San Antonio, Bexar County
Land work acrossSan Antonio and NW Bexar.
Land clearing, dirt work, millings drives and demolition in San Antonio, with a focus on the northwest side: the Loop 1604 corridor, Scenic Loop and Babcock, Leon Springs and the Government Canyon area.
- Bexar County
- Free estimates
- Based in Helotes
Working in San Antonio
Land work in San Antonio
San Antonio is the big market next door to our Helotes base, and most of the land work here is on the northwest side, where the city runs up into the Hill Country along the Balcones Escarpment.
Out along Loop 1604, Scenic Loop and Babcock Road, Leon Springs and around Government Canyon, the work is clearing acreage for homes, cutting pads, building drives and taking down old structures. Further south, the ground and the jobs change.
San Antonio also has more rules than most places: a tree ordinance that reaches into the ETJ, a city aquifer ordinance on top of the state's, and a county floodplain review. We know which office handles which.
San Antonio at a glance
- County
- Bexar County
- People
- 1,434,625 in 2020 and an estimated 1,548,422 in 2025, the seventh-largest city in the US (Wikipedia)
- Terrain
- The city "sits on the Balcones Escarpment", and the Hill Country reaches into its far northern parts (Wikipedia)
- Water
- The Edwards Aquifer is the city's primary water source. Bexar County holds about 8 percent of the recharge zone, and less than 3 percent of it is inside the city limits (SAWS)
- Tree rules
- The city tree ordinance covers private property in the city limits and the ETJ (City of San Antonio)
Local know-how
What to know before land work in San Antonio
Rules, ground and timing that change how the work is done here. Sources are linked.
The tree ordinance
San Antonio's ordinance applies to private property in the city limits and the extraterritorial jurisdiction, which reaches about five miles past the city limits. Permits or affidavits are needed before clearing vegetation, construction or tree removal. Significant trees start at 6 inches in diameter, larger species such as Ashe juniper, mesquite and huisache at 10 inches on one trunk, and heritage trees at 24 inches (City of San Antonio FAQ).
Two kinds of ground
Ground on the north and northwest side, up on the Balcones Escarpment, is commonly described as limestone, and the south and east side as clay. That matters most for stock tanks: the NRCS pond handbook calls limestone areas hazardous because hidden crevices can drain a pond (NRCS Handbook 590). A test hole settles it.
Aquifer rules on the northwest side
Over the recharge zone, SAWS limits impervious cover to 30 percent for single-family inside the city (Category 2) and 15 percent in the ETJ (Category 3), and its Aquifer Protection Plan is approved before development (SAWS). TCEQ's Edwards Aquifer Protection Plan can also be needed before soil is disturbed (TCEQ). See the Edwards Aquifer guide.
Floodplains
Bexar County Public Works reviews construction near the 100-year floodplain, with a fee per activity and sometimes an engineer's flood study (Bexar County). Inside the city, check with the city.
Photos from our work
Real Highlander Construction jobs. Captions say what each photo shows, not where it was taken. More in recent work.
What fits here
Our work around San Antonio
The jobs that fit this area best. Not sure if we handle it? Call and ask.
Land Clearing
Acreage and homesites cleared on the northwest side, with tree ordinance permits sorted before work starts.
See the service
Excavation & Grading
Grading, cut and fill and dozer work, with the Edwards plan and the floodplain review checked first.
See the service
Asphalt Millings, Caliche & Gravel Driveways
Long drives and ranchette roads surfaced with millings, caliche or base.
See the service
Demolition
Old structures taken down and hauled off, and the lot graded for what comes next.
See the serviceMore on San Antonio
Land 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, oak rules and aquifer...
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, the paperwork comes...
Read the page Driveways: Millings, Caliche & GravelAsphalt millings driveways in San Antonio.
Asphalt millings driveways for San Antonio homes, ranchettes and long rural drives, laid on a graded base, rolled tight and shaped so the...
Read the page DemolitionDemolition and haul-off in San Antonio.
Demolition and haul-off in San Antonio and Bexar County: structures taken down, debris hauled away, never burned, and the lot graded ready...
Read the pageEverything else we do
Do I need a tree permit to clear land in San Antonio?
Yes, if your land is in the city limits or the ETJ: permits or affidavits are needed before clearing vegetation. See the permit guide.
My land is in the ETJ. Do city rules apply?
The tree ordinance does. Over the recharge zone, SAWS Category 3 limits impervious cover in the ETJ to 15 percent. TCEQ's Edwards rules apply county-wide on the regulated zones.
Is my land over the recharge zone?
TCEQ and SAWS publish maps of the zones, and TCEQ's San Antonio office can confirm for a specific tract. We do not make that call, but we will help you ask.
Do you work on the south side of San Antonio too?
Yes. See Von Ormy and Somerset for the rural south side of Bexar County.
Sources
- Wikipedia, San Antonio
- San Antonio Water System, the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone
- City of San Antonio, Tree Preservation Ordinance FAQ
- San Antonio Water System, Aquifer Protection Ordinance No. 81491
- TCEQ, Rules Protecting the Edwards Aquifer (RG-11)
- TCEQ, Edwards Aquifer Protection Program: applications and the San Antonio Regional Office
- USDA NRCS, Agriculture Handbook 590: Ponds, Planning, Design, Construction
- Bexar County Public Works, Floodplain Development Permits
Free estimates
Land to work in San Antonio?
Call (830) 328-3684 or send a few details. Estimates are free.