Killeen | Lot Size and Small Lots
Killeen Lot Size and Small Lots: District Minimums and the 2025 SB 15 Rule
Each Killeen zoning district sets the smallest lot it allows, in Article IV of Chapter 31. In August 2025 the City Council added a small lot rule, Sec. 31-475, for the land that the 2025 state law SB 15 covers. Chapter 26, the subdivision ordinance, adds its own rules for new lots. This page gives the numbers, compares the small lot rule with the state law, and lists where the two chapters disagree. The Killeen overview gives the short version.
Killeen lot sizes in six facts
- An R-1 lot in Killeen must be at least 6,000 square feet and 60 feet wide, with an average depth of at least 100 feet. Source: Killeen Code, Sec. 31-188
- Since September 1, 2025, a lot on land that SB 15 covers may be 3,000 square feet, 30 feet wide and 75 feet deep. Source: Killeen Code, Sec. 31-475; Ord. No. 25-046
- A small lot of 4,000 square feet or less has a 15-foot front yard, 5-foot side yards and a 10-foot rear yard. Source: Killeen Code, Sec. 31-475
- A small lot less than 40 feet wide must take its parking space and any garage from an alley at the rear. Source: Killeen Code, Sec. 31-475
- SB 15 leaves out land within 3,000 feet of an airport or military base. Source: Local Government Code 211.052(b), added by SB 15
- Chapter 26 says newly created lots must have at least 50 feet of frontage on a dedicated public street. Source: Killeen Code, Sec. 26-91
Lot Size by District
Three measures set the size of a lot. Lot area is the land in square feet. Sec. 31-2 defines lot width as the distance between the side lot lines "measured in a straight line from points at the front building setback line," and lot depth as "the mean horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines." Sec. 26-91(d) computes lot area as the average width times the average depth.
| District | Lot area | Lot width | Lot depth | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3 acres | Not set | Not set | Sec. 31-158 |
| A-R1 | 1 acre | 100 ft at the front building line | Not set | Sec. 31-174 |
| SR-2 | 15,000 sq ft | 90 ft | Not set | Sec. 31-185.4 |
| SR-1 | 8,400 sq ft | 70 ft | 100 ft average | Sec. 31-181 |
| R-1 | 6,000 sq ft | 60 ft | 100 ft average; 90 ft on a corner lot at least 80 ft wide | Sec. 31-188 |
| SF-2 | 5,000 sq ft | 50 ft; 60 ft on a corner lot | 100 ft average; 90 ft on a corner lot at least 45 ft wide | Sec. 31-195 |
| R-2 (duplex) | 7,000 sq ft | 60 ft | 110 ft average; 80 ft on a corner lot at least 80 ft wide | Sec. 31-233 |
| R-3F | 10,000 sq ft | 70 ft | 100 ft average | Sec. 31-255.3 |
| R-3A | Half an acre | 80 ft | Not set | Sec. 31-256.3 |
| RT-1 (townhouse) | 2,500 sq ft | 24 ft | Not set | Sec. 31-220 |
| Small lot (SB 15 land) | 3,000 sq ft | 30 ft | 75 ft | Sec. 31-475 |
Source: Killeen Code of Ordinances, Chapter 31, Article IV and Sec. 31-475, Supplement 38 Update 1. "Not set" means the section gives no figure.
Some districts add a project size. SF-2 projects need at least one acre (Sec. 31-195). R-MS manufactured home projects need at least five acres and ten lots (Sec. 31-267). SR-1 caps density at "three and one-half (3½) dwelling units per gross acre" (Sec. 31-183), and A-R1 allows "not more than one (1) principal dwelling unit per lot" (Sec. 31-176). For R-3A, each home above the first half acre needs at least 2,500 square feet of land.
Older lots get some relief. In R-1, a lot that "existed in separate ownership" with less area, width or depth when the zoning ordinance began may still hold a one-family dwelling (Sec. 31-188(b)(4)). In R-2, a lot under 7,000 square feet that was on a filed plat before that date may hold a duplex if the owner "cannot replat adjacent abutting land" and meets the yard rules (Sec. 31-233(b)(4)). Sec. 31-473(d) lets a lot of record narrower than 50 feet reduce its side yards to keep a buildable width of 30 feet, but no side yard may be less than 5 feet. On a corner lot the side street yard may not cut the buildable width below 30 feet (Sec. 31-473(a)).
Which Land SB 15 Covers in Killeen
SB 15 added Subchapter D to chapter 211 of the Local Government Code in 2025. Section 211.052 (as added by SB 15) applies it only to a city of more than 150,000 people that sits in a county of more than 300,000. Killeen had 153,095 people in the 2020 Census, and Bell County had 370,647, so Killeen passes both tests by VanPlex count from the Census file. The more Texas cities page lists Killeen among the 19 cities that pass.
