Pasadena, Texas | No Zoning and Deed Restrictions
Pasadena, Texas Without Zoning: The Codes That Apply and the Deed Restrictions Behind Them
Pasadena, Texas, in Harris County, has no zoning map and no zoning districts. A lot's limits come from two places: the City's Code of Ordinances, which sets rules by type of development, and the deed restrictions recorded for its subdivision. This page lists the City codes that apply instead of zoning, explains how deed restrictions work in Pasadena, and shows how the 2025 state laws reach a city without zones. The Pasadena overview gives the short version.
Pasadena, Texas without zoning in six facts
- The City of Pasadena, Texas states that it "is a non-zoned municipality," with land development rules that apply inside the city limits. Source: City of Pasadena, Zoning page
- The Planning Department FAQ says land use in Pasadena "is governed by local codes and ordinances, and deed restrictions if applicable," and that the City has no zoning map. Source: City of Pasadena, Planning Department FAQs
- Sec. 9-1 lets the City law department sue to stop a violation of a restriction in a recorded plat or other instrument for a subdivision inside the city limits. Source: Pasadena Code, Sec. 9-1
- Since October 5, 2021, a plat restriction to residential or single-family use may be changed by replat only to allow landscape, park, recreation, drainage or open space. Source: Pasadena Code, Appendix A, Sec. 34
- The housing code does not permit a multifamily dwelling to be built or converted in a residential addition except where the deed restrictions permit it. Source: Pasadena Code, Sec. 16½-4
- In a county of 3.3 million or more, such as Harris County, owners of at least 75 percent of a subdivision's real property can extend or change its restrictions by petition. Source: Property Code 204.002 and 204.005
What the City Says About Zoning
The City's zoning page reads: "The City of Pasadena is a non-zoned municipality. However, there are certain land development regulations applicable to properties located within the corporate limits of the City of Pasadena." The Planning Department FAQ answers the question "Is my property zoned?" this way: "The City of Pasadena does not have zoning. Therefore, the City does not have a zoning map. Land use development in Pasadena is governed by local codes and ordinances, and deed restrictions if applicable."
Zoning, in cities that have it, is a map that puts each lot in a district, with a list of uses the district allows. Pasadena's code has no such list. So the questions a builder asks in a zoned city, which district the lot is in and whether that district allows a duplex, become two other questions in Pasadena: what do the recorded restrictions on my lot say, and which City code governs the kind of project I plan?
For lenders and buyers, the City issues a standard No Zoning Letter, signed by the Director of Planning, that "is applicable to any property within the City of Pasadena." The letter says it "does not address any separately filed restrictions that may be applicable to the property." You request one for a specific property by email to [email protected].
The zoning page adds one limit on where City rules reach: "Industrial districts located in the City of Pasadena's extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) are not subject to City ordinances and permitting requirements." The extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) is the area outside the city limits where a Texas city may review plats. Appendix A, the subdivision ordinance, applies inside the city and in the "city's appropriated extraterritorial jurisdiction," and its definition of a subdivision leaves out "The division of land within a designated Industrial District."
The City Codes That Apply Instead
The City's codes and ordinances page lists 11 "Land Use Ordinances" and 6 "Site Development Ordinances" as PDFs, and links the full Code of Ordinances on municode. The table matches each topic to the part of the code that governs it.
| Topic | Where in the code | What it sets |
|---|---|---|
| Subdividing land, lot size, streets, building lines | Appendix A (Ordinance No. 67-1966) | Applies inside the city and in its extraterritorial jurisdiction |
| Townhouse subdivisions | Appendix B (Ordinance No. 71-291) | Lots smaller than Appendix A allows, with a homes association |
| Patio home subdivisions | Appendix C (Ordinance No. 91-36) | At least eight lots of 5,000 sq ft |
| Multifamily dwellings | Chapter 9, Secs. 9-2, 9-2.1 and 9-4 | Density, open space, height, fences and parking |
| Condominiums | Chapter 9, Article VIII | Sends each condominium type to the matching ordinance |
| Setbacks and building lines | Chapter 9, Article IV | 25 ft front line; 5 ft for single and duplex buildings |
| Off-street parking | Chapter 9, Sec. 9-7 and Exhibit "A" to Ordinance No. 95-86 | Spaces per use; the table is a City PDF |
| Flood and drainage | Chapter 9, Article IX | Applies to all areas within the City's jurisdiction |
| Manufactured homes | Chapter 21 | 5,000 sq ft and 50 ft of width per home on a private lot |
| Rental duplexes, triplexes and complexes | Chapter 16½ | Annual occupancy license |
| Planning Commission, site plans, fees | Chapter 28 | Site plan review and the planning fee schedule |
Source: Pasadena Code of Ordinances on municode, Supplement 33 Update 1 (Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, Chapter 9, Chapter 21, Chapter 16½, Chapter 28), and the City's off-street parking PDF.
