Cities | El Paso
El Paso Multiplex Rules 2026: Duplexes, ADUs and Small Lots
El Paso zones every lot inside its city limits, so the first question for any project is the lot's district. Title 20 of the El Paso Municipal Code sets the districts, the homes each allows, the lot and yard sizes, and the parking. Title 19 sets how land is platted, and Chapter 15.22 sets water and wastewater impact fees. In late 2025 the City added sections for the state laws SB 15 and SB 840. This page gives the main numbers, with the section for each, and links to seven detailed pages.
El Paso in six facts
- El Paso zones all land inside its city limits under Title 20 of its Municipal Code, which sets 15 residential districts from R-1 to A-M. Source: El Paso Code, Sec. 20.06.010
- A duplex is a permitted use in R-4, R-5 and the seven A districts, on lots of 4,000 to 7,000 square feet depending on the district. Source: El Paso Code, Title 20, Appendices A and B
- An accessory dwelling unit needs a lot of at least 5,500 square feet and may not exceed 800 square feet, or 1,200 on a lot of 8,000 square feet or more. Source: El Paso Code, Sec. 20.10.035
- Three or more homes in one building count as apartments, allowed by right in A-1 to A-M and C-1 to C-5 at up to 145 units per acre. Source: El Paso Code, Title 20, Appendices A and B
- Since Ordinance No. 019815 of November 18, 2025, new tracts of five acres or more with no recorded plat may be divided into small lots of at least 2,250 square feet. Source: El Paso Code, Sec. 20.10.625
- Water and wastewater impact fees for a home with a meter under one inch total $1,880 in the Northeast, $2,031 on the Westside and $2,070 on the Eastside service area. Source: El Paso Code, Ch. 15.22, Appendix B
El Paso Guide Pages
State Law in El Paso, in Brief
El Paso had 678,815 people in the 2020 Census, and El Paso County had 865,657, so El Paso passes the size test in the 2025 laws, by VanPlex count from 2020 Census figures. El Paso has zoning, and it wrote each law into its own code:
- SB 15 became Section 20.10.625, small lot development, adopted by Ordinance No. 019815 on November 18, 2025.
- SB 840 became Section 20.10.363, mixed-use residential or apartment development, adopted by the same ordinance, with matching changes to the traffic study rule (Ordinance No. 019814) and the impact fee chapter (Ordinance No. 019813).
- HB 24 reached the protest rule: Section 20.04.460, amended by Ordinance No. 019807 on October 14, 2025, now applies Local Government Code 211.0061.
The state law sets limits, and the El Paso sections show how the City reads them. Section 20.10.625 stays inside each state limit for small lots: its 2,250 square foot minimum is below the 3,000 square foot ceiling, and its 30-foot width, 75-foot depth, 15, 10 and 5-foot setbacks and one parking space equal the state limits. Section 20.10.625 sets no height, while Appendix B keeps 35 feet for houses and state law bars a city from requiring "fewer than three full stories" on a small lot. Ask the City how it reads the two together.
How a Lot Reaches Two, Three or More Homes
| Homes | Where | Main rule | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 house + 1 ADU | All 15 residential districts, R-1 to A-M | Lot of 5,500 sq ft or more; ADU of 800 sq ft, or 1,200 on 8,000 sq ft; owner lives on site for a detached ADU | Sec. 20.10.035 |
| 2 (duplex) | R-4, R-5, A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4, A-O, A-3/O, A-M | Lot of 7,000 sq ft in R-4, 6,000 in R-5, down to 4,000 in A-3 and A-4; 2 parking spaces per unit | Appendices A, B and C |
| 3 or more (apartments) | A-1 to A-M, C-OP, C-1 to C-5 | Up to 145 units per acre and 45 feet; site of 4,000 sq ft in A-3 and A-4; 1 parking space per unit | Appendices A, B and C |
| 3 or more (townhouses) | R-4, R-5, the A districts, C-1 to C-5 | 750 sq ft of lot per unit in A-3, or 500 for buildings of two stories or more; 2 spaces per unit | Appendices A, B and C |
| Small lot houses | New tracts of 5 acres or more with no recorded plat | Lots of 2,250 to 4,000 sq ft, 30 feet wide, 75 feet deep; 1 parking space per home | Sec. 20.10.625 |
Source: El Paso Municipal Code, Title 20, Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, and Sections 20.10.035 and 20.10.625, Supplement 95 Update 4.
