Zoning › Texas › Comal County › New Braunfels

New Braunfels, TX Zoning

14 districts. 8 overlays.

Overview

Worth knowing
  • German heritage and founding: Founded 1845 by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels; Wurstfest Special District reflects annual German sausage festival; historic downtown reflects German-immigrant planned community (1845-1940)
  • Dual-designation naming system: 1987 comprehensive update created parallel pre/post-1987 district names with identical standards (R-1/R-1A-6.6, R-2/R-2A); LDO consolidation underway to clean up redundancies
  • LDO comprehensive revision (2021-present): Four ordinances (zoning, platting, signs, historic preservation) being merged into single Land Development Ordinance; April 2025 public meetings on Downtown Form-Based Zoning District may significantly change district structure

+ 7 more in Quirks & notes

Districts

res_sf 11com 2ind 1
CodeNameCategory Min lotHeight CoverageFAR Du/acParking Setbacks F/S/R
R-1Single-Family (R-1) — Pre-1987res_sf6,600 sf[4]35 ft[5]————25[1] / 5[2] / 20[3]
R-2Single-Family and Two-Family (R-2) — Pre-1987res_sf6,600 sf[9]35 ft[10]————25[6] / 5[7] / 20[8]
R-4Single-Family R-1A-4 (R-4)res_sf4,000 sf[14]35 ft[15]————15[11] / 5[12] / 15[13]
R-5.5Single-Family R-1A-5.5 (R-5.5)res_sf5,500 sf[19]35 ft[20]————25[16] / 5[17] / 15[18]
R-8Single-Family R-1A-8 (R-8)res_sf8,000 sf[24]35 ft[25]————25[21] / 5[22] / 20[23]
R-12Single-Family R-1A-12 (R-12)res_sf12,000 sf[29]35 ft[30]————25[26] / 10[27] / 20[28]
RE-1Rural Estate Tier 1 (RE-1) — LDO Draft onlyres_sf——————— / — / —
RE-2Rural Estate Tier 2 (RE-2) — LDO Draft onlyres_sf——————— / — / —
RS-12Residential Standard 12 (RS-12) — LDO Draft onlyres_sf——————— / — / —
RS-15Residential Standard 15 (RS-15) — LDO Draft onlyres_sf——————— / — / —
RS-20Residential Standard 20 (RS-20) — LDO Draft onlyres_sf——————— / — / —
C-1Local Business (C-1) — Pre-1987com—35 ft[34]————25[31] / 0[32] / 20[33]
C-2General Business (C-2) — Pre-1987 / CBDcom—75 ft[37]————0[35] / 0[36] / —
I-1Light Industrial (M-1 / I-1) — Pre-1987ind—120 ft[41]————25[38] / 0[39] / 20[40]

Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found

Overlays

DHD
Downtown Historic District
HP
Chapter 66 — Historic Preservation · Ch. 66 — Historic Preservation

Downtown area; Period of Significance 1845-1940

period_of_significance1845-1940
design_review_scheduleLast Tuesday monthly 3-5pm
coa_requiredTrue
tax_incentive_percent20
MSHD
Mill Street Historic District
HP
Chapter 66 — Historic Preservation · Ch. 66 — Historic Preservation

Mill Street area

coa_requiredTrue
SHHD
Sophienburg Hill Historic District
HP
Chapter 66 — Historic Preservation · Ch. 66 — Historic Preservation

Sophienburg Hill area

coa_requiredTrue
SHD
Stock Historic District
HP
Chapter 66 — Historic Preservation · Ch. 66 — Historic Preservation

5 properties at Coll St between Market-Seguin Ave (smallest district)

property_count5
coa_requiredTrue
FP
Floodplain Overlay
FP
Chapter 58 — Floods · Ch. 58 — Floods, Art. II §58-29 Administration

FEMA flood maps; Comal River and Guadalupe River corridors

freeboard_ft_above_bfe2[42]
rpls_form_board_survey_requiredTrue
rivers_coveredComal River; Guadalupe River
EARZ
Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone Overlay
ENV
Chapter 144 — Zoning Ordinance · Ch. 144 — Zoning Ordinance; cross-ref TCEQ Edwards Aquifer rules

Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone boundary

min_lot_sf_in_recharge43560
min_lot_sf_elsewhere_with_sewer21780
regulatory_sharingEdwards Aquifer Authority
WSD
Wurstfest Special District
spec
Chapter 144 — Zoning Ordinance · Ch. 144 — Zoning Ordinance

Wurstfest festival grounds and adjacent area

use_frameworkfestival-tourism-mixed
AHO
Airport Hazard Overlay
AIR
Chapter 144 — Zoning Ordinance §144-5.20 · Ch. 144 §144-5.20 — Airport hazard zoning district

FAA Part 77 imaginary surfaces; conical, horizontal, primary, approach, and transitional zones around KBAZ

horizontal_surface_ft150[43]
conical_slope_ratio20:1
conical_horizontal_extent_ft4,000[44]
min_sound_attenuation_db25[45]

State preemptions

SB 840eligible
Note
City ~100k in Comal County ~180k; fails BOTH the 150k city floor and the 300k county floor; not SB 840 qualifying
Non-applicable laws (5)
not_applicable
Qualifying condition
city population ≥150,000 AND county population ≥300,000 (both required)
applies
Qualifying condition
lots ≤4,000 sf exist in city
applies
Qualifying condition
city has ETJ under Loc. Gov't Code ch. 42
applies
Qualifying condition
statewide
applies
Qualifying condition
statewide

Adopted building codes

Home rule; major cities on 2024 IBC

IBC
2012 (state min)
IRC
2021
NEC
2023
IFC
Local adoption
IECC (Residential)
2015
IECC (Commercial)
2015

Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.