Two definitions tie these codes together. Appendix A and Sec. 28-64 (added by Ordinance No. 2021-164 of October 5, 2021) both define "single-family residential" as "the use of a lot with one building designed for and containing not more than one dwelling unit." And Appendix A defines a lot as a tract "having frontage on a public street" that is identified in "a duly approved subdivision plat which has been properly filed of record." So a lot in Pasadena starts with a recorded plat, and a plat can carry its own use limits.
The City kept a Planning and Zoning Commission, created in Sec. 28-31 with nine members. Its City page says the Commission reviews "subdivision plats, site plans and alternative landscape plans," recommends to City Council on "development issues, planning studies, abandonments of City property and variance requests," and meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 6 p.m. when there are items for review.
Deed Restrictions: What They Are and Where to Find Them
The FAQ defines deed restrictions as "written agreements that restrict or limit the use or activities that may take place on property in a subdivision," which "appear in the real property records of the county in which the property is located." The City's deed restrictions page calls them "protective covenants" that "run with the land," meaning they bind each later owner of the lot as well as the owner who signed them.
The City keeps no copies. Its page says: "The City of Pasadena does not maintain deed records." It sends owners to the Harris County Clerk's Office at (713) 755-6405, or in person at the Harris County Civil Courthouse, 201 Caroline, 3rd Floor, Houston, where the County charges a fee for copies. It advises having "the legal description of the property, lot, and block number, as well as the name of the subdivision" when you ask.
The City also will not read them for you. The deed restrictions page says "City employees are not authorized to interpret deed restrictions," and the FAQ says City staff "are prohibited from trying to interpret individual restrictions." For a project that adds homes, a lawyer's written reading of the restrictions is the document that answers the first question.
Where the Code Points to Deed Restrictions
The code refers to recorded restrictions in several rules a builder meets:
- Apartments in a residential addition. Sec. 16½-4(a): "Nothing in this code shall permit establishment or conversion of a multifamily dwelling in any residential addition except where permitted by the deed restrictions."
- Manufactured homes. Sec. 21-15 bars parking a manufactured home for residential use "in any subdivision with deed restrictions, duly filed for record with Harris County, which expressly prohibit such activity."
- Fences and carports. Sec. 9-3 sets a 7-foot fence height "unless prohibited by subdivision deed restrictions," and under Sec. 9-76 an applicant for a carport permit certifies that no deed restriction forbids it.
- Site plans. Sec. 28-66 lists "Covenants and restrictions recorded in the real property records" among the documents submitted with a site plan, as applicable.
- Applications. The Planning Department submittal application in its 2026 guides asks: "Is the property subject to deed restrictions/restrictive covenants? If yes, attach copy."
- New townhouse and patio home subdivisions. Appendix B requires a declaration of protective covenants and restrictions and a homes association before approval; Appendix C requires the declaration, and an association where common open space is provided.
The City Can Sue to Enforce Them
Sec. 9-1 authorizes the City's law department "to file suit or become a party to a suit" to enjoin or abate the violation of a restriction "contained or incorporated by reference in any plan, plat, replat or other instrument affecting a subdivision inside of the city limits." To enjoin is to get a court order that stops an act. The section adds that this authority "shall be exercised uniformly on behalf of and against all citizens and property in the City of Pasadena," and that restrictions that violate the federal or state constitution "shall not be enforced."
Sec. 9-1(b) defines a restriction broadly. It is a limitation that "affects the use to which real property may be put, fixes the distances buildings or structures must be set back from property lines, street lines or lot lines, or affects the size of a lot or the size, type, and number of buildings or structures which may be built on the property." A limit on the number of homes per lot falls inside that wording.
State law sets the frame. Local Government Code 212.151 says its enforcement subchapter applies to a city "that does not have zoning ordinances and passes an ordinance that requires uniform application and enforcement of this subchapter with regard to all property and residents." Under 212.153, such a city may sue to enjoin or abate a violation of a recorded restriction for a subdivision inside its boundaries, but "may not initiate or maintain a suit" when a property owners' association with power to enforce the restriction files suit.
Notice When Restricted Land Is Sold
Sec. 9-10 makes it "the duty of each seller to ensure that each buyer receives" a notice of the deed restrictions, on the City's Exhibit "A" form, with each sale of restricted land wholly or partly inside the city limits. The seller and buyer both sign it, and after closing it is recorded in the Harris County real property records. The rule also covers an executory contract of sale, a purchase paid in parts over time, with a performance period of more than six months.
