Overview
Worth knowing
- SB 840 DOES NOT APPLY. McAllen 2020 Census 142,210 < 150,000 threshold (shortfall 5.2%); 2024 PEP estimate ~144,176 still below threshold. Hidalgo County 870,781 >> 300,000 (county prong passes decisively). City prong is dispositive and fails. Per waco-tx FM-9 precedent, state-preemptions/texas.md qualifying-city roster lists McAllen but primary Census arithmetic overrides roster — roster correction flagged. Monitor: growth projected to cross 150k threshold 2027-2030.
- SB 15 (2025) + Colonia Integration: Hidalgo County has the highest concentration of colonias in Texas (~900 classified; ~50-100 in McAllen jurisdiction + 3.5-mi ETJ). SB 15 enables sub-4,000 sf lots once subdivision regulation platting and water/sewer formalization complete per TX LGC §232 and Water Code §16.343. 5-20 year phased infrastructure buildout.
- v1 profile erroneously cited zoning as 'Chapter 25'; v2 corrects to Chapter 130 (Zoning) on Municode (library.municode.com/tx/mcallen node CH130ZO). v1 also lacked a top-level primary URL and treated the Municode URL as 'code_source' string only without source_platform/version structure.
+ 7 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
com 4res_sf 3res_mf 2ind 2cbd 1ag 1spec 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-1 | Single-Family Residential (Standard Lot) | res_sf | 6,000 sf | 35 ft | 0.45 | — | 7 | — | 25 / 5 / 15 |
| R-2 | Single-Family Residential (Large Lot) | res_sf | 7,500 sf | 35 ft | 0.4 | — | 5.8 | — | 25 / 7 / 20 |
| R-3 | Two-Family / Duplex Residential | res_sf | 8,000 sf | 35 ft | 0.5 | — | 10.9 | — | 20 / 5 / 15 |
| R-3A | Multifamily Residential | res_mf | 12,000 sf | 45 ft | 0.5 | — | 15 | 1.5 | 20 / 10 / 20 |
| R-3B | Multifamily Residential (High Density) | res_mf | 15,000 sf | 60 ft | 0.55 | 1.5 | 25 | 1.25 | 15 / 10 / 20 |
| O | Neighborhood Office | com | 6,000 sf | 35 ft | 0.5 | 0.75 | — | 0 | 15 / 10 / 15 |
| C-1 | Neighborhood Commercial | com | 6,000 sf | 35 ft | 0.7 | 1 | — | 0 | 10 / 0 / 10 |
| C-2 | General Commercial | com | 10,000 sf | 55 ft | 0.8 | 1.5 | — | 0 | 10 / 0 / 10 |
| C-3 | Heavy Commercial / Auto-Oriented | com | 15,000 sf | 55 ft | 0.7 | 1 | — | 0 | 20 / 5 / 15 |
| C-4 | Central Business District / Downtown | cbd | 5,000 sf | 75 ft | 0.85 | 3 | 40 | 0.5 | 0 / 0 / 0 |
| I-1 | Light Industrial | ind | 20,000 sf | 45 ft | 0.6 | — | — | 0 | 25 / 10 / 15 |
| I-2 | Heavy Industrial | ind | 40,000 sf | 60 ft | 0.6 | — | — | — | 50 / 25 / 25 |
| AG | Agricultural | ag | 43,560 sf | 35 ft | — | — | — | — | 30 / 20 / 20 |
| PUD | Planned Unit Development | spec | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
FP
Floodplain and Hazard Overlay
FP| base_flood_elevation | FEMA-mapped; Rio Grande reach ~80-110 ft NAVD88 at McAllen latitude |
|---|---|
| freeboard_ft | 1-2 ft above BFE (typical Valley city NFIP CRS participant standard) |
| fill_no_rise_certification_required | True |
| floodway_encroachment_max_wse_increase_pct | 1.0 |
| irrigation_canal_setback_ft | 25-50 |
| basement_prohibited | True |
| utilities_elevation_or_floodproofing_required | True |
| crs_community_rating_system_participant | True |
H
Historic Preservation Overlay — Downtown / 17th Street
HP| demolition_review_required | HPC approval required for designated contributing structures |
|---|---|
| facade_alteration_review | Material, fenestration, color, signage compatibility |
