On July 28, 2026, the Bastrop City Council passed Ordinance No. 2026-20 on second reading. One of its three changes gives an older, unplatted tract inside city limits a way to become a buildable lot even when it falls short of the current code's minimum size or width. The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended it 6-0 at its June 25 meeting.
For anyone looking at a narrow infill parcel or an inherited tract near downtown, it changes what you check first. Lot size is no longer the question that kills the deal. The questions that decide what the property is worth are now about geometry and infrastructure: how much of the tract is left after setbacks, parking and impervious cover, and whether the City Engineer will sign off on access, drainage and utilities.
Why a plat comes before a permit in Bastrop
Bastrop's subdivision chapter is direct about the order. "A recorded Subdivision or development Plat is required prior to the issuance of a building permit," with a short list of exceptions. Until 2026, an unplatted tract that missed the exceptions had to go through platting, and platting ran into a newer problem.
The new Bastrop Development Code set minimum lot sizes and widths for each residential district:
| District | Minimum lot size | Minimum width | Front / side / rear setbacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Residential, RR | 1 acre, 43,560 sq. ft. | 150 ft | 50 / 20 / 50 ft |
| SF-1, low density | 1/3 acre, 14,520 sq. ft. | 100 ft | 30 / 10 / 30 ft |
| SF-2, medium density | 7,500 sq. ft. | 75 ft | 25 / 7.5 / 20 ft |
| SF-3, high density | 5,000 sq. ft. | 50 ft | 15 / 5 / 15 ft |
The city's own staff report describes the problem these numbers caused. Senior Planner Brittany Epling wrote that because the new code "now includes minimum lot size and lot width standards," the city needed to clarify how existing unplatted tracts could be platted when they fall short. The June 25 staff report gives the background:
"Bastrop is an older city with many existing tracts that were created before current subdivision and zoning standards."
Without the fix, the owner of an undersized tract would have needed a variance before the plat could move forward. The staff report says the amendment lets owners bring these tracts into platted status "without requiring unnecessary variances or preventing reasonable use of the property."
Three routes to a permit, and which one a tract is on
The one-lot plat is the newest route, but it isn't the only one. Before a buyer prices an older Bastrop parcel, it helps to know which route the tract qualifies for, because each comes with different paperwork and a different amount of discretion.
| Route | Who qualifies | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 boundary exception | Tracts whose boundaries have been in the same configuration since April 20, 1981 | The Director of Planning & Development decides whether additional easements or right-of-way are needed |
| Residential infill exception | Previously developed or cleared land within existing neighborhoods, for a residential dwelling and related accessory structures | Whether the land meets the code's definition of infill |
| Existing Tract One-Lot Plat, new in 2026 | Separately described unplatted tracts that fall short of current minimum lot size, width or frontage | Six conditions, including a City Engineer finding on access, drainage and utilities |
The first two routes can skip platting altogether. The third one requires a plat but removes the dimensional problem that used to stop it. The same ordinance also added an exemption for commercial infill on existing developed tracts, which doesn't apply to most residential buyers.
The six conditions, in order of where deals stall
Under the new Sec. 10.02.007, the Director has to find all of the following:
- The tract exists as a separately described tract by deed, tax record, survey or other documentation the city accepts.
- The plat creates no additional lot or remainder tract.
- No property line moves or changes, except as needed for required right-of-way dedication or easements.
- The plat does not increase the degree of nonconformity.
- The tract has legal access to an existing public street or other access the city approves.
- The City Engineer determines that adequate access, drainage, utilities and public facilities exist or will be provided.
A title search and a survey can usually settle the first four. Conditions five and six carry the real risk. An older tract served by an informal drive or an unrecorded easement may not meet the legal access test. The engineering finding is a judgment about the specific parcel, and the ordinance wording "exist or will be provided" leaves room for the city to require improvements as part of approval.
Condition two also limits strategy. A buyer can't plat a tract under this section and then split off a piece, and the plat itself has to carry a note saying "no additional lot or further subdivision is authorized." That note stays on the plat, so it will matter to whoever buys the lot after you.
What the ordinance still won't waive
The narrowest sentence in the ordinance matters most. Approval "does not waive any applicable development requirement other than the existing lot area, lot width, or frontage deficiency shown on the plat." The required plat note lists what still applies: zoning, building, fire, drainage, access, utility, floodplain, parking, landscaping and Site Development Plan requirements.