Inside the city, the law reaches only 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." Section 211.052(b) then leaves out land within "3,000 feet of an airport or military base," and land within 15,000 feet of a military base that a city or joint airport zoning board has designated as a military airport overlay zone with a clear zone and accident potential zone. The Killeen code read for this page contains no such overlay zone. Killeen sits next to Fort Cavazos, so the 3,000-foot test matters for any tract near the base or near one of the City's two airports. The airport, military and noise page explains it.
Killeen staff estimated in July 2025 that 2,716 acres, 4.24 square miles, "will be eligible to be developed into 3,000 sq. ft. lots." That figure is the staff estimate. A map shown to the Council on October 7, 2025 carried the note that "The City makes no assurances that the property shown in blue is eligible to be developed under SB 15." Ask Development Services about your own tract.
Killeen's Small Lot Rule, Sec. 31-475
Ordinance No. 25-046, passed on August 19, 2025 and in force on September 1, 2025, added Sec. 31-475. It applies "only to properties meeting the criteria outlined in" Section 211.052(a)(2) and not to the land Section 211.052(b) leaves out. It defines a small lot as "a residential lot that is four thousand (4,000) square feet or less." The rules are:
- Lot size. At least 3,000 square feet, 30 feet wide and 75 feet deep.
- Yards. A front yard of at least 15 feet, a side yard of at least 5 feet on each side, and a rear yard of at least 10 feet.
- Hard surface. "In no event shall impermeable surfaces exceed seventy (70) percent of the area of a lot." An impermeable surface is one water cannot soak through, such as a roof or a driveway.
- Design. Three rules replace the Article VI design rules: at least one window enhancement on the front, such as a transom, bay window or shutters; a covered front entry of at least 40 square feet; and no repeat of the same elevation within two lots on the same side of the street or directly across it. An elevation is the outside view of one face of a house, and a mirrored elevation counts as the same one.
- Parking. At least one off-street parking space for each home. "If the small lot is less than forty (40) feet in width," the space and any garage "shall be accessed from the rear of the lot via an alley."
The alley rule came from City staff. In July 2025 staff proposed that "all single-family lots less than 50 ft. in width be alley-loaded," to limit the effect of SB 15 "on the character and density of new single-family development." The ordinance as published on municode uses 40 feet. In October 2025 staff summed it up for the Council: Ordinance 25-046 allows "40-foot lots with a conventional development pattern" and "30-foot lots with an alley-loaded development pattern," and other options, "including 30-foot lots with a conventional development pattern," are "negotiable via a PUD," a planned unit development rezoning. Staff held meetings with builders and the Central Texas Homebuilders Association on August 29 and September 12, 2025.
An alley in Killeen is a public road. Sec. 26-102 says that in residential subdivisions the minimum right-of-way of an alley "shall not be less than twenty (20) feet," paved across its full width to the standard of a minor residential street, without curb and gutter. The October 2025 staff slide lists a "15 ft. alley" for its alley-loaded example. The code figure is the one a plat must meet.
How the City Rule Compares With SB 15
| Item | SB 15 (Local Government Code) | Killeen |
|---|---|---|
| Smallest lot | A city may not require a lot larger than 3,000 sq ft, wider than 30 ft or deeper than 75 ft (211.054) | 3,000 sq ft, 30 ft wide, 75 ft deep (Sec. 31-475) |
| Front and rear setback | No more than 15 ft front and 10 ft back (211.055(a)(1)) | 15 ft front, 10 ft rear |
| Side setback | No more than 5 ft (211.055(a)(1)) | 5 ft each side |
| Parking | No more than one space per unit; no covered or off-site parking (211.055(a)(2) to (4)) | At least one space per home; alley access when the lot is less than 40 ft wide |
| Open or permeable surface | No more than 30 percent (211.055(a)(5)) | Impermeable surface up to 70 percent of the lot |
| Stories | A city may not require fewer than three full stories of up to 10 ft each (211.055(a)(6)) | Sec. 31-475 sets no height; R-1 limits a house to 35 ft or 2.5 stories (Sec. 31-187) |
| Wall articulation | Not allowed (211.055(a)(8)) | Article VI design rules are lifted; window, covered entry and repetition rules apply |
Source: Local Government Code 211.054 and 211.055, added by SB 15, and Killeen Code of Ordinances Sec. 31-475 and Sec. 31-187.
On lot size, yards, parking count and hard surface, Killeen's numbers match the limits SB 15 sets. Three points need a check with the City:
- Stories. Section 211.055(a)(6) bars a city from requiring "fewer than three full stories not exceeding 10 feet in height measured from the interior floor to ceiling" on a small lot. Sec. 31-475 is silent on height, and R-1 says no building "shall exceed thirty-five (35) feet or two and one-half (2½) stories in height." Where the two conflict on a small lot, the state law controls.
