City limits / ETJ
San Antonio's ETJ reaches far into unincorporated Bexar County
Land outside San Antonio city limits but inside its Extraterritorial Jurisdiction can still face some city rules, and only the city can annex that land.
The Extraterritorial Jurisdiction, or ETJ, is a buffer zone around San Antonio. It stretches up to five miles past the city limits into unincorporated Bexar County. Only San Antonio can annex land inside its ETJ. Other cities in Bexar County have their own ETJs too.
San Antonio can apply some of its own subdivision and development rules inside the ETJ. That is true even though the land is not in the city and residents do not pay city taxes. If your land is in the ETJ, check with the San Antonio Planning Department before you divide or develop it. Bexar County still handles septic permits and county building permits in the ETJ.
Whether your land is inside the city, in the ETJ, or fully in the county changes a lot—utility service, future rules, and who you call with questions. Use San Antonio's ETJ map at sa.gov/Directory/Departments/Planning/Regional-Planning/ETJ to check your parcel.
Source to confirm: City of San Antonio – Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ)