Brownsville | Lot Size and Small Lots
Brownsville Lot Size and Small Lots: District Minimums and the June 2026 SB 15 Rule
In Brownsville the zoning district sets the smallest lot you may create, and the subdivision rules in Article 3 of the UDC set how lots meet streets, blocks and utilities. On June 16, 2026 the City Commission replaced the district tables and added a small-lot rule for SB 15, the 2025 state law on lot sizes. This page gives the current numbers, compares the City rule with the statute, and lists the subdivision limits that shape a lot. The Brownsville overview has the short version.
Brownsville lots in six facts
- The minimum lot is 40,000 square feet in AG, 20,000 in RE, 5,000 in R-1 and 2,000 in R-2 and R-3. Source: Brownsville Ord. No. 2026-235.127, Sec. 4.3.1
- On five acres or more in RE, R-1 or R-2 that will be platted for houses and has no recorded plat, a lot may be 3,000 square feet and 75 feet deep. Source: Brownsville UDC Sec. 4.2.11.A.5
- Under that rule a lot may be 30 feet wide only when parking comes from a rear alley, a shared driveway or a slip street. Source: Brownsville UDC Sec. 4.2.11.A.5
- The June 2026 district tables set a maximum lot coverage of 70 percent in RE, R-1, R-2 and R-3, up from 40 to 60 percent in the first three. Source: Brownsville Ord. No. 2026-235.127
- A lot served by a septic system must be at least one acre, or the size the Cameron County Health Official requires. Source: Brownsville UDC Sec. 3.4.1.F
- SB 15 bars a covered city from requiring a lot larger than 3,000 square feet, wider than 30 feet or deeper than 75 feet on a qualifying tract. Source: Local Government Code 211.054
Lot Size by District
Lot area is the ground inside the lot lines, and Article 6 of the UDC measures it "exclusive of street right-of-way," which means the street land is left out. Lot width is measured "at the front property line adjacent to the public right-of-way," and lot depth runs from the middle of the rear lot line to the middle of the front lot line. Lot coverage is the share of the lot under buildings. The table gives each residential district as rewritten by Ordinance No. 2026-235.127.
| District | Lot area (min.) | Lot width (min.) | Lot depth (min.) | Lot coverage (max.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AG | 40,000 sq ft | 100 ft | 150 ft | 30% |
| RE | 20,000 sq ft | 70 ft | 100 ft | 70% |
| R-1 | 5,000 sq ft | 50 ft | 70 ft | 70% |
| R-2 | 2,000 sq ft | 35 ft detached; 25 ft townhomes | 50 ft | 70% |
| R-3 | 2,000 sq ft | 35 ft detached; 25 ft townhomes; 100 ft multifamily | 50 ft | 70% |
| Small lot rule (RE, R-1, R-2) | 3,000 sq ft | 30 ft with alley, shared drive or slip street | 75 ft | District rule |
Source: Brownsville Ordinance No. 2026-235.127, Exhibit G (Section 4.3.1) and Exhibit F (Section 4.2.11.A.5), passed June 16, 2026. Coverage includes "all accessory buildings on the lot."
Two changes stand out against the Supplement 26 text still on municode. Coverage rose to 70 percent in RE, R-1 and R-2, where the older tables printed 40, 50 and 60 percent. And the new tables list area, width, depth and coverage with no row for "NET DENSITY (DU/AC) (MAX.)," the cap on homes per acre that the older tables set at 8 in R-1, 22 in R-2 and 30 in R-3. The building type sections, the commercial "TRANSITIONS" rule and the Section 4.6.1 design bonus still refer to density per zone, so ask the Planning Department how it now counts homes per acre on a lot. The townhomes and multifamily page covers that question for apartments.
The nonresidential districts set their own minimums. LI requires 6,000 square feet and HI 10,000, while CC and RC print "MINIMUM LOT REQUIREMENTS | None." In the traditional and downtown districts each building type sets a minimum lot width, from 16 feet for a townhouse to 100 feet for a cottage court or small apartment building, and Section 4.5.3 says that "If the lot is smaller than the allowed lot size, a different building type shall be selected."
The Small Lot Rule for SB 15
SB 15 added Sections 211.051 to 211.058 to the Local Government Code. They apply to a city of more than 150,000 people in a county of more than 300,000, and to a tract that "will be platted and located in an area zoned for single-family homes," "is five acres or more," and "has no recorded plat." A plat is the recorded map that divides land into lots. Brownsville had 186,738 people in the 2020 Census and lies in Cameron County, which had 421,017, so by VanPlex count the law reaches the city.
Ordinance No. 2026-235.127 names "Senate Bill 15" in its preamble and adds Section 4.2.11.A.5, the "Small Lot Residential Development Modification." In the RE, R-1 and R-2 districts, for "five acres or more of land that will be platted as single family residential" development that "has no recorded plat," these numbers apply "where less restrictive than the equivalent standards for the zoning district":
- lot area of at least 3,000 square feet;
- lot width of 30 feet "if parking is accessed from a rear alley or a shared access driveway serving at least two lots is present, or a slip street cross access drive is present that results in no more than one access point to the street for every two lots";
- lot depth of at least 75 feet;
- net density "Not applicable."
A slip street is a narrow drive beside a main road that serves the lots along it. A shared access driveway is one drive used by two or more lots. Both reduce the number of curb cuts on the street.
| Item | SB 15 limit on the City | Brownsville text |
|---|---|---|
| Largest minimum lot area | 3,000 sq ft | 3,000 sq ft |
| Widest minimum lot width | 30 ft | 30 ft only with alley, shared drive or slip street; otherwise the district width (35 to 70 ft) |
| Deepest minimum lot depth | 75 ft | 75 ft |
| Density limit | May not block a house on a 3,000 sq ft lot | "Not applicable" |
| Front setback on a lot of 4,000 sq ft or less | 15 ft or less | 10 to 15 ft for the house; 25 ft to a front garage |
| Side and rear setbacks | 5 ft side, 10 ft back | 5 ft side (0 ft in R-2); 5 ft rear (10 ft in RE) |
| Open space | No more than 30 percent | 70 percent maximum coverage leaves 30 percent |
| Height | At least 3 full stories of 10 ft | 35 ft and 3 stories; the greater controls |
Source: Local Government Code 211.052 to 211.055 (SB 15); Brownsville Ordinance No. 2026-235.127, Exhibits F, G and J. A small lot under the statute is "a residential lot that is 4,000 square feet or less."
Where the City Text Differs From SB 15
Most of the City rule matches the statute. Lot area and depth match. The new height rule, "35'; 3 stories," comes with a new definition: "a story shall mean 10 feet in height measured from the interior floor to the ceiling," and where feet and stories conflict "the greater of the two shall prevail," which meets the statute's three full stories. The 70 percent coverage cap leaves 30 percent of the lot open, the statute's limit. Parking is one space per home since June 2026, within the statute's one-space limit. Three points differ:
- Width. Section 211.054 bars a requirement that a lot be "wider than 30 feet." The City allows 30 feet only with an alley, a shared drive or a slip street; on a street-loaded lot the district width of 35 to 70 feet would apply. The statute controls on a qualifying tract.
- Front garage setback. Section 211.055(a)(1)(A) bars a setback greater than "15 feet from the front" on a small lot. The June 2026 tables keep a front setback of 10 feet (15 feet in RE) for the house and add "25' to entrance of garage/carport" for parking reached from the front. On a lot of 4,000 square feet or less, the statute controls.
- Districts covered. The City rule names RE, R-1 and R-2. AG also allows single-family homes and is left out, with its 40,000 square foot minimum. Ask the City Attorney whether an AG tract counts as an area zoned for single-family homes.
Two more points matter. The statute leaves out land within 3,000 feet of an airport or military base, and the City rule names no such distance. And the statute lets the City require "the sharing of a driveway with another lot," which is the condition the City attached to the 30-foot width. Section 211.057 adds that the law "does not prohibit property owners from enforcing rules or deed restrictions imposed by a homeowners' association," so read the recorded restrictions on any tract you buy.
Other Ways to a Narrower or Smaller Lot
Section 4.2.11.A lists administrative adjustments, changes the Planning Director may approve without a hearing:
- Alley-loaded lots. The minimum lot widths in Section 4.3.1 "are reduced to 35 feet wide when garages and parking are accessed from an alley." In R-1 that cuts the width from 50 to 35 feet.