Quirks & notes

  • German heritage and founding: Founded 1845 by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels; Wurstfest Special District reflects annual German sausage festival; historic downtown reflects German-immigrant planned community (1845-1940)
  • Dual-designation naming system: 1987 comprehensive update created parallel pre/post-1987 district names with identical standards (R-1/R-1A-6.6, R-2/R-2A); LDO consolidation underway to clean up redundancies
  • LDO comprehensive revision (2021-present): Four ordinances (zoning, platting, signs, historic preservation) being merged into single Land Development Ordinance; April 2025 public meetings on Downtown Form-Based Zoning District may significantly change district structure
  • Fastest-growing US city: 5.05% annual growth; projected 50% increase by 2030, doubling by 2040; development pressure on agricultural lands
  • River tourism economy: Comal River (headwaters at Comal Springs in Landa Park), Guadalupe River — tubing industry creates unique intersection of floodplain management and recreational/tourism economy
  • Schlitterbahn WaterPark Resort: 1 million annual visitors; major land use driver; commercial/resort zoning
  • Edwards Aquifer lot size escalation: 1.0 acre minimum in recharge zone creates a sharp density cliff at aquifer boundary — significant constraint on development pattern
  • Four historic districts: Downtown, Mill Street, Sophienburg Hill, Stock — extensive preservation framework with COA process and 20% ad valorem tax reduction incentive
  • SB 840 exclusion: New Braunfels population ~100k fails the 150k city floor AND Comal County ~180k fails the 300k county floor. state-preemptions/texas.md qualifying-city list incorrectly includes New Braunfels; flag for state-tracker correction.
  • HB 3903 STR preemption is load-bearing given river-tourism STR inventory; local STR ordinance constrained to registration/life-safety/noise

Formulas

Definitions

height
Ground level to highest point of structure.
lot_coverage
Building footprint / lot area.
far
Gross floor area / lot area.
du_ac
Dwelling units per gross 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

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.

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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
https://library.municode.com/tx/new_braunfels/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH144ZO
as amended through 2026-Q1
Citations
  1. [1] §144-3.3-1
  2. [2] §144-3.3-1
  3. [3] §144-3.3-1
  4. [4] §144-3.3-1
  5. [5] §144-3.3-1
  6. [6] §144-3.3-2
  7. [7] §144-3.3-2
  8. [8] §144-3.3-2
  9. [9] §144-3.3-2
  10. [10] §144-3.3-2
  11. [11] §144-3.4-5
  12. [12] §144-3.4-5
  13. [13] §144-3.4-5
  14. [14] §144-3.4-5
  15. [15] §144-3.4-5
  16. [16] §144-3.4-4
  17. [17] §144-3.4-4
  18. [18] §144-3.4-4
  19. [19] §144-3.4-4
  20. [20] §144-3.4-4
  21. [21] §144-3.4-2
  22. [22] §144-3.4-2
  23. [23] §144-3.4-2
  24. [24] §144-3.4-2
  25. [25] §144-3.4-2
  26. [26] §144-3.4-1
  27. [27] §144-3.4-1
  28. [28] §144-3.4-1
  29. [29] §144-3.4-1
  30. [30] §144-3.4-1
  31. [31] §144-3.3-7
  32. [32] §144-3.3-7
  33. [33] §144-3.3-7
  34. [34] §144-3.3-7
  35. [35] §144-3.3-8
  36. [36] §144-3.3-8
  37. [37] §144-3.3-8
  38. [38] §144-3.3-11
  39. [39] §144-3.3-11
  40. [40] §144-3.3-11
  41. [41] §144-3.3-11
  42. [42] §58-29
  43. [43] §144-5.20
  44. [44] §144-5.20
  45. [45] §144-5.20

Research status

Publication gates

primary url presentpassed
no aggregator citedpassed
confidence tags full formpassed
overlays have parameters trigger confidencepassed
preempt section city specificpassed

Data quality

72%completeness79 confirmed30 partial
Documented gaps
  • C-1B specific dimensional standards (assessment notes 'similar to C-1B and C-2' but specific values not directly retrieved)
  • C-4 / C-4A specific dimensional standards (LDO draft introduces new lot size; current values pending direct §144-3.3-10 / §144-3.4-15 retrieval)
  • MU-A and MU-B mixed-use district standards (use 'umbrella' approach — base standards apply per assessment p.16)
  • C-O Commercial Office district standards (assessment notes uses C-1A standards minus 50,000 sf cap, p.18)
  • FAR, lot coverage, parking ratios — Chapter 144 does not appear to use FAR or lot coverage; parking requirements housed in §144-5.1 (Parking, loading, stacking) — separate retrieval needed
  • RE-1/RE-2/RS-12/RS-15/RS-20 are LDO-draft district names not in adopted Chapter 144; flagged but no enforceable standards exist
  • Edwards Aquifer overlay specifics: 1.0 acre min lot in recharge zone is referenced in Code Assessment ('aquifer recharge zone' large-lot retention) but exact §144 cite for the 1.0-acre rule pending direct retrieval — current value retained as inferred from prior research
  • Downtown Form-Based Zoning District specifications (April 2025 public meetings — likely supersedes some C-2/CBD standards once adopted)

Known issues

freshness:volatiledata:partial-on-mu-and-co-districts

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