Zoning › Texas › Montgomery County › The Woodlands

The Woodlands, TX Zoning

No-zoning-zoning. 10 districts · 6 overlays · 2 applicable state preemptions.

Overview

Code type
no-zoning
Naming convention
n/a

The Woodlands is NOT an incorporated municipality. The November 2021 incorporation referendum was defeated. It is a Census Designated Place (CDP) in Montgomery County. Land use is governed by (a) recorded deed restrictions (Residential and Commercial Development Standards written by The Woodlands Development Company — originally George Mitchell's Mitchell Energy & Development Corp., now owned by Howard Hughes Holdings) enforced by Covenant Administration / the Woodlands Development Standards Committee (WDSC), (b) the Village-level residential association covenants, (c) the Woodlands Township (a special-purpose district created by Tex. HB 4109 in 2007 from the merger of the Woodlands Association, Woodlands Community Association, and Town Center Improvement District) for limited police/fire/parks/signage/noise powers — the Township does NOT have zoning authority, (d) Montgomery County subdivision platting authority under Tex. Loc. Gov. Code Ch. 232. The base_districts[] array is intentionally empty; the villages and development-standard types are captured in districts[] and overlays[].

Worth knowing
  • The Woodlands is NOT an incorporated municipality. The November 2021 incorporation referendum was DEFEATED (approximately 58% against). It remains an unincorporated Census Designated Place (CDP) in Montgomery County. Prior v1 research records erroneously listed a 2022 incorporation — that never happened. The v1 'City of The Woodlands Municipal Code' does not exist as a legal instrument. (Montgomery County Elections Office, Nov 2021 ballot results; Texas HB 4109 (2007) creating The Woodlands Township as a special-purpose district, not a municipality)
  • Land use is governed by recorded deed restrictions (Residential Development Standards and Commercial Development Standards) administered by Covenant Administration / the Woodlands Development Standards Committee (WDSC). The Township itself has NO zoning authority — its HB 4109 enabling act does not delegate Tex. Loc. Gov. Code Ch. 211 powers. This is a strict deed-restriction regime, stronger than Houston's (because the RDS is a unitary developer-authored document applied community-wide, not a patchwork of civic-club-enforced subdivision restrictions). (Tex. HB 4109 (80th Leg., 2007); RDS/CDS on file with Covenant Administration; Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 202, Ch. 209)
  • Eight villages, each with its own supplementary RDS section and village association: Grogan's Mill (1974), Panther Creek (1978), Cochran's Crossing (1985), Indian Springs (1988), Alden Bridge (1994), College Park (2000), Sterling Ridge (2000), Creekside Park (2007). Creekside Park is the only village in Harris County; the other seven are in Montgomery County. (The Woodlands Township village directory and recorded village plats)

+ 6 more in Quirks & notes

Districts

res_sf 8mu 1off 1
CodeNameCategory Min lotHeight CoverageFAR Du/acParking Setbacks F/S/R
V-GMGrogan's Mill Villageres_sf—[4]35 ft[5]—[6]——2[7]—[1] / —[2] / —[3]
V-PCPanther Creek Villageres_sf—[11]35 ft[12]—[13]——2[14]—[8] / —[9] / —[10]
V-CCCochran's Crossing Villageres_sf—[18]35 ft[19]—[20]——2[21]—[15] / —[16] / —[17]
V-ISIndian Springs Villageres_sf—[25]35 ft[26]—[27]——2[28]—[22] / —[23] / —[24]
V-ABAlden Bridge Villageres_sf—[32]35 ft[33]—[34]——2[35]—[29] / —[30] / —[31]
V-CPCollege Park Villageres_sf—[39]35 ft[40]—[41]——2[42]—[36] / —[37] / —[38]
V-SRSterling Ridge Villageres_sf—[46]35 ft[47]—[48]——2[49]—[43] / —[44] / —[45]
V-CSPCreekside Park Villageres_sf—[53]35 ft[54]—[55]——2[56]—[50] / —[51] / —[52]
TCTown Center (Commercial/Mixed-Use Tract)mu—[60]-1 ft[61]—[62]———[63]—[57] / —[58] / —[59]
RFResearch Forest Corridor (Commercial Tract)off—[67]75 ft[68]—[69]——3.5[70]—[64] / —[65] / —[66]

Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found

Overlays

RDS
Woodlands Development Standards — Residential (RDS) Covenant Overlay
CON
Recorded Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions for The Woodlands (and per-Village Supplementary Declarations) on file with Montgomery County Clerk; administered by Covenant Administration / WDSC under Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 202 and Ch. 209 · cRDS§covenant-administration
CDS
Woodlands Development Standards — Commercial (CDS) Covenant Overlay
CON
Recorded Declaration of Commercial Development Standards for Town Center, Research Forest corridor, College Park commercial, Hughes Landing, Waterway Square, and other commercial tracts; administered by Covenant Administration / WDSC · cCDS§covenant-administration
TC-CDS
Town Center Development Standards (TC-CDS) — High-Density Mixed-Use Overlay
TOD
Town Center Commercial Development Standards — a distinct chapter of the CDS applicable to The Woodlands Town Center tract (Waterway Square, Market Street, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion parcel, Hughes Landing, Research Forest interchange, The Woodlands Mall outparcels) · cTC-CDS
TWT-CoO
Township Code of Orders — Signage, Noise, and Property Maintenance
CON
The Woodlands Township Code of Orders — Article III-1 (Signs), Article III-2 (Noise), Article III-3 (Property Maintenance and Mowing), Article III-4 (Solid Waste); adopted by Township Board under Tex. HB 4109 (2007) special-purpose-district authority · cTWT-CoO-Art-III
MC-SUB
Montgomery County Subdivision Regulations — Platting Layer
CON
Montgomery County Subdivision Regulations adopted under Tex. Loc. Gov. Code Ch. 232 (county authority for unincorporated area); administered by Montgomery County Engineer · cMC-SUB§Tex.Loc.Gov.Code-232
FP
FEMA Floodplain — Spring Creek / Panther Branch Corridor
FP
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program FIRM panels for Montgomery County; implemented via Montgomery County Floodplain Regulations and the Woodlands Joint Powers Agency MUD drainage standards · iFEMA-FIRM-Montgomery-Co

State preemptions

TX HB 2127applies
Qualifying condition
HB 2127 preempts municipal ordinances in fields regulated by the Agriculture, Business & Commerce, Finance, Insurance, Labor, Natural Resources, Occupations, and Property Codes. The Woodlands is NOT a municipality; it is a special-purpose district (Township) and CDP. The Township's Code of Orders exercises limited ordinance-like authority over signage, noise, parks, and property maintenance — those provisions are subject to HB 2127 where they touch preempted fields. Deed-restriction enforcement sits under Property Code Ch. 202/209 and is itself being regulated by HB 2127 in the Property-Code field.
TX HB 3699applies
Qualifying condition
HB 3699 limits governmental enforcement of use-based STR prohibitions. The Woodlands has no municipal zoning, but RDS/CDS covenants in several villages explicitly prohibit STRs and commercial use of residential property. Public enforcement of those covenants — whether via Township citation or County-assisted action — is curtailed. Private WDSC / Village-association enforcement under Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 202/209 is not blocked by HB 3699.
Non-applicable laws (2)
TX SB 840confirmed
Qualifying condition
SB 840 qualifying conditions — city pop ≥150,000 AND county pop ≥300,000 — are met on population alone (The Woodlands CDP ~119K is below the 150K city threshold; county 678K is above). However, SB 840 is explicitly written to preempt MUNICIPAL ZONING DISTRICTS in the C/O/R/W/MU categories. The Woodlands (i) is not a municipality and (ii) has no zoning districts of any kind — the regulatory regime is deed restrictions plus county subdivision regs. SB 840 has no zoning substrate to attach to, same as the Houston facial-zero quirk documented in quirks-catalog.md.
TX SB 15confirmed
Qualifying condition
SB 15 applies to lots ≤4,000 sf in MUNICIPALITIES with populations over 150,000. The Woodlands is NOT a municipality (CDP / unincorporated community) and is under 150K population in any event. Montgomery County subdivision authority under Tex. Loc. Gov. Code Ch. 232 is not subject to SB 15's §212.904 preemption, which targets municipal plat authority under Ch. 212.

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.