Zoning Districts and the Use Table
Section 20.06.010 groups the residential districts into light density (R-1, R-2, R-2A, R-3, R-3A, R-4, R-5 and RMH), medium density (A-1, A-2, A-3 and A-O) and high density (A-4, A-3/O and A-M). The Appendix A table marks each use in each district: "P" is allowed by right, "A" is an accessory use, "S" needs a special permit from City Council, "D" needs a detailed site development plan, "Z" needs a master zoning plan, and "X" is not allowed. Section 20.06.080 adds that "uses not specifically listed are prohibited."
The table divides the districts this way. R-1 to R-3A allow a house and an accessory dwelling unit. R-4 and R-5 add the duplex and the townhouse. Every A district allows all of those plus apartments. The zoning districts page has the full table and the steps to rezone a lot, which only an owner may request.
Rezoning, Protests and Land Outside the City
A lot in the wrong district needs a rezoning. Under Chapter 20.04, Article VI, the owner applies, the City Plan Commission holds a hearing 15 to 45 days after a complete application, and owners within 300 feet get mailed notice in English and Spanish 10 to 30 days before it. City Council then decides. A denied property may not be refiled for twelve months unless the commission finds a substantial change in conditions.
Neighbors can protest. Since October 14, 2025, El Paso follows Local Government Code 211.0061: when a change allows more housing, a protest needs owners of at least 60 percent of the land within 200 feet, and Council can still approve with "a majority of all members." Outside the city limits there is no City zoning. In the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), the unincorporated land where the City still applies its plat rules, Section 19.11.030 sets lots of 6,000 square feet to one acre by water and sewer service and allows one detached house per lot.
Accessory Dwelling Units and Duplexes
Section 20.10.035 allows one ADU on a lot with a single-family dwelling. The lot needs 5,500 square feet, the ADU may not exceed 800 square feet of floor area (1,200 on lots of 8,000 square feet or more), and it may have no more than one bedroom. For a detached ADU, "the property owner must occupy either the principal unit or the accessory dwelling unit as their permanent residence," and the ADU must sit ten feet from property lines, or closer on an alley. ADUs "are not permitted on lots with a duplex or multi-family units."
A duplex needs 7,000 square feet in R-4, 6,000 in R-5, A-1, A-O and A-M, 5,000 in A-2 and 4,000 in A-3 and A-4, under Appendix B, and two parking spaces per unit under Appendix C. A recorded duplex lot may be split into two lots by metes and bounds, one unit on each, without a new plat (Section 19.01.030). The ADU and duplex page has the details.
Triplexes, Fourplexes and Townhouses
El Paso writes no separate triplex rule. Section 20.02.074 defines an apartment building as "three or more attached or detached dwelling units," and the triplex and quadraplex definitions point there. Apartments are a "P" use in every A district and in C-OP and C-1 to C-5, at a "maximum of 145 units per acre" and 45 feet in Appendix B. The smallest apartment site is 4,000 square feet in A-3 and A-4, 6,000 in A-2, A-O, A-3/O and A-M, and 24,000 in A-1.
Townhouses, which the code calls single-family attached dwellings, need 2,400 square feet of lot per unit in A-1, 1,750 in A-2 and 750 in A-3 (500 for buildings of two stories or more). Since November 18, 2025, an apartment or mixed-use residential project that meets Chapter 20.12 and Section 20.10.363 needs no detailed site development plan (Section 20.04.140). The three or more homes page covers density bonuses and downtown conversions.
