First complete state hub

Buying and evaluating land in Texas

Texas land questions often depend on the exact city, county, extraterritorial area, groundwater district, utility, subdivision and recorded restrictions—not one statewide yes or no.

Stylized Texas map with parcel and terrain lines

Start with the parcel

Four Texas workflows for questions that can change the deal

Run the federal screen, then move into Texas water/wastewater records, mineral and surface-use research, and a state-specific pre-closing checklist.

Live screenWetlands, flood and elevation

Use the address point as a fