office.
Which counties
| County | Covered by TCEQ's Edwards rules? |
|---|---|
| Bexar | Yes |
| Medina | Yes |
| Comal | Yes |
| Uvalde, Kinney, Hays, Travis, Williamson | Yes |
| Bandera | No |
| Kendall | No |
| Kerr | No |
| Gillespie | No |
Being in a covered county is only the start. The rules apply on the regulated zones: the recharge zone, the transition zone and the contributing zone. TCEQ publishes maps of them, and the San Antonio Regional Office can confirm where a tract sits.
When a plan is needed
An Edwards Aquifer Protection Plan must be approved before disturbing soil for a regulated activity "such as construction, land clearing, aboveground or underground storage tank installation". The San Antonio Regional Office covers Comal, Bexar, Medina, Uvalde and Kinney counties, (210) 490-3096 (TCEQ EAPP).
On the contributing zone, the rules apply when more than five acres are disturbed, or as part of a larger plan that will disturb five or more, and erosion and sediment controls go in before work begins (TCEQ RG-11).
What is excluded
The definition of a regulated activity in 30 TAC 213.3(28)(B) leaves out (30 TAC 213.3):
- "clearing of vegetation without soil disturbance"
- "agricultural activities, except feedlots/concentrated animal feeding operations"
- routine maintenance of existing structures, and fences
- "construction of single-family residences on lots that are larger than five acres", with one residence per lot
Some websites say any earthmoving over the recharge zone needs a TCEQ plan. The rule itself lists these exclusions. Whether your project fits one is for TCEQ to confirm, not for us or anyone selling the work.
San Antonio's own rules
Inside San Antonio and its ETJ over the recharge zone, SAWS Aquifer Protection Ordinance 81491 (adopted 12 January 1995) adds city rules: a SAWS Aquifer Protection Plan "prior to development", no sealing of significant recharge features, and impervious cover limits (SAWS).
| Category | Where | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Category 2 | Inside city limits, single-family | 30 percent |
| Category 2 | Inside city limits, multi-family | 50 percent |
| Category 2 | Inside city limits, commercial | 65 percent |
| Category 3 | ETJ over the recharge zone | 15 percent |
The recharge zone crosses six counties. Bexar County holds about 8 percent of it, and less than 3 percent lies inside San Antonio's city limits (SAWS).
What it means for each kind of job
| Job | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Clearing brush | Is the soil disturbed? Clearing without soil disturbance is excluded. Grubbing and grading are disturbance. |
| A house pad | Is the lot over five acres with one home? That is an exclusion. Smaller lots and other buildings may need a plan. |
| Roads and drives | Part of a regulated development? Count the disturbed acres on the contributing zone. |
| Stock tanks | Agricultural use is excluded, except feedlots and concentrated animal feeding operations. |
| Anything in San Antonio or its ETJ | SAWS rules may apply as well as TCEQ's. |
Helotes is a good example of why it matters: the Helotes Creek watershed sits on the contributing zone and supplies up to 15 percent of the Edwards' recharge (Texas Public Radio).
Cedar and recharge
Clearing cedar is often sold as a way to put water back in the aquifer. A Texas A&M study at Camp Bullis over the Edwards found "no apparent change in the relationship between rainfall and recharge" after the trees were removed, though the monitoring was too short to rule out longer-term gains (Edwards Aquifer Authority). Clear for the land's sake, not on a promise about the aquifer.
Common questions
Does Bandera or Kendall County fall under the Edwards Aquifer rules?
No. TCEQ's Edwards rules cover Bexar, Medina, Comal, Uvalde, Kinney, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties, not Bandera, Kendall, Kerr or Gillespie.
Do I need a TCEQ plan to build a house over the recharge zone?
Single-family homes on lots larger than five acres, one per lot, are excluded. Smaller lots can need a plan. TCEQ's San Antonio office can confirm.
Is a stock tank regulated over the Edwards?
Agricultural activities are excluded, except feedlots and concentrated animal feeding operations. Confirm for your project with TCEQ.
Who decides whether my land is on the recharge zone?
TCEQ publishes the zone maps and its San Antonio Regional Office, (210) 490-3096, can confirm.
Talk to us about your land
Every piece of land is different. Call (830) 328-3684 or send the form for a free estimate. See our excavation & grading service.
Sources
- TCEQ, Rules Protecting the Edwards Aquifer (RG-11)
- TCEQ, Edwards Aquifer Protection Program: applications and the San Antonio Regional Office
- 30 Texas Administrative Code 213.3, definitions (Cornell LII)
- San Antonio Water System, Aquifer Protection Ordinance No. 81491
- San Antonio Water System, the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone
- Texas Public Radio, Helotes Creek and the Guajolote Ranch water permit (16 Feb 2025)
- Edwards Aquifer Authority, Augmenting Groundwater Recharge Through Brush Control: A Feasibility Study, Phase II (Wilcox and Munster)