- Patio homes. A patio home sits on one side lot line. The rule applies "only to one side yard setback," buildings must be at least ten feet apart, the wall on the line has no openings, and a "three (3) foot wide maintenance and drainage easement" goes on the next lot.
- Townhomes on a single lot. The minimum frontage is "twenty (20) feet for interior lots and thirty (30) feet for corner lots" when parking comes from an alley.
Section 4.6.1 offers a design bonus for houses and duplexes in AG, RE, R-1, R-2, R-3, TN, TN-MU, TN-C, DE and DG. A project that scores 60 points on a list of design actions, such as a rainwater harvesting system of at least 1,000 gallons or a covered front porch along half the front, earns "a ten (10) percent reduction in minimum lot size." At 80 points the reduction is twenty-five percent. By VanPlex arithmetic, an R-1 lot of 5,000 square feet would drop to 4,500 square feet at Level 1 and 3,750 at Level 2. Section 4.6.1.A.2 says an applicant uses the bonus "voluntarily and in a binding manner," and the City may record an agreement.
Subdivision Rules That Shape a Lot
Every lot created by a plat must "conform to the minimum lot and area regulations of the governing zoning district," and an owner may file a zoning and a subdivision application at the same time, with a condition that the lots match the new zoning. Section 3.4.1 then adds these rules:
- Every lot needs frontage on a public street or a private street that meets right-of-way standards; outside the city limits "minimum frontage within the ETJ shall be thirty (30) feet."
- Side lot lines run at right angles to straight streets.
- Double frontage lots, which face two streets, are allowed only to separate homes from busy roads or to deal with the shape of the land, and need a sidewalk on each street.
- "Lot served by a septic system shall be a minimum one (1) acre in size" or the size the Cameron County Health Official requires.
- Land subject to a 100-year flood is not subdivided or developed until a flood study and FEMA approval show a usable building site.
Section 3.4.2 limits blocks. In R-3 and the traditional and downtown districts a block may not exceed 600 feet. In the other residential districts it runs "between two hundred (200) and eight hundred (800) feet or twelve (12) lots, whichever is less." A new subdivision also needs "a connectivity index of 1.40 or higher," which is the number of street links divided by the number of street intersections and dead ends.
Brownsville is on the Texas-Mexico border, and Section 3.1.6 applies the state's Model Subdivision Rules, which exist to keep lots from being sold without water and sewer. They cover "a subdivision that creates two (2) or more lots of five (5) acres or less intended for residential purposes." Such a plat needs proof of water and wastewater service before it is recorded, and it carries a plat note: "No more than one single family detached dwelling shall be located on each lot." The plats, permits and fees page explains how that note sits with the districts that allow duplexes and accessory units.
Best For
- ✓ An unplatted tract of five acres or more in RE, R-1 or R-2, platted into 3,000 sq ft lots with alley or shared-drive access.
- ✓ An R-2 or R-3 lot, where the minimum is already 2,000 sq ft.
- ✓ An R-1 lot with alley access, where the width drops to 35 feet.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ The tract already has a recorded plat, so the small lot rule does not reach it.
- ✕ The lots use septic systems, which need one acre each.
- ✕ The land is in the 100-year floodplain and has no FEMA Letter of Map Revision.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → Whether the tract has a recorded plat, and its acreage.
- → The access plan: alley, shared driveway or slip street.
- → Deed restrictions and HOA rules, which SB 15 leaves in force.
Where to Go Next
Related on VanPlex: the Brownsville overview, SB 15 and small lots and the Texas cities SB 15 covers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum lot size in Brownsville R-1?
Did Brownsville change its code for SB 15?
How wide must a small lot be in Brownsville?
Can I split my Brownsville lot into two lots?
How much of a Brownsville lot can a house cover?
Does a Brownsville lot need to front on a street?
What is a patio home in Brownsville?
How long can a Brownsville residential block be?
Can I build on a Brownsville lot in the 100-year floodplain?
Do the Brownsville small lot rules apply near the airport?
Official sources (checked October 2026)
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