Overview
Code type
hybrid
Naming convention
character-prefixed-plus-traditional
CD-N (Character District; higher N = more intense), ND-N (Neighborhood Density; higher N = denser), SF-N (Single-Family; N = lot size in thousand sf; SF-6 = 6,000 sf min), GC (General Commercial §4.2.2.7), P (Public). Hybrid reflects form-based adoption in ORD-2025-01 overlaying conventional SF/commercial frame.
Worth knowing
- Character-based zoning nomenclature: San Marcos uses CD-/ND- prefix system (CD-3 through CD-5D, ND-3 through ND-4M) alongside conventional SF-6 and GC — form-based hybrid unique among TX cities researched; adopted in ORD-2025-01.
- ESA compliance as zoning driver (CRITICAL): Development Code structured around Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP) under ESA Section 10 permit — regulatory constraints unusual for TX municipalities this size; protects fountain darter, Texas wild rice, San Marcos salamander, Texas blind salamander.
- Development Transfer (DT) at §4.2.7.1: DTG sending sites over Edwards Aquifer/watershed/floodplain; DTR receiving sites accept transferred density, impervious cover, or non-residential floor area — market-based conservation tool unique within TX zoning.
+ 6 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
mu 4res_sf 1com 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF-6 | Single-Family District | res_sf | 6,000 sf[4] | 35 ft[5] | — | — | — | — | 25[1] / 5[2] / 20[3] |
| CD-3 | Character District 3 (Neighborhood) | mu | — | 35 ft[6] | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| CD-5 | Character District 5 — Mixed-use Downtown Core | mu | — | 65 ft[10] | 0.8[11] | — | — | — | 10[7] / 0[8] / 10[9] |
| CD-5D | Character District 5 Downtown | mu | — | 65 ft[15] | 0.8[16] | — | — | — | 10[12] / 0[13] / 10[14] |
| ND-4M | Neighborhood District 4 Mixed-use | mu | — | 45 ft[20] | 0.7[21] | — | — | — | 10[17] / 5[18] / 10[19] |
| GC | General Commercial | com | — | 50 ft[22] | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
DT
Development Transfer Overlay (Edwards Aquifer)
DTFP
Floodplain Regulations
FPSMRC
San Marcos River Corridor / EAHCP
ENVHDO
Historic Downtown Overlay
HPTSU
Texas State University Proximity Overlay
INSState preemptions
TX-SB-15applies
Qualifying condition
SB 15 applies to lots ≤4,000 sf statewide (no population gate). San Marcos's SF-6 base residential lot is 6,000 sf per §4.2.1.5 — SB 15 engages primarily any future small-lot subdivision product (ND-3 and denser, character districts) where individual lots fall to 4,000 sf or below.
TX-HB-2127applies
Qualifying condition
HB 2127 field preemption applies to all TX home-rule cities including San Marcos (home-rule charter city in Hays County). Travis County District Court issued partial injunction August 2023 (cause D-1-GN-23-004260); appeals ongoing. Core housing-code / building-code authority preserved via express carve-out.
TX-HB-3699applies
Qualifying condition
HB 3699 preempts local regulation of cottage-food residential kitchens statewide; no population gate.
SB 840eligible
Note
City pop 67,553 (2020 decennial) / ~76,918 (2024 PEP) FAILS 150k city prong. Hays County pop 241,067 (2020) / ~292,029 (2024 PEP) FAILS 300k county prong. BOTH prongs fail at both vintages; SB 840 does not apply.
Non-applicable laws (2)
TX-SB-840not_applicable_below_threshold
Qualifying condition
City pop 67,553 (2020 decennial Census, vintage 2020-04-01) and ~76,918 (2024 Census Vintage 2024 PEP) — BOTH below 150,000 city-prong threshold. Hays County pop 241,067 (2020 decennial) and ~292,029 (2024 PEP) — BOTH below 300,000 county-prong threshold. Either prong failure defeats applicability; BOTH fail here. Note: the TX state-preemption roster erroneously lists San Marcos under 'Travis/Williamson counties' — San Marcos is in Hays County; applicability is nonetheless determined by primary Census arithmetic per INVARIANTS FM-9.
TX-ADU-NONEnot_applicable_no_state_mandate
Qualifying condition
Texas has no statewide ADU preemption as of April 2026. Local ADU rules govern.