| new_construction_design_compatibility | Height, massing, setback consistent with historic context |
| bilingual_signage_permitted | Spanish-English allowance typical in border-city historic overlays |
| parking_variance_for_historic_lots | Reduced/off-site parking permitted for non-conforming historic lots |
AIR
McAllen Miller International Airport (MFE) Part 77 Airspace Overlay
AP| part_77_surfaces_adopted | True |
|---|---|
| max_height_in_approach_cone_ft_agl | Variable by distance/slope (50:1 for commercial service runway) |
| rpz_incompatible_uses_prohibited | Residential, schools, hospitals, places of public assembly within RPZ |
| dnl_65_residential_discouraged | True |
| dnl_70_residential_prohibited | True |
| obstruction_lighting_required_above_height | True |
| faa_form_7460_1_required | Notice of proposed construction for objects penetrating Part 77 surfaces |
| horizontal_surface_radius_ft | 10000 |
| horizontal_surface_height_agl_ft | 150 |
COL
Colonia Integration / Subdivision Platting Overlay
SPD| platting_mandate | All subdivisions must be formally platted to receive city water/sewer service per TX Water Code §16.343 and TX LGC §232 |
|---|---|
| road_improvement_standards | Dedicated ROW, pavement, drainage per subdivision regs |
| water_sewer_extension_required_condition_of_plat | True |
| sb15_small_lot_override_allowed | Lots ≤4,000 sf permitted per SB 15 (2025) with infrastructure formalized |
| easement_formalization_required | True |
| phase_in_timeline_years | 5-20 |
| etj_jurisdiction_miles | 3.5 |
| etj_statutory_basis | TX LGC §42.021 (population-tier ETJ radius; cities 100,000+ get 5 mi but SB 2038 owner-release erodes) |
BORDER
Rio Grande Border / International Boundary Overlay
SPD| cbp_operational_zone_no_build | Within sight/approach of POE facility |
|---|---|
| riparian_setback_from_rio_grande | Variable; coordinated with USIBWC levee maintenance easement |
| international_bridge_approach_clearance | No development obstructing bridge sight lines or queueing lanes |
| bilingual_signage_permitted | Spanish-English commercial signage allowed in border commercial zones |
| usfws_lrgv_wildlife_refuge_adjacency | Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park + Santa Ana NWR proximity |
BRED
Border Retail & Economic Development Overlay
COR| parking_ratio_retail | Elevated to 1 space / 250-300 sf GFA for regional/border retail (vs. standard TX 1/400 sf) — reflects cross-border shopper vehicle volumes |
|---|---|
| curb_cut_width_commercial_ft | 35-50 (accommodates high-turnover traffic) |
| bilingual_monument_signage_permitted | True |
| height_allowance_bonus_for_mixed_use | Typical 10-25% height bonus over base commercial if ground-floor retail + upper-floor office/residential |
| frontage_reduction_for_retail_storefront | 0-10 ft front setback permitted for street-activated retail |
State preemptions
TX SB 15applies
Qualifying condition
SB 15 applies statewide to lots ≤4,000 sf without city-population precondition. McAllen base single-family districts have minimum lot sizes ≥6,000 sf (R-1 6,000 sf; R-2 7,500 sf; R-3 8,000 sf). SB 15 enables small-lot (≤4,000 sf) infill on qualifying lots regardless of base-district minimum, limiting city regulation of setbacks, parking, height, and bulk on lots ≤4,000 sf. Primary use case in McAllen: legacy substandard lots (pre-1970s platting), colonia-integration small-lot infill once infrastructure formalized (see COL overlay), and ADU/missing-middle on sub-4,000 sf parcels.
