Does Houston have zoning?

No. Houston is the largest U.S. city without a zoning ordinance; voters have rejected zoning three times. Land use is controlled by private deed restrictions and by citywide development standards (lot size, setbacks, parking) in Chapter 42 of the Code of Ordinances.

How do I find deed restrictions for a property in Houston?

Deed restrictions are recorded against the subdivision plat in the county real property records (Harris County Clerk for most of the city, or the relevant county for outlying annexed land). They are private covenants, so the city does not maintain a public zoning-style map of them.

What replaces zoning in Houston for a development project?

Chapter 42 of the Houston Code of Ordinances sets citywide minimum lot size, setback, and platting requirements, while any deed restrictions on the specific subdivision control permitted uses. Both must be checked separately since Chapter 42 does not regulate use the way a zoning ordinance would.

Houston, Texas · city zoning districts

Houston, TX zoning map & districts

Houston is the largest U.S. city with no zoning code. Voters rejected zoning referenda in 1948, 1962, and 1993, and land use is instead controlled by private deed restrictions (covenants recorded against a subdivision, typically enforced by civil suit or a homeowners' association) plus citywide development standards in Chapter 42 of the city's Code of Ordinances — minimum lot size, setbacks, and platting rules that were progressively loosened for smaller urban lots starting in 1998 and extended citywide in 2013, which is what actually drove Houston's townhome infill boom rather than any rezoning.

The code No zoning ordinance — Houston Code of Ordinances, Chapter 42 (Development)

Houston zoning map

The city publishes its zoning map at Official City of Houston No-Zoning Letter and Boundary Map (2026) - Planning & Development Dept. .

There is no zoning map to consult. Deed restrictions are recorded in the county real property records (Harris County Clerk for most of the city); Chapter 42 development standards and platting status are handled by the Houston Planning & Development Department.

A published summary is never the authority. The adopted ordinance and the city's official zoning map govern, and both change — verify the district and every standard on your parcel before you rely on it.

How zoning works in Houston

For a developer, feasibility review in Houston centers on title work rather than a zoning map: pull the recorded deed restrictions for the subdivision (they can prohibit multifamily, set use and setback limits, or require architectural review independent of the city) and confirm the parcel's platting and Chapter 42 lot-size classification with Planning & Development. The city's historic preservation ordinance also creates protected historic districts, the closest thing Houston has to an overlay zone, and off-street parking and buffering standards still apply citywide even without use zoning.

Reference depth

No district table for Houston yet

There is no district-by-district table on this page. We publish one only where every code in it has been read against the currently adopted ordinance — and in some cities there is no district structure to tabulate in the first place. The overview above is the accurate account of which situation Houston is in, and where to confirm below points at the authoritative source.

Where a table is coming, it lands in the order the state layer does — and the Texas waitlist below is the queue that decides that order.

Houston zoning — common questions

Does Houston have zoning?: No. Houston is the largest U.S. city without a zoning ordinance; voters have rejected zoning three times. Land use is controlled by private deed restrictions and by citywide development standards (lot size, setbacks, parking) in Chapter 42 of the Code of Ordinances.
How do I find deed restrictions for a property in Houston?: Deed restrictions are recorded against the subdivision plat in the county real property records (Harris County Clerk for most of the city, or the relevant county for outlying annexed land). They are private covenants, so the city does not maintain a public zoning-style map of them.
What replaces zoning in Houston for a development project?: Chapter 42 of the Houston Code of Ordinances sets citywide minimum lot size, setback, and platting requirements, while any deed restrictions on the specific subdivision control permitted uses. Both must be checked separately since Chapter 42 does not regulate use the way a zoning ordinance would.

Working in Texas? Get on the list.

The parcel layer lands in the order demand does. Illinois went first because that's where the deals were; the next state is decided by who tells us what they're trying to underwrite. Tell us where you're building and what you wanted to run — you'll hear from us when Texas opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

← Texas zoning — who holds the zoning power in Texas, under which enabling statute, and the reforms that override local rules.

Other Texas cities

The zoning reference → — every state, plus city-level district guides like this one.

Houston zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction.