Essential Online Tools for Land Development Research in San Antonio
When I'm evaluating a new project site in San Antonio or Bexar County, there's a standard set of online tools I pull up before I even think about design. These are the same resources I use on every project, whether it's a commercial pad site, a subdivision plat, or a FEMA flood study. Most of them are free and publicly available, but knowing they exist and knowing when to use them are two different things.
I put this list together for developers, property owners, engineers, and anyone else who needs to do their homework on a piece of land in the San Antonio area. Bookmark the ones that apply to your work.
City of San Antonio
BuildSA (Accela Citizen Access)https://aca-prod.accela.com/COSA/
This is the City's online permitting portal. You can search for existing permits, check the status of active applications, and submit certain permit types online. If you want to know the permitting history on a property or track where your submittal is in the review process, this is where you go.
COSA One Stop GIS Maphttps://gis.sanantonio.gov/DSD/OneStop/Index.html
This is probably the single most useful tool for early-stage research. Type in an address and you get the property's zoning classification, flood zone designation, overlay districts, council district, water and sewer service area, and more, all on one map. I use this on every project before I do anything else.
COSA GovQA (Public Records Requests)https://sanantonio.govqa.us/
If you need documents from the City that aren't available through the standard portals, like old engineering plans, drainage studies, or previous permit files, you submit a public information request through GovQA. Response times vary, but it's a useful tool when you need historical records on a property or adjacent infrastructure.
COSA Stormwater Plan Reviewhttps://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/PWD/Storm-Water/Plan-Review
This is the City's Public Works stormwater page with information on drainage plan review requirements, submittal procedures, and the Fee-in-Lieu-of (FILO) program. If your project triggers stormwater management requirements under the UDC, start here.
COSA Standard Specifications (CDD)https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/CDD/Vendor-Resources/Standard-Specifications
The City's standard construction specifications for public infrastructure including streets, sidewalks, and drainage. If your project involves any public improvements or dedications, your plans need to reference these specs.
San Antonio Unified Development Code (Municode)https://library.municode.com/tx/san_antonio/codes/unified_development_code
The full text of the UDC. This is the regulatory backbone for all development in San Antonio. Zoning districts, parking requirements, landscaping standards, stormwater regulations, platting procedures, and everything else that governs how land gets developed. You'll reference this constantly.
COSA Codes and Ordinances (DSD)https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/DSD/Codes-Ordinances
The Development Services Department's central page for all applicable codes and ordinances, including the building code, fire code, property maintenance code, and sign regulations. If you need to look up a specific code requirement outside of the UDC, this is the starting point.
Bexar County
Bexar County Permits Portal (OpenGov)https://countyofbexartx.portal.opengov.com/
This is where you submit permit applications for projects in unincorporated Bexar County or the City's ETJ that require county permits, including stormwater quality (SWQ) and pre-construction BMP (PC BMP) permits. Keep in mind that Bexar County requires you to submit an initial application with owner and developer contact info before they'll accept your actual permit documents. Build that lead time into your schedule.
Bexar County Public Records Searchhttps://bexar.tx.publicsearch.us/
Deed records, plat records, liens, and other recorded documents in Bexar County. When I'm researching a property's ownership history, easements, or deed restrictions, this is one of the first places I check.
Bexar County GovQA (Public Records Requests)https://bexarcountytx.govqa.us/
Similar to the City's GovQA portal but for Bexar County records. Useful when you need county-specific documents that aren't available through the standard online search.
Bexar County Appraisal District (BCAD)https://bcad.org/
Property ownership, legal descriptions, assessed values, and tax information for every property in Bexar County. This is basic due diligence on any project. I use it to verify ownership, check acreage, confirm legal descriptions, and identify adjacent property owners.
Utilities
SAWS As-Built Records Searchhttps://data.saws.org/
SAWS maintains an online database of as-built drawings for water and sewer infrastructure. You need to create a free account to access it. When I'm evaluating a site, I use this to locate existing water and sewer lines, check pipe sizes, identify connection points, and understand what infrastructure is already in the ground near the property.
CPS Energy — New Commercial Constructionhttps://www.cpsenergy.com/en/construction-and-renovation/step-by-step-process/new-commercial-construction.html
CPS Energy's page for commercial projects that need new electric or gas service. This walks through their process from application through final connection. CPS is consistently the longest lead-time item on commercial projects in the San Antonio area, so the sooner you get familiar with their process and submit your application, the better.