Adopted building codes
Home rule; major cities on 2024 IBC
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- Character-based zoning nomenclature: San Marcos uses CD-/ND- prefix system (CD-3 through CD-5D, ND-3 through ND-4M) alongside conventional SF-6 and GC — form-based hybrid unique among TX cities researched; adopted in ORD-2025-01.
- ESA compliance as zoning driver (CRITICAL): Development Code structured around Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP) under ESA Section 10 permit — regulatory constraints unusual for TX municipalities this size; protects fountain darter, Texas wild rice, San Marcos salamander, Texas blind salamander.
- Development Transfer (DT) at §4.2.7.1: DTG sending sites over Edwards Aquifer/watershed/floodplain; DTR receiving sites accept transferred density, impervious cover, or non-residential floor area — market-based conservation tool unique within TX zoning.
- Floodplain citation is Chapter 39 (NOT Chapter 6 as v1 stated): SubPart A General Ordinances §39.49.2 compensatory storage. V1 chapter error corrected against live eLaws breadcrumb.
- TX SB 840 does NOT apply to San Marcos: city pop 67,553 (2020) / ~76,918 (2024) fails 150k prong; Hays County pop 241,067 (2020) / ~292,029 (2024) fails 300k prong — BOTH prongs fail. Useful teaching example for SB 840 arithmetic.
- Texas State University dominance: university operates Meadows Center and EARDC, giving academic institutions direct role in habitat monitoring that feeds back into zoning decisions.
- Outlet mall zoning: San Marcos Premium Outlets + Tanger Outlets in IH-35 corridor — major retail-tourism driver, unique intersection of commercial zoning with regional commercial influence.
- Brand-new Development Code: ORD-2025-01 effective Jan 25, 2025 — fresh rewrite following Vision SMTX Comp Plan (Oct 2024). Design Manual companion document covers Downtown/Historic Guidelines, Parklets, Sidewalk Cafes, Preferred Plant List.
- library.municode.com returns header-only to WebFetch (JS SPA); static §-addressable URLs at http://sanmarcos-tx.elaws.us/code/coor supply the breadcrumb confirmations used in this record.
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Grade to highest point.
- lot_coverage
- Footprint / lot area.
- far
- GFA / lot area.
- du_ac
- Units per gross acre.
- setback_front
- Front lot line to building.
- setback_side
- Side lot line to building.
- setback_rear
- Rear lot line to building.
- parking
- Spaces per unit unless noted.
Capacity calculations
- max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage- max_gfa_sf
lot_area_sf * far- max_units
lot_area_sf / 43560 * du_ac
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
——
Floor area ratio
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Lot coverage
—%
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
——
Parking
— /unit
——
Max density
— du/ac
——
Min lot size
— sf
——
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Primary source
Citations
- [1] §4.2.1.5
- [2] §4.2.1.5
- [3] §4.2.1.5
- [4] §4.2.1.5
- [5] §4.2.1.5
- [6] §4.2
- [7] i
- [8] i
- [9] i
- [10] §4.2
- [11] i
- [12] i
- [13] i
- [14] i
- [15] §4.2
- [16] i
- [17] i
- [18] i
- [19] i
- [20] §4.2
- [21] i
- [22] §4.2.2.7
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
62%completeness14 confirmed14 partial10 inferred
Documented gaps
- Full Table 4.2-X dimensional standards (Municode SPA blocks live table retrieval)
- Exact historic overlay §-citation within Chapter 4
- SF-6 setbacks and height not retrieved as a live table (partial status)
- ND-3, ND-3.5, ND-4 dimensional standards (districts confirmed, values partial)
- Character District CD-3, CD-4 dimensional standards (districts confirmed, values partial)
Known issues
data:gaps-present
Verification
| last_verified_at | 2026-04-19T00:00:00Z |
|---|---|
| verifier_specialist | verification-pass |
| verifier_version | 1.0 |
| verification_result | passed |
| atomic_claims_checked | 22 |
| atomic_claims_passed | 22 |
| atomic_claims_failed | 0 |
| failed_claims | |
| narrative_ref | narratives/san-marcos-tx/san-marcos-tx-20260419.json |
Other cities in this state
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