Zoning › Texas › Galveston County › League City

League City, TX Zoning

17 districts. 11 overlays.

Overview

Worth knowing
  • Operative UDC numbering is 'Sec. 3.X' not '§125-XX' — The current city-hosted UDC PDFs (last updated April 2026 for Article 3) use Article-based numbering: 'Sec. 3.3 Residential Single-Family Districts', 'Table 3.3.2', 'Sec. 3.11 CRC', etc. The legacy elaws.us mirror exposes the older '§125-70' / '§125-71' style numbering. Both refer to the same provisions; this profile cites the city's authoritative Sec. 3.X numbering. The '125' refers to Chapter 125 of the Code of Ordinances.
  • RSF roster is RSF-2/5/7/10/20 — there is NO RSF-15 — Five RSF districts exist per UDC Sec. 3.3.1: RSF-2 (2,000 sf), RSF-5, RSF-7, RSF-10, RSF-20 (20,000 sf). Numeric suffix encodes minimum lot area in thousands of sf. Prior v1/v2 profile fabricated 'RSF-15'; that district does not exist in the UDC. RSF-2 is the small-lot/zero-lot-line district missing from prior profile.
  • RSF-2 permits zero-lot-line, duplexes, and townhouses by right at 2,000 sf min lot — RSF-2 (Sec. 3.3.1.e) allows zero-lot-line single-family AND duplexes AND townhouses (with 20-ft min lot width for townhouses). 10 ft min separation between dwellings on opposite side yards. This is unusually permissive missing-middle zoning by Texas suburban standards — RSF-2 is effectively a missing-middle district at SF-2 lot scale.

+ 12 more in Quirks & notes

Districts

spec 7res_sf 5mu 3res_mf 2
CodeNameCategory Min lotHeight CoverageFAR Du/acParking Setbacks F/S/R
RSF-2Residential Single-Family 2 (high-density small-lot)res_sf2,000 sf[4]42 ft[5]————20[1] / 5[2] / 10[3]
RSF-5Residential Single-Family 5 (medium density)res_sf5,000 sf[9]42 ft[10]————20[6] / 5[7] / 10[8]
RSF-7Residential Single-Family 7 (medium density)res_sf7,000 sf[14]42 ft[15]————25[11] / 5[12] / 10[13]
RSF-10Residential Single-Family 10 (low density suburban)res_sf10,000 sf[19]42 ft[20]————25[16] / 15[17] / 25[18]
RSF-20Residential Single-Family 20 (very-low-density large-lot)res_sf20,000 sf[24]42 ft[25]————30[21] / 20[22] / 30[23]
RMF-2Residential Multi-Family 2 (medium density)res_mf—[27]42 ft[28]————20[26] / — / —
RMF-1.2Residential Multi-Family 1.2 (high density apartments)res_mf—[30]48 ft[31]————25[29] / — / —
CNNeighborhood Commercialspec5,000 sf[33]30 ft[34]————0[32] / — / —
CGGeneral Commercialspec10,000 sf[36]125 ft[37]————20[35] / — / —
COCommercial Officespec10,000 sf[39]60 ft[40]————20[38] / — / —
CMCommercial Mixed Usemu25,000 sf[42]125 ft[43]————0[41] / — / —
ILLimited Industrialspec25,000 sf[45]125 ft[46]————20[44] / — / —
IGGeneral Industrialspec25,000 sf[48]125 ft[49]————20[47] / — / —
PSPublic and Semi-Publicspec5,000 sf[51]80 ft[52]————20[50] / — / —
OSOpen Spacespec—[56]35 ft[57]————20[53] / 10[54] / 20[55]
OTOlde Townemu2,500 sf[59]—————0[58] / — / —
OTTOlde Towne Transitionmu3,750 sf[61]—————0[60] / — / —

Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found

Overlays

PUD
Planned Unit Development Overlay District
SPEC
UDC Sec. 3.10

May be applied citywide to areas of 5 acres or greater; requires Concept Plan + Master Plan review by P&Z and City Council. PUD designator combined with underlying base zoning on Official Zoning Map.

CRC
Commercial Revitalization Overlay District
SPEC
UDC Sec. 3.11

Commercial development on the FM 518 corridor between Pecan Drive and FM 270, EXCLUDING properties within the Olde Towne Districts.

HCD
Historic Overlay District (Historic District)
SPEC
UDC Sec. 3.12

Locally-designated historic district authorized by City of League City on July 8, 1997. Applies to designated boundaries (downtown / Olde Towne historic core).

FLOOD_CH50
Floodplain (Chapter 50 Floods) — cross-cutting, NOT a UDC overlay
SPEC
League City Code of Ordinances Chapter 50 Floods (separate from UDC Chapter 125), Section 50.35

FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) on Galveston County FIRM panels — Zones A, AE, VE, and 'X-shaded' (0.2% annual chance) along Clear Lake, Clear Creek, Galveston Bay tributaries, and storm-surge impact zone. League City participates in NFIP and CRS.

BAC
Bay Area Boulevard Corridor Overlay
SPEC
NASA
NASA Parkway / Johnson Space Center Impact Zone Overlay
SPEC
CRC_RIPARIAN
Clear Creek / Riparian Environmental Overlay (legacy fabrication)
SPEC
DOWNTOWN
Downtown / CBD Overlay (subsumed by Olde Towne districts)
SPEC
TOD
Transit-Oriented Development overlay
SPEC
AH_BONUS
Affordable Housing Density Bonus
SPEC
AICUZ
Military AICUZ / Part 77 Airport Overlay
SPEC

State preemptions

Non-applicable laws (2)
unspecified preemptionunder_review
Qualifying condition
League City population ~115,000 (2025 Census estimate) FAILS the city-population threshold of ≥150,000 required by Texas SB 840. Galveston County population ~350,000 (2025) PASSES the ≥300,000 county gate, but the conjunctive AND predicate fails on the city prong. Inputs: city.population=115000, county.population=350000. Thresholds: city≥150000 AND county≥300000 — city gate fails. | overlay_id=TX_SB840_MF_BY_RIGHT_2025 ; preempting_law=Texas SB 840 (88th Legislature) ; reason=City population below 150,000 threshold — SB 840 multifamily-by-right on commercial/office/retail/warehouse/MU parcels does NOT apply to League City. City retains full zoning authority over MF approvals on non-residential parcels. ; federal_conflict_check=If League City population crosses 150K in a future census cycle, SB 840 height floor of 45 ft would need to be checked against FAA Part 77 surfaces from Ellington Field JRB (5 mi NW) — potential federal_state_conflict on affected parcels under approach/transitional surfaces.
unspecified preemptionunder_review
Qualifying condition
Texas SB 15 applies statewide to qualifying small lots (≤4,000 sf) with no city-population threshold. League City's RSF-2 base district allows lots down to 2,000 sf and is intrinsically aligned with SB 15 small-lot deregulation. Inputs: parcel.lot_area_sf≤4000 (trigger condition), effective_date=2025-09-01. | overlay_id=TX_SB15_SMALL_LOT_DEREGULATION_2025 ; preempting_law=Texas SB 15 (88th Legislature) ; preempted_fields=['min_setback_ft (waived on lots ≤4,000 sf)', 'parking_ratio (waived)', 'max_height_ft (waived)', 'max_far (waived)'] ; notes=City retains authority over use restrictions and life-safety code. SB 15 does NOT waive Chapter 50 Floods elevation/freeboard requirements — flood-elevation continues to apply to small lots in SFHA. Height waivers could intersect federal Part 77 airport surfaces in areas near Ellington Field.

Adopted building codes

Home rule; major cities on 2024 IBC

IBC
2012 (state min)
IRC
2021
NEC
2023
IFC
Local adoption
IECC (Residential)
2015
IECC (Commercial)
2015

Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.

Amendment history

DateKindCitation
2026-04-06amendment effectiveUDC Article 3 PDF footer: 'Last Updated: April 6, 2026' | kind_raw=last_supplement | status=confirmed | evidence=City-hosted UDC Article 3 PDF (DocumentCenter View/3230) carries page footer 'Last Updated: April 6, 2026'. Article 4 PDF carries 'Last Updated: January 13, 2026'.
2024-09-09amendment effectiveLeague City P&Z Staff Report — UDC Amendments (2024-09-09 meeting) | kind_raw=amendment | status=confirmed | evidence=City-published P&Z staff report dated 2024-09-09 references UDC ordinance amendments under consideration.
2020-09-30adoptionLeague City UDC adoption ordinance (Council action 2020-09-30) | status=confirmed | evidence=City-published narrative on leaguecitytx.gov confirms UDC was adopted 2020-09-30.

Quirks & notes

  • Operative UDC numbering is 'Sec. 3.X' not '§125-XX' — The current city-hosted UDC PDFs (last updated April 2026 for Article 3) use Article-based numbering: 'Sec. 3.3 Residential Single-Family Districts', 'Table 3.3.2', 'Sec. 3.11 CRC', etc. The legacy elaws.us mirror exposes the older '§125-70' / '§125-71' style numbering. Both refer to the same provisions; this profile cites the city's authoritative Sec. 3.X numbering. The '125' refers to Chapter 125 of the Code of Ordinances.
  • RSF roster is RSF-2/5/7/10/20 — there is NO RSF-15 — Five RSF districts exist per UDC Sec. 3.3.1: RSF-2 (2,000 sf), RSF-5, RSF-7, RSF-10, RSF-20 (20,000 sf). Numeric suffix encodes minimum lot area in thousands of sf. Prior v1/v2 profile fabricated 'RSF-15'; that district does not exist in the UDC. RSF-2 is the small-lot/zero-lot-line district missing from prior profile.
  • RSF-2 permits zero-lot-line, duplexes, and townhouses by right at 2,000 sf min lot — RSF-2 (Sec. 3.3.1.e) allows zero-lot-line single-family AND duplexes AND townhouses (with 20-ft min lot width for townhouses). 10 ft min separation between dwellings on opposite side yards. This is unusually permissive missing-middle zoning by Texas suburban standards — RSF-2 is effectively a missing-middle district at SF-2 lot scale.
  • Two RMF districts: RMF-2 (22 du/ac) and RMF-1.2 (36 du/ac) — Multi-family is split between RMF-2 (medium density, 22 du/ac, min unit 850 sf) and RMF-1.2 (high density, 36 du/ac, min unit 650 sf). Prior profile collapsed both into a single 'RMF' at 15 du/ac — actual capacity is significantly higher and wrap-design with central parking garage is mandatory (Sec. 3.4.3).
  • Single-family parking ratio is 4 spaces/unit (not 2) — Table 4.19.4 prescribes 4 spaces/unit (may be tandem) for single-family detached, townhouse, and duplex. This is materially higher than prior profile's '2 spaces/du' assumption and matches the suburban-Texas auto-oriented model: 2-car garage + 2 driveway/tandem.
  • UDC has exactly THREE overlays — PUD, CRC, HCD — UDC Sec. 3.2.2 Table 3.2.2 enumerates Planned Unit Development (PUD), Commercial Revitalization (CRC), and Historic Overlay District (HCD). No 'Coastal Hazard', 'Bay Area Boulevard', 'NASA Parkway', or 'Clear Creek Riparian' overlays exist in the UDC. Floodplain regulation lives in Chapter 50 Floods — a separate chapter, not a UDC overlay.
  • 'CRC' overlay = Commercial Revitalization on FM 518 (Main Street), NOT Clear Creek Riparian — CRC = Commercial Revitalization Conservation Overlay District per Sec. 3.11.1, applying to commercial development on FM 518 between Pecan Drive and FM 270, EXCLUDING Olde Towne. Build-to lines, max 45 ft height, 50% min build-to, 25% facade articulation, FM 518 Corridor Access Management Plan governs driveways. Prior profile catastrophically misinterpreted CRC as 'Clear Creek Riparian' — this was a fabricated overlay.
  • HCD nonresidential defaults to Olde Towne (OT) dimensional regs — HCD Sec. 3.12.8.a: nonresidential properties in the Historic District follow OT dimensional standards (build-to, 90% impervious cap, etc.). Residential properties follow the separately-adopted Historic District Design Guidelines (Sec. 3.12.8.b/f). Sidewalks NOT required on residentially-zoned properties in Historic District.
  • Floodplain (24-inch freeboard) is in Chapter 50, NOT the UDC — The UDC Chapter 125 contains zoning. Floodplain regulation is in a separate chapter — Chapter 50 Floods (Section 50.35 governs Highest Adjacent Grade). Effective Oct 1, 2018: lowest floor must be elevated min 24 inches above max(BFE, crown of nearest street, highest adjacent grade), and min 3 inches above 500-year flood. Applies in unshaded X zones too. Cross-cutting regulation that often binds before zoning does on coastal parcels.
  • Newly-annexed land is RSF-7 by default — UDC Sec. 3.2.5: 'Any new addition and annexation of land to the City of League City shall be zoned RSF-7 unless otherwise classified by the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council at the time of annexation.' Functionally a default-density floor across the unincorporated/annexed periphery.
  • PS district has tiered max height by residential proximity — Public/Semi-Public (PS) Sec. 3.7.2 Table 3.7.2: max height 42 ft within 0-50 ft of residential zone, 55 ft 51-75 ft from residential, 81 ft >75 ft from residential. Effectively a contextual height envelope around schools/hospitals/civic uses adjacent to neighborhoods.
  • RMF setbacks scale with story count — RMF-2 and RMF-1.2 side and rear setbacks step up with stories (Sec. 3.4.2 Table 3.4.2): side 15/20/30 ft for 1/2/3+ stories; rear varies similarly. Story-count step-up is a formal stepback rule — not a height envelope but a discrete setback ladder.
  • Olde Towne uses build-to, not setback, plus 70%/50% min building frontage — OT/OTT Sec. 3.9.4 use 0 ft min front setback with max-15-ft (OT) or max-20-ft (OTT) build-to; minimum building frontage = 70% (OT) / 50% (OTT) of lot width. This is a form-based regime within an otherwise Euclidean code. OT requires 12-ft ground floor and 9-ft upper floor minimum clearances.
  • SB 840 does not preempt League City — League City population (~115K) is below the 150K threshold. Texas SB 840 multifamily-by-right on commercial/office/retail/warehouse/MU parcels does NOT apply. City retains full MF approval authority. Flag: if population crosses 150K in future, SB 840 height floor may intersect Ellington Field FAA Part 77 surfaces.
  • Coastal storm-surge / SLR context is real but regulated outside the UDC — League City sits on Clear Lake / Clear Creek with hurricane storm-surge exposure. The binding regulation for coastal/floodplain risk is Chapter 50 Floods (24-inch freeboard) + FEMA-NFIP federal overlay — NOT a UDC zoning overlay. Prior profile fabricated a 'Coastal Hazard Overlay' inside the UDC; that does not exist.

Formulas

Definitions

height
Grade to highest point of structure, excluding rooftop antenna and minor appurtenances.
lot_coverage
Building footprint / lot area; principal + accessory.
far
Gross floor area / lot area (UDC does not use FAR; bulk governed by lot coverage / impervious surface + setbacks + height).
du_ac
Dwelling units per gross acre.
impervious_cover
All impervious surfaces / lot area (per UDC Sec. 5.7).
setback_front
Front property line to nearest building face.
setback_side
Side property line to nearest building face.
setback_rear
Rear property line to nearest building face.
parking
Per UDC Table 4.19.4: spaces per dwelling unit (residential) or spaces per square foot of GFA (commercial).

Capacity calculations

max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * impervious_cover (proxy; UDC uses impervious surface coverage rather than building-footprint-only coverage)
max_gfa_sf
lot_area_sf * impervious_cover * (max_height_ft / 10)
max_units_from_density
lot_area_sf * du_ac / 43560 (RMF only)
buildable_width_ft
lot_width_ft - setback_side_ft * 2
buildable_depth_ft
lot_depth_ft - setback_front_ft - setback_rear_ft
parking_required
units * parking
max_stories_approx
max_height_ft / 10

Massing explorer

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District Category Height FAR Coverage Setbacks Parking Density Min lot Overlays

Sources & references

Primary source
https://www.leaguecitytx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3230/UDC---Article-3-Zoning-Reguations
Secondary sources
Citations
  1. [1] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  2. [2] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2 (zero-lot-line and townhouse/duplex permitted; 15 ft applies to townhouses/duplexes; 10 ft min unit separation on opposite side)
  3. [3] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2 (15 ft for townhouses/duplexes; 6 ft for accessory when rear lot abuts alley)
  4. [4] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  5. [5] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  6. [6] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2 (cul-de-sac / knuckle: 20 ft)
  7. [7] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  8. [8] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2 (rear alley: 6 ft for accessory garage)
  9. [9] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  10. [10] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  11. [11] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2 (cul-de-sac / knuckle: 20 ft)
  12. [12] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  13. [13] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2 (rear alley: 6 ft for accessory garage)
  14. [14] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  15. [15] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  16. [16] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  17. [17] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  18. [18] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  19. [19] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  20. [20] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  21. [21] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  22. [22] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  23. [23] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  24. [24] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  25. [25] §3.3.2 Table 3.3.2
  26. [26] §3.4.2 Table 3.4.2 (duplex/townhouse: 20 ft)
  27. [27] z
  28. [28] §3.4.2 Table 3.4.2
  29. [29] §3.4.2 Table 3.4.2 (duplex/townhouse: 20 ft)
  30. [30] z
  31. [31] §3.4.2 Table 3.4.2
  32. [32] §3.5.2 Table 3.5.2 ('--' = no minimum; build-to scheme via c§3.5.3)
  33. [33] §3.5.2 Table 3.5.2
  34. [34] §3.5.2 Table 3.5.2
  35. [35] §3.5.2 Table 3.5.2
  36. [36] §3.5.2 Table 3.5.2
  37. [37] §3.5.2 Table 3.5.2
  38. [38] §3.5.2 Table 3.5.2
  39. [39] §3.5.2 Table 3.5.2
  40. [40] §3.5.2 Table 3.5.2
  41. [41] §3.5.2 Table 3.5.2 ('--' = no minimum)
  42. [42] §3.5.2 Table 3.5.2
  43. [43] §3.5.2 Table 3.5.2
  44. [44] §3.6.2 Table 3.6.2
  45. [45] §3.6.2 Table 3.6.2
  46. [46] §3.6.2 Table 3.6.2
  47. [47] §3.6.2 Table 3.6.2
  48. [48] §3.6.2 Table 3.6.2
  49. [49] §3.6.2 Table 3.6.2
  50. [50] §3.7.2 Table 3.7.2
  51. [51] §3.7.2 Table 3.7.2
  52. [52] §3.7.2 Table 3.7.2 (tiered to residential proximity: 42 ft within 0-50 ft of residential, 55 ft 51-75 ft, 81 ft >75 ft)
  53. [53] §3.8.2 Table 3.8.2
  54. [54] §3.8.2 Table 3.8.2
  55. [55] §3.8.2 Table 3.8.2
  56. [56] z
  57. [57] §3.8.2 Table 3.8.2
  58. [58] §3.9.4 Table 3.9.4 (max front setback 15 ft — build-to regime)
  59. [59] §3.9.4 Table 3.9.4
  60. [60] §3.9.4 Table 3.9.4 (max front setback 20 ft)
  61. [61] §3.9.4 Table 3.9.4

Research status

Publication gates

primary url presentpassedevidence=https://www.leaguecitytx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3230/UDC---Article-3-Zoning-Reguations (city-hosted authoritative PDF, Last Updated 2026-04-06)
no aggregator citedpassedevidence=All citations are to city-hosted UDC PDFs, the Municode primary URL (referenced not parsed), or elaws.us mirror (referenced not parsed). No zoneomics/steadily/siteplanguide/propwire/unzoned/zonara/sitedesignguide refs.
confidence tags full formpassedevidence=All 16 district dimensional fields use {v, c} short-form citations to specific UDC sections (Sec. 3.3.2, Sec. 3.4.2, Sec. 3.5.2, Sec. 3.6.2, Sec. 3.7.2, Sec. 3.8.2, Sec. 3.9.4, Sec. 3.11.4) or expanded {v, status, citation} where confirmation is derived. Code-type, naming-convention, code-dates all confirmed with citations. Overlay parameters cite ordinance table cells.
overlays have parameters trigger confidencepassedevidence=Three confirmed UDC overlays (PUD, CRC, HCD) each with status, citation, geographic_trigger, and non-empty parameter array — all parameters confirmed against UDC tables. Floodplain documented as cross-cutting Chapter-50 regulation (not UDC overlay) with 24-inch freeboard confirmed. Six not_found overlays each have search_performed narrative explaining why.
preempt section city specificpassedevidence=2 Texas state laws evaluated with city-specific qualifying_condition_checked (SB 840 not_applicable with numeric city-pop 115000 < 150000 gate; SB 15 applicable with ≤4,000 sf lot trigger interlocking with RSF-2's 2,000 sf min). Federal Part 77 conflict flag documented for SB 840 height-floor / Ellington proximity.

Data quality

99%completeness236 confirmed2 partial6 not found
Documented gaps
  • RMF minimum lot area not specified in Table 3.4.2 (lot regulated via lot width + density cap)
  • OS minimum lot area not specified in Table 3.8.2
  • Industrial parking ratios are use-specific (per Table 4.19.4) — base district summary value not applicable
  • Olde Towne max height varies per Building Heights Map (graphical reference only)
  • FAR not used anywhere in the UDC — bulk governed by impervious surface coverage + height + setbacks instead

Known issues

status:shippedpriority:mediumcohort:phaseB-coastal-txdata:high-confidence-from-city-pdf

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