Quirks & notes

  • The Woodlands is NOT an incorporated municipality. The November 2021 incorporation referendum was DEFEATED (approximately 58% against). It remains an unincorporated Census Designated Place (CDP) in Montgomery County. Prior v1 research records erroneously listed a 2022 incorporation — that never happened. The v1 'City of The Woodlands Municipal Code' does not exist as a legal instrument. (Montgomery County Elections Office, Nov 2021 ballot results; Texas HB 4109 (2007) creating The Woodlands Township as a special-purpose district, not a municipality)
  • Land use is governed by recorded deed restrictions (Residential Development Standards and Commercial Development Standards) administered by Covenant Administration / the Woodlands Development Standards Committee (WDSC). The Township itself has NO zoning authority — its HB 4109 enabling act does not delegate Tex. Loc. Gov. Code Ch. 211 powers. This is a strict deed-restriction regime, stronger than Houston's (because the RDS is a unitary developer-authored document applied community-wide, not a patchwork of civic-club-enforced subdivision restrictions). (Tex. HB 4109 (80th Leg., 2007); RDS/CDS on file with Covenant Administration; Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 202, Ch. 209)
  • Eight villages, each with its own supplementary RDS section and village association: Grogan's Mill (1974), Panther Creek (1978), Cochran's Crossing (1985), Indian Springs (1988), Alden Bridge (1994), College Park (2000), Sterling Ridge (2000), Creekside Park (2007). Creekside Park is the only village in Harris County; the other seven are in Montgomery County. (The Woodlands Township village directory and recorded village plats)
  • The Woodlands Development Company (originally Mitchell Energy & Development Corp., George Mitchell's firm) sold its interest to Howard Hughes Corporation in 2011 (now Howard Hughes Holdings). Howard Hughes retains declarant rights under the recorded covenants — meaning the developer's reserved approval authority did not expire with the original platting and continues to run alongside WDSC review for the newest tracts (Creekside Park, remaining Town Center parcels). (Mitchell Energy 2011 sale to Howard Hughes Corp; declarant-rights clauses in village declarations)
  • Town Center is the only high-rise zone in The Woodlands — 30+ story towers (Anadarko/Occidental ~550 ft, Hughes Landing towers, Market Street-adjacent office) sit within a commercial tract governed by Town Center CDS, not a zoning district. Heights are set by CDS + FAA/airport-hazard, not by a zoning height table. (TC-CDS; Anadarko Tower at 1201 Lake Robbins Dr (~550 ft))
  • ExxonMobil's Springwoods Village corporate campus immediately south of The Woodlands is a SEPARATE master-planned community (Springwoods Village, Harris County) and operates under its own development agreement. Prior v1 erroneously described an 'ExxonMobil Campus District' inside The Woodlands. The ExxonMobil Houston campus is geographically adjacent but not in The Woodlands. (Springwoods Village master plan (Coventry Development); boundary verification vs. The Woodlands Township boundary)
  • SB 840 and SB 15 facial-zero applicability — same quirk as Houston. SB 840 preempts zoning districts that do not exist here; SB 15 reaches municipal plat authority not exercised here. The 2025 Texas housing-deregulation package does not reach this CDP's private-covenant regime. (Tex. Loc. Gov. Code §211.0165 (SB 840); §212.904 (SB 15); see quirks-catalog.md Houston entry for sibling pattern)
  • Montgomery County subdivision regulations (Tex. Loc. Gov. Code Ch. 232) govern platting in the unincorporated area. Every new subdivision phase and every replat required Commissioners Court approval during the build-out of the villages. Post build-out, the regulatory center of gravity is WDSC covenant review, with County involvement limited to replats and vacation applications. (Tex. Loc. Gov. Code Ch. 232; Montgomery County Subdivision Regulations)
  • The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency (WJPA) and multiple MUDs / WCIDs (Montgomery County MUD 6, 7, 36, 39, 40, 46, 47, 60, 67, 86, 89, 94, 95, 96, 99, 386 in Harris County) provide water/wastewater/drainage. Development approvals must coordinate with the relevant MUD as a separate entitlement step. These are infrastructure districts, not zoning authorities. (TCEQ MUD/WCID confirmation lists; WJPA interlocal agreements)

Formulas

Definitions

height
Grade to highest point of structure per Residential/Commercial Development Standards; typically 35 ft residential, varies commercial by village.
lot_coverage
Building footprint / lot area per village-specific RDS section.
far
Not regulated by deed restrictions citywide; controlled indirectly via lot coverage + height + setback.
du_ac
Not a deed-restriction concept; density was set at the master-plan subdivision stage and is fixed by the recorded plat for each village.
setback_front
Front property line to nearest building face per RDS/CDS village section.
setback_side
Side property line to nearest building face per RDS/CDS village section.
setback_rear
Rear property line to nearest building face per RDS/CDS village section.
parking
Per Montgomery County subdivision regulations + recorded site plan approvals; Township does not set parking ratios.
wdsc_review
Mandatory pre-construction review by Woodlands Development Standards Committee / Covenant Administration for any exterior work visible from public view, including color, materials, fencing, landscaping, and signage.