- Alley access. Section 211.055(b) lets a city require "the sharing of a driveway with another lot." It names no other access rule, such as an alley. Section 211.055(a)(9) bars "any other zoning restriction that imposes restrictions inconsistent with this subsection," and Section 211.056 keeps a city's power to impose rules "applicable to all similarly situated lots or subdivisions." Whether the 40-foot alley rule fits is a legal question to raise with the City Attorney before you lay out a plat.
- Density. Section 211.054(2) bars a ratio of homes per acre that prevents a home on a lot of at least 3,000 square feet. SR-1 caps density at 3.5 homes per gross acre. On an SR-1 tract that SB 15 covers, the state law controls.
Private rules still apply. Section 211.057 says the subchapter "does not prohibit property owners from enforcing rules or deed restrictions imposed by a homeowners' association." Killeen Sec. 26-86 requires a mandatory homeowners' association when a subdivision has common areas, walls or other shared features the City will not maintain.
Rules for New Lots in Chapter 26
Dividing a lot into two or more parts needs a plat under Sec. 26-5, and the plat must meet Article IV of Chapter 26:
- Street frontage. "Newly created lots or parcels shall have no less than fifty (50) feet of frontage on a dedicated public street" (Sec. 26-91(a)). No plat may create a land-locked parcel.
- Pattern. Lots "shall conform in width, depth, and area to the pattern already established in the adjacent areas" (Sec. 26-91(b)), and must meet the Chapter 31 width, yard and area rules (Sec. 26-91(c)).
- Flag lots. A flag lot reaches the street through a narrow strip of land. The Planning and Zoning Commission may allow one at its discretion if the lot is at least 50 feet wide at the street, the strip is no longer than 500 feet or the depth of the lot next to it, and the nearest flag lot is at least 400 feet away along the street (Sec. 26-94).
- Easements. Where no alley is provided, the rear or side utility easement is at least 20 feet wide, 10 feet on each lot (Sec. 26-102).
The 50-foot frontage rule and the 30-foot small lot conflict. On land SB 15 covers, Section 211.054 bars a city from requiring a lot "wider than 30 feet," and Sec. 31-475 allows 30-foot lots, so the state law and the newer City rule control there. The townhouse district RT-1 also allows 24-foot lots. Ask Development Services to confirm in writing how it applies Sec. 26-91 to a small lot or townhouse plat.
Old Lots in North Killeen
The North Killeen Revitalization Program is a City incentive program for the older north part of the city, set up in 2015. Chapter 26 defines its area as bounded by W. S. Young to the east, Fort Hood Street to the west, the northern city limits to the north, and West Hallmark Avenue and Terrace Drive to the south. The program ordinance approved by the Council on January 7, 2025 says the minimum lot size for a nonconforming property in the area "shall be 3600 square feet," with no Board of Adjustment approval needed, and sets minimum setbacks of 5 feet on each side, 10 feet at the rear and 20 feet at the front. A nonconforming lot is one created under older rules that it no longer meets. Under Sec. 26-10(b), a building permit for a single-family home or duplex there needs no plat when the lot has kept the same boundaries since before that rule was adopted and the City needs no right-of-way.
Best For
- ✓ An unplatted single-family tract of 5 acres or more, more than 3,000 feet from an airport or Fort Cavazos.
- ✓ A small lot layout that uses lots at least 40 feet wide, or 30-foot lots with a 20-foot alley.
- ✓ An older North Killeen lot of at least 3,600 sq ft that the revitalization program covers.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ Part of the tract lies within 3,000 feet of an airport or military base.
- ✕ The plan uses 30-foot lots with front driveways and no PUD.
- ✕ The plat assumes 50 feet of frontage is waived without written confirmation.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → Whether the tract meets each SB 15 test, including the distance to Fort Cavazos and both airports.
- → How the City applies the R-1 height limit and the alley rule to small lots.
- → Any homeowners' association or deed restrictions recorded on the land.
Where to Go Next
Related on VanPlex: the Killeen overview, SB 15 small lots, and more Texas cities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum lot size in Killeen R-1?
Does Killeen allow 3,000 square foot lots?
Do Killeen small lots need an alley?
What setbacks apply to a Killeen small lot?
What design rules apply to a Killeen small lot house?
Can I build a 3-story house on a Killeen small lot?
How wide must a new lot be in Killeen?
Can I build on an old Killeen lot that is smaller than the code allows?
Does Killeen allow flag lots?
How much Killeen land can be split into SB 15 small lots?
Official sources (checked October 2026)
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