Setbacks are part of zoning, so the full setbacks apply to a lot that is narrower than the district minimum. That is where an architect's math comes in. Take a hypothetical tract zoned SF-2 that is 40 feet wide and 125 feet deep, or 5,000 square feet. That is well under the district's 7,500 square foot minimum and 75 foot width.
- Width: 40 feet minus two 7.5-foot side setbacks leaves 25 feet.
- Depth: 125 feet minus a 25-foot front setback and a 20-foot rear setback leaves 80 feet.
- Footprint envelope: about 2,000 square feet, in a strip 25 feet wide.
- Impervious cover: SF-2 caps it at 50%, or 2,500 square feet on this tract, for the house, driveway and paving combined.
- Parking: the code calls for one 10-by-20-foot space per bedroom, so a three-bedroom plan needs 600 square feet of parking.
On a 25-foot-wide envelope, the house fits only as a narrow, deep plan, and three parking spaces plus a drive can use much of the impervious allowance before a patio goes in. A second story becomes the main way to add living space, within the district's 35-foot, 2.5-story height limit. The code also notes that front setbacks in these districts can be "adjusted by an overlay district," so the setbacks for a specific parcel need to be confirmed, not assumed from the base chart.
The new rule lets an undersized tract become a lot, but it doesn't change how much house the lot can hold. Two tracts of the same acreage can end up with very different buildable envelopes depending on their width, the district they sit in and any overlay.
Cost and calendar, from the city's 2026 schedules
The April 28, 2026 Master Fee Schedule amendment lists Amended/Administrative Plat Review at $1,281 plus $25 per acre, and Final Plat Review at $1,281 plus $125 per acre. Both carry a 5% administration fee, and the schedule also lists a $250 completeness-check fee. The city's administrative-plat calendar groups amending plats, minor plats and replats together. We didn't find a separate published fee line for an Existing Tract One-Lot Plat, so the fee category for a particular tract is something to confirm with Development Services. On top of the city fees, there's the cost of a survey and the plat drawings themselves.
On timing, the city's development process page says applications must be approved, conditionally approved or disapproved within 30 days of submission, or they are deemed approved, and that submissions must follow uniform submittal dates. One row of the 2026 administrative plat schedule shows a June 1 submittal, a June 11 first decision and a June 25 final decision for plats approved with conditions. That timeline only covers the plat review. Any utility or drainage work the City Engineer requires adds its own time.
If a project needs relief from subdivision standards beyond what Sec. 10.02.007 offers, the same ordinance renamed those requests "subdivision waivers." City Council now hears them, not the Zoning Board of Adjustment, and the waiver request has to appear in the same public notice as the related plat.
Why the timing works in a buyer's favor right now
Bastrop's market is giving buyers more time than it did a year ago. Community Impact, citing Unlock MLS, reported 64 closed sales across ZIP codes 78602 and 78612 in August 2026. The combined median sales price was $369,000, down about 7% year over year, and average days on market rose from 65 to 79. In August 2026, 78602 had a median of $376,990 and 78612 had $346,490.
When listings stay on the market longer, sellers are more likely to agree to a due diligence period long enough for a survey, a talk with Development Services and an early read on access and utilities. Those are exactly the items that decide whether a one-lot plat will work.
Questions to settle before an offer
- Which of the three routes does the tract fall under, and is the deed or tax record description one the city will accept as a separately described tract?
- Is the tract's access recorded and legal, or does it rely on informal use?
- What do the zoning district and any overlay district set for setbacks, and what footprint envelope is left?
- How much of the impervious cover limit will required parking and the driveway use?
- Are water, wastewater and drainage in place, or will the City Engineer's finding depend on improvements?
- Which plat fee category and submittal cycle apply to this parcel?
These questions explain how the process works. They aren't legal advice, and city fees and code sections change. For any specific parcel, the City of Bastrop's Development Services staff can confirm the current rules. For broader context on the area, our Bastrop neighborhood page and our look at why design-minded buyers are watching Bastrop cover the setting around these older tracts.
If you're looking at an older or narrow Bastrop tract and want to know how much house it can actually hold before you commit, Allen Auth can work through the setbacks, the coverage limits and the plat route with you, the same way he has approached more than 150 custom homes. Let's Connect.