Lots, Yards, Height and Parking
The smallest lot for a house runs from 20,000 square feet in R-1 to 6,000 in R-3, 4,500 in R-5 and 2,400 in A-3 and A-4. Front yards run from 30 feet in R-1 to 10 feet in R-4, R-5 and the A districts, where "a 20' driveway must be provided." Houses are limited to 35 feet in every residential district except A-O, and height is measured from "the mean elevation of the top of the street curb." The lot size page covers flag lots, which need a City Plan Commission exception and may be no longer than 100 feet.
Appendix C asks for two parking spaces per house, duplex unit or townhouse, one per apartment and one per small lot home. City Council may reduce parking by up to one hundred percent by special permit for an older building in a neighborhood developed for thirty years or more. The parking, setbacks and height page has the yard table and the reduction rules.
Infill, Historic and Mountain Areas
Older parts of the city can use Section 20.10.280. In a designated infill development, parking drops by fifty percent where on-street parking exists, density may rise by up to fifty percent, lots have no minimum area, and City Council may cut setbacks by up to one hundred percent. Historic districts carry an "H" on the zoning map, and work there needs a certificate of appropriateness before a building permit. On the mountain, the Planned Mountain Development rules tie density to slope, from 7 homes per gross acre on slopes of 5 percent or less to 1 home above 40 percent. The infill, historic and mountain page covers each.
What the Numbers Show
El Paso had 683,012 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimate. The Census Bureau's 2025 permit file shows "0" months reported for El Paso, so every El Paso figure below was imputed, which means filled in by the Census Bureau itself.
| El Paso, 2025 permits | Buildings (homes) |
|---|---|
| 1-unit buildings | 1,466 |
| 2-unit buildings | 35 (70) |
| 3 to 4 unit buildings | 14 (44) |
| 5+ unit buildings | 15 (142) |
Source: Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, South Region places, 2025 annual, estimates with imputation.
The Census counts a building by the number of homes it holds, so a fourplex is one building of three to four units. Read the rows as estimated permit counts only.
Plats, Permits and Fees
A minor plat of four or fewer lots on an existing street is decided by staff within thirty days of a complete application, or it is deemed approved (Chapter 19.06). Every plat type follows the same thirty-day rule, matching Local Government Code 212.009. The City's Subdivision Application Fees sheet, effective September 1, 2025, lists a minor subdivision at $1,040 and a resubdivision combination at $2,390.
Chapter 15.22 sets impact fees for a home with a meter under one inch at $1,508 for water and $372 for wastewater in the Northeast, $844 and $1,187 on the Westside, and $892 and $1,178 on the Eastside, collected when the building permit is issued inside the city. Parkland fees in lieu of land are set in the code at $1,370 per single-family or two-family unit and $680 per multifamily unit, indexed to the Consumer Price Index. The plats, permits and fees page has the full lists.
Best For
- ✓ A lot zoned R-4, R-5 or an A district, where a duplex is allowed by right.
- ✓ An owner on a lot of 5,500 sq ft or more who will live on site and add a detached ADU.
- ✓ A new tract of five acres or more with no plat, where 2,250 sq ft small lots are allowed.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ The lot is R-1 to R-3A and the plan is a duplex or triplex.
- ✕ The lot is under 5,500 sq ft and the plan relies on an ADU.
- ✕ The site carries an H-overlay and the schedule leaves no time for historic review.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → The district on the Official Zoning Map Series and any zoning condition on the lot.
- → The impact fee service area, with El Paso Water Utilities.
- → The current fee sheet and any CPI update to the parkland fee.
Where to Go Next
Related on VanPlex: the how Texas zoning works page, ADUs in Texas and the Texas multiplex guide overview.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does El Paso allow more than one home on a single-family lot?
Does the SB 15 small lot law apply in El Paso?
Which parts of the El Paso code control housing and lots?
Is El Paso large enough for the 2025 Texas housing laws?
How many duplexes did El Paso permit in 2025?
When did El Paso last change its housing rules?
Does El Paso zone land outside its city limits?
Who decides a zoning change in El Paso?
Does El Paso charge impact fees on every new home?
Does El Paso have historic districts that limit building?
Can I build apartments on commercial land in El Paso without rezoning?
Official sources (checked October 2026)
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