CPS Energy — Subdivision Developmenthttps://www.cpsenergy.com/en/construction-and-renovation/step-by-step-process/subdivision-development.html
Similar to the commercial page but geared toward subdivision and residential development projects that require CPS infrastructure extensions or new service.
San Antonio River Authority (SARA)
SARA Digital Data Modeling Repository (D2MR)https://d2mr.sara-tx.org/
SARA's online repository for hydraulic and hydrologic modeling data. If you're doing drainage design or a flood study in the San Antonio River watershed, this is where you find the official HEC-RAS models, survey data, and supporting documentation for the creeks and channels SARA oversees. Free registration required.
SARA LiDAR and Contour Viewerhttps://sara-tx.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=fd81011e0a4a43629c8b98620063bd4c
SARA's web-based map viewer with LiDAR-derived contour data. This is extremely useful for preliminary grading analysis and drainage studies when you need topographic information before you have a survey. It's not a substitute for a boundary survey, but it gives you a good picture of the terrain early on.
FEMA and Environmental
FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL)https://www.fema.gov/flood-maps/national-flood-hazard-layer
The official FEMA flood map viewer. Enter an address or navigate to your site and you can see the current flood zone designations, floodway boundaries, base flood elevations, and the effective FIRM panel information. This is the first thing I check when evaluating flood risk on any property.
USDA Web Soil Surveyhttps://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx
The USDA's soil mapping tool. Draw a boundary around your site and it will tell you the soil types, hydrologic soil groups, depth to bedrock, and other geotechnical characteristics. I use this for preliminary drainage calculations (specifically to determine curve numbers and infiltration rates) and to flag potential issues before the geotechnical engineer gets on site.
TCEQ Environmental Assessment Viewerhttps://www.tceq.state.tx.us/field/eapp/viewer.html
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's interactive map showing regulated facilities, water quality permits, petroleum storage tanks, contamination sites, and other environmental features. Useful during due diligence to check whether there are any environmental concerns on or near your project site.
TCEQ Edwards Aquifer Application and Review Processhttps://www.tceq.texas.gov/permitting/eapp/review.html
If your project is located on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge, Contributing, or Transition Zone, TCEQ requires a Water Pollution Abatement Plan (WPAP) or Contributing Zone Plan before development can proceed. This page outlines the application requirements, review process, and what triggers the need for an Edwards Aquifer permit. In the San Antonio area, this applies to a significant number of sites on the north and northwest side of town.
TxDOt
TxDOT GovQA (Permit Requests and Records)https://txdot.govqa.us
If your project involves work in or near a TxDOT right-of-way, including driveway permits, utility crossings, or drainage outfalls, this is where you submit permit applications and access TxDOT records.
TxDOT Online Manualshttps://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/manuals/AlphaList.htm
TxDOT's full library of design manuals, specifications, and policy documents. If you're designing anything that ties into a state highway, including driveways, drainage, or utility crossings, your design needs to comply with these standards.
TxDOT San Antonio District Specificationshttps://www.dot.state.tx.us/sat/specinfo/index.htm
District-specific supplemental specifications and special provisions for TxDOT projects in the San Antonio district. These supplement the statewide specs and may include local requirements that affect your project.
Mapping and Topography
USGS Topographic Maps (National Geographic PDF Quads)https://www.natgeomaps.com/trail-maps/pdf-quads
Free downloadable USGS 7.5-minute topographic quad maps in PDF format. Useful for understanding the broader terrain, watershed boundaries, and drainage patterns around a project site, especially for rural or undeveloped areas outside the City's mapping coverage.
How I Use These Tools
On a typical new project, my research starts with BCAD to confirm ownership and legal descriptions, then the COSA One Stop map to check zoning, flood zones, and overlays. From there I pull SAWS as-builts to evaluate utility availability, check the FEMA NFHL for flood risk, and review SARA's LiDAR data for topography. If the project is near a state highway, I'll pull up TxDOT's records. If there are environmental concerns, I check the TCEQ viewer. All of this happens before I start any design work.
Doing this research upfront is what keeps projects from getting derailed by surprises during permitting. If you're a developer or property owner getting into a project in San Antonio, these tools will help you understand what you're working with. And if you'd rather have someone run through this research for you, that's a big part of what we do.
