Yes, with one thing to plan around. The growing season runs about 279 frost-free days, long enough for a spring and a fall garden. Texas counties cannot zone rural land, so there is no county zoning to clear. Typical well depths here range from 400 feet to 1,520 feet, so get a local driller's quote.
What the land says
Rain
Rain helps, but plan on a well for most of your water and on watering the garden in dry months.
About 31 inches a year (PRISM, 1991 to 2020 average)
Wells
Well depth varies a lot here. Get a local driller's quote before you offer.
Typical well depths here range from 400 feet to 1,520 feet
Growing season
Long enough for a spring and a fall garden.
About 279 frost-free days, USDA zone 9a; last frost about February 25, first about December 2
Sun
Good sun. Size the array and battery bank for winter.
About 5.4 hours of full sun a day, averaged over the year
Flood
Flood zones run along creeks and rivers here. Look up the parcel on FEMA's flood map.
FEMA maps flood zones in places
Wildfire
Low wildfire risk.
U.S. Forest Service wildfire hazard map: Low to Moderate here
Storms
Hurricanes and strong tornadoes are rare here.
NOAA: no hurricane-strength storm within 50 miles since 1975; about 1 strong (EF2 or stronger) tornado a decade within 25 miles
Terrain
Flat to gentle, easy to build on.
Slopes average about 2%, about 710 feet above sea level
Soil
Heavy clay. Expect a larger septic field, and work compost into garden beds. The county's soil test decides.
Clay, well drained (USDA soil survey). A standard system typically runs $5,000 to $10,000
Road
Paved roads are close by.
Nearest paved road usually within about 0.2 miles (OpenStreetMap)
Check a Texas parcel, or plan the one you own
Get a free 0-100 off-grid score.
A step-by-step build plan, sizing your solar, water, garden, septic, heat, and buildings.
Is it legal here?
Zoning
None. Texas counties cannot zone rural land, though septic, well, and floodplain rules still apply.
Building code
Texas state law applies the International Residential Code only inside city limits, so a house on unincorporated county land usually has no building code or permit. A county may opt in to require it, checked by an inspector the builder hires, but it cannot require approval before you build or charge a fee.
Rainwater
Collecting it is allowed.
Composting toilets
Allowed.
Water rights
A mix of two systems. Ask the state water office before you drill a well or dam a creek.
Depends on depth, which varies here. Get a driller's quote.
Septic
$5,000 to $10,000
Standard system
Solar and batteries
$20,000 to $35,000
Sized for a modest household
Road or driveway
$2,000 to $7,000
From the nearest road to a house site
Clearing
$1,000 to $3,000
A house site, solar, and garden
Total
$28,000 to $54,000
Before the house, plus the well
Before you make an offer on land here
Well depth
Get a local driller's depth estimate.
Typical well depths here range from 400 feet to 1,520 feet.
Flood map
Look up the parcel on FEMA's flood map.
Flood zones run along creeks and rivers here. Building in one means flood insurance and extra permits.
Soil test
Get a soil test before you count on septic.
Clay drains slowly and can fail the test.
Nearby counties
2,087,679 people live in Bexar County, about 1683.2 per square mile. It ranks tied for 154th of the 254 Texas counties we scored, and Texas ranks 34th of 50 states.