Capacity calculations

max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage_from_rds
max_units
Fixed by recorded subdivision plat per village — not a variable
far_not_applicable
No citywide FAR; bulk is controlled via RDS lot-coverage + height + setback + WDSC aesthetic review.

Massing explorer

Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.

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Lot coverage
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
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Parking
— /unit
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Max density
— du/ac
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Min lot size
— sf
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District Category Height FAR Coverage Setbacks Parking Density Min lot Overlays

Sources & references

Primary source
The Woodlands Development Standards (Residential and Commercial) + The Woodlands Township Code of Orders + Montgomery County Subdivision Regulations
retrieved 2026-04-19
Citations
  1. [1] uRDS
  2. [2] uRDS
  3. [3] uRDS
  4. [4] uRDS
  5. [5] iRDS
  6. [6] uRDS
  7. [7] iRDS
  8. [8] uRDS
  9. [9] uRDS
  10. [10] uRDS
  11. [11] uRDS
  12. [12] iRDS
  13. [13] uRDS
  14. [14] iRDS
  15. [15] uRDS
  16. [16] uRDS
  17. [17] uRDS
  18. [18] uRDS
  19. [19] iRDS
  20. [20] uRDS
  21. [21] iRDS
  22. [22] uRDS
  23. [23] uRDS
  24. [24] uRDS
  25. [25] uRDS
  26. [26] iRDS
  27. [27] uRDS
  28. [28] iRDS
  29. [29] uRDS
  30. [30] uRDS
  31. [31] uRDS
  32. [32] uRDS
  33. [33] iRDS
  34. [34] uRDS
  35. [35] iRDS
  36. [36] uRDS
  37. [37] uRDS
  38. [38] uRDS
  39. [39] uRDS
  40. [40] iRDS
  41. [41] uRDS
  42. [42] iRDS
  43. [43] uRDS
  44. [44] uRDS
  45. [45] uRDS
  46. [46] uRDS
  47. [47] iRDS
  48. [48] uRDS
  49. [49] iRDS
  50. [50] uRDS
  51. [51] uRDS
  52. [52] uRDS
  53. [53] uRDS
  54. [54] iRDS
  55. [55] uRDS
  56. [56] iRDS
  57. [57] uCDS
  58. [58] uCDS
  59. [59] uCDS
  60. [60] uCDS
  61. [61] TC-CDS
  62. [62] uCDS
  63. [63] uCDS
  64. [64] uCDS
  65. [65] uCDS
  66. [66] uCDS
  67. [67] uCDS
  68. [68] iCDS
  69. [69] uCDS
  70. [70] iCDS

Research status

Publication gates

primary url presentpassed
no aggregator citedpassed
confidence tags full formpassed
overlays have parameters trigger confidencepassed
preempt section city specificpassed

Data quality

55%completeness14 confirmed8 inferred12 not found
Documented gaps
  • Per-village RDS section-level lot/setback/height tables — RDS documents are not published online; they require direct request from Covenant Administration, FOIA, or title-company retrieval from the Montgomery County Clerk. Per-village standards therefore status=unknown (u) rather than partial.
  • Per-tract CDS standards for Town Center / Research Forest / Hughes Landing — also not published online; confirm at WDSC review for specific sites.
  • Creekside Park Village is in Harris County, not Montgomery County — Harris County subdivision regulations (different from Montgomery Ch. 232 implementation) apply to that village. Dual-county regulatory footprint not separately extracted here.
  • Springwoods Village (ExxonMobil) boundary verification — explicit confirmation that Springwoods is outside the Township boundary was performed by address/map comparison; no dedicated source citation captured.
  • FEMA FIRM revision dates post-Harvey (2017) — current effective FIRM panel date not captured.
  • Exact count of overlapping MUDs/WCIDs and their per-village service areas — list above is partial.

Known issues

data:gaps-present

Verification

last_verified_at2026-04-19T00:00:00Z
verifier_specialistverification-pass
verifier_version1.0
verification_resultpassed
atomic_claims_checked28
atomic_claims_passed27
atomic_claims_failed1
failed_claimsreason: FABRICATION. The 2021 incorporation referendum was defeated. No such municipal code exists. This was FM-1 signal-on-shape combined with FM-7 fabricated-overlay. Corrected.
narrative_refnarratives/the-woodlands-tx/the-woodlands-2026-04-19-v2.json

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