Five transfers are left out, among them a foreclosure deed to the lender, a deed of trust that secures a loan, and a sale to a government body. A seller who fails to give the notice commits a misdemeanor with a fine of "not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00)," and each sale is a separate offense. The failure "shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the sale" or of the restrictions.
Plat Restrictions and Replats
A plat can carry use limits of its own, and the City's standard plat forms put one on every residential plat. The owner's certificate in the 2026 Platting Procedures Guide must say, for residential subdivisions, that "all lots within the boundaries of this subdivision are for residential purposes unless otherwise noted." An amending plat, which corrects errors in a recorded plat, must state that it "does not attempt to remove any recorded covenants or restrictions."
Appendix A, Sec. 34, added by Ordinance No. 2021-164, limits replats of part of a recorded plat. A replat is a new plat that changes an earlier recorded one. Under Sec. 34, land the plat restricts to "landscape, park, recreation, drainage, or open space may not be amended." Where a plat has lots restricted to single-family residential use, a restriction to residential or single-family use "may be amended to permit the use of that property only for landscape, park, recreation, drainage, or open space." A restriction to nonresidential or commercial use may not be amended to allow multifamily homes unless the land "was actually improved and used for multifamily residential purposes prior to October 1, 2021."
State law adds two points. A replat that leaves the old plat in place must not "attempt to amend or remove any covenants or restrictions" (Local Government Code 212.014). And where any lot in the earlier plat was limited by deed restrictions to no more than two homes per lot, a replat that needs a variance requires a public hearing (212.015). The plats, permits and fees page covers that hearing.
How Owners Change Deed Restrictions
Property Code chapter 204 applies to a residential subdivision in a county with "a population of 3.3 million or more." Harris County had 4,731,145 people in the 2020 Census. Under Section 204.005, a petition to extend, add to or modify restrictions takes effect when owners of "at least 75 percent of the real property in the subdivision or a smaller percentage required by the original dedicatory instrument" approve it and it is filed with the county clerk. Under Section 204.006, a petition that only creates a property owners' association needs 60 percent when the existing restrictions require more than 60 percent to change them.
Chapter 204 "does not apply to portions of a subdivision that are zoned for or that contain a commercial structure, an industrial structure, an apartment complex, or a condominium development." Because Section 204.005 honors a smaller share set in the original restrictions, read their amendment clause too.
SB 15 and SB 840 in a City Without Zoning
Pasadena passes the size test in both 2025 laws on its 2020 Census count of 151,950, by VanPlex count. Their reach depends on zoning words. SB 15, in Local Government Code 211.052, applies to a tract of five acres or more with no recorded plat that "will be platted and located in an area zoned for single-family homes." SB 840, in Section 218.101, requires a city to allow mixed-use and multifamily homes "in a zoning classification that allows office, commercial, retail, warehouse, or mixed-use use or development."
Pasadena has no zoned areas and no zoning classifications. The City has adopted no ordinance on either law, and the agendas it posted for City Council and the Planning Commission from January 2024 to October 2026 carry no item on them. Ask the Planning Department in writing how it applies each law to your tract. One part of SB 15 is clear for Pasadena owners: Section 211.057 says the small lot rules do not prohibit "property owners from enforcing rules or deed restrictions imposed by a homeowners' association or by other private agreement."
Best For
- ✓ A lot whose recorded restrictions set no limit on the number of homes.
- ✓ An owner who obtains a written legal reading of the restrictions before design.
- ✓ A subdivision where owners of 75 percent of the land agree to change the restrictions.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ The restrictions limit each lot to one single-family home.
- ✕ The plan depends on a replat to lift a single-family plat restriction.
- ✕ A seller skips the Sec. 9-10 notice at closing.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → The full recorded restrictions and every amendment, from the Harris County Clerk.
- → The plat notes and any use restriction on the recorded plat.
- → Whether a property owners' association has power to enforce the restrictions.
Where to Go Next
Related on VanPlex: the Pasadena overview, deed restrictions in Houston, and how Texas zoning works.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "non-zoned municipality" mean for a lot in Pasadena, Texas?
Will City of Pasadena staff tell me what my deed restrictions allow?
Can the City of Pasadena sue over a deed restriction violation?
Can a replat remove a single-family restriction in Pasadena, Texas?
How can owners change the deed restrictions in a Pasadena, Texas subdivision?
Do I have to give a buyer notice of deed restrictions when I sell in Pasadena, Texas?
Can I convert a house into apartments in Pasadena, Texas?
Does SB 15 override deed restrictions in Pasadena, Texas?
Do Pasadena, Texas rules apply outside the city limits?
What does the Pasadena Planning and Zoning Commission do if the city has no zoning?
Official sources (checked October 2026)
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