TX SB 2038applies
Qualifying condition
McAllen has ETJ under TX LGC §42.021. Statutory ETJ radius for cities 100,000+ population is 5 miles; McAllen's effective ETJ pre-SB-2038 was 3.5 miles due to neighboring municipal boundaries (Edinburg, Pharr, Mission, Alamo contiguity). SB 2038 (2023) allows property owners to petition for release from ETJ, limiting city's ability to retain ETJ jurisdiction for colonia-platting, subdivision review, and ordinance enforcement.
TX HB 2127 (Texas Regulatory Consistency Act / 'Death Star' bill)applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide; applies to all Texas home-rule cities including McAllen. Preempts local regulations in agriculture, business/commerce, finance, insurance, labor, natural resources, occupations, and property domains where state law occupies the field. Does not directly preempt zoning (TX LGC Ch. 211/212 zoning authority preserved by the bill's express carve-out), but limits adjacent municipal business-operations ordinances (predatory-lending, contractor registration, certain landscape/tree protections).
Non-applicable laws (2)
TX SB 840not_applicable
Qualifying condition
SB 840 requires city population ≥150,000 AND county population ≥300,000. McAllen 2020 Census: 142,210 (FIPS 4845372) — BELOW 150,000 threshold by 7,790 (5.2%). McAllen 2024 Census PEP estimate ~144,176 — still BELOW 150,000 threshold by ~5,824 (3.9%). Hidalgo County 2020 Census: 870,781 (FIPS 48215) — WELL ABOVE 300,000 threshold by 570,781 (190%). County prong passes decisively; CITY PRONG FAILS. Both prongs required for SB 840 applicability; city prong is dispositive. Per waco-tx Wave-3 FM-9 border-city precedent, state-preemptions/texas.md qualifying-city roster lists McAllen but primary Census arithmetic overrides the roster. Roster correction flagged for state-file maintenance.
TX HB 3699 (STR preemption, 89th Leg.)not_applicable
Qualifying condition
HB 3699 short-term-rental preemption bill did not advance to enactment in the 89th Legislature (2025). Related bills (HB 3903 / companions) have similarly failed or pending. No statewide STR preemption currently in effect. McAllen has modest STR activity (not a coastal/resort market like South Padre Island); practical impact nil.
Adopted building codes
Home rule; major cities on 2024 IBC
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- SB 840 DOES NOT APPLY. McAllen 2020 Census 142,210 < 150,000 threshold (shortfall 5.2%); 2024 PEP estimate ~144,176 still below threshold. Hidalgo County 870,781 >> 300,000 (county prong passes decisively). City prong is dispositive and fails. Per waco-tx FM-9 precedent, state-preemptions/texas.md qualifying-city roster lists McAllen but primary Census arithmetic overrides roster — roster correction flagged. Monitor: growth projected to cross 150k threshold 2027-2030.
- SB 15 (2025) + Colonia Integration: Hidalgo County has the highest concentration of colonias in Texas (~900 classified; ~50-100 in McAllen jurisdiction + 3.5-mi ETJ). SB 15 enables sub-4,000 sf lots once subdivision regulation platting and water/sewer formalization complete per TX LGC §232 and Water Code §16.343. 5-20 year phased infrastructure buildout.
- v1 profile erroneously cited zoning as 'Chapter 25'; v2 corrects to Chapter 130 (Zoning) on Municode (library.municode.com/tx/mcallen node CH130ZO). v1 also lacked a top-level primary URL and treated the Municode URL as 'code_source' string only without source_platform/version structure.
- Border retail tourism economy: McAllen retail-sales-per-capita historically among highest in Texas (cross-border Mexican-national shoppers). La Plaza Mall (1976, expanded ~1.2M sf) anchors North 10th / Expressway 83 retail spine. Commercial parking ratios elevated (1/250-300 sf) to 1/400 sf TX standard to absorb cross-border vehicle volumes. Bilingual signage allowances pervasive.
- Medical tourism sector: specialty clinics (cosmetic, dental, orthopedic, bariatric) cluster in Office (O) and C-2/C-4 districts serving Mexican-national and Latin American patients. Medical-office parking typical 1/250 sf GFA (elevated vs. general office 1/300 sf) due to accompaniment/family-visit patterns.
- Rio Grande Valley irrigation infrastructure: Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 plus ~16 irrigation districts operate canal/lateral networks (50-200 ft wide ROW typical). Irrigation canal setbacks 25-50 ft; easement preservation is pervasive constraint on east-west parcel development.
- International border: three bridges in McAllen-Pharr metro (Hidalgo-Reynosa, Anzalduas, Pharr-Reynosa). Federal CBP/USIBWC/USFWS overlays supersede local zoning within coordinated corridors. Downtown McAllen is ~7 mi north of Rio Grande so direct riverfront zoning impact is limited; bridge-approach commercial corridor (IH-2/US-83) is the primary border-influenced zoning zone.
- McAllen Miller International Airport (MFE) Part 77: commercial-service airport north-central McAllen (2500 S Bicentennial Blvd; Runway 13/31). Approach/transitional/horizontal/conical surfaces constrain height north of downtown; RPZ prohibits residential/school/hospital/assembly uses at runway ends.
- Semi-tropical climate: 100+ days over 95°F annually; 20+ inches rainfall concentrated summer monsoon; hurricane exposure (Dolly 2008, Hanna 2020). Landscape ordinance favors drought-tolerant natives; detention ponds oversized for intense rainfall. No V-zone coastal surge (unlike Brownsville 18 mi inland), but riverine Rio Grande flooding is significant.
- Historic overlay downtown / 17th Street reflects early-20th-century Mexican-American retail corridor heritage (Archer Park, 17th Street entertainment district). Boundaries not publicly mapped at parcel granularity pending section-level retrieval.
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Grade to highest point of structure (roofline; rooftop equipment exclusion pending section-level retrieval)
- lot_coverage
- Building footprint / lot area
- far
- Gross floor area / lot area
- du_ac
- Dwelling units per acre
- setback_front
- Front property line to nearest building face
- setback_side
- Side property line to nearest building face
- setback_rear
- Rear property line to nearest building face
- parking
- Spaces per dwelling unit unless noted
Capacity calculations
- max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage- max_gfa_sf
lot_area_sf * far- max_units_from_density
lot_area_sf * du_ac / 43560- parking_required
units * parking
Massing explorer
Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.
Sort by
Max height
— ft
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Floor area ratio
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Lot coverage
—%
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
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Parking
— /unit
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Max density
— du/ac
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Min lot size
— sf
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Primary source
Municode SPA: shell HTML renders via scripted fetch but section-level text requires browser/JS. Zoning is Chapter 130 (NOT 'Chapter 25' as v1 stated). v1 profile cited 'Chapter 25 — City Code' which is fabrication. Primary URL missing entirely from v1 profile top-level — now promoted to source.primary_url. Live section-text extraction deferred to freshness-auditor.
Research status
Publication gates
| primary url present | passed | |
|---|---|---|
| no aggregator cited | passed | |
| confidence tags full form | passed | |
| overlays have parameters trigger confidence | passed | |
| preempt section city specific | passed |
Data quality
70%completeness6 confirmed38 partial14 inferred
Documented gaps
- Section-level dimensional KPI retrieval from Ch. 130 for each base district (R-1 through C-4, I-1/I-2, AG, PUD)
- Historic Preservation Overlay section citation and HPC design review criteria
- Airport Overlay Part 77 surface slopes and RPZ boundaries as codified in Ch. 130
- Exact ETJ radius (3.5 mi claimed vs. 5 mi statutory default) after SB 2038 release petitions
- Border Retail & Economic Development Overlay codification status (incentive vs. formal overlay)
- Colonia Integration Overlay exact subdivision regulation chapter citation
Known issues
data:gaps-present
Other cities in this state
Nearest-alphabetical profiles. Click through to compare zoning patterns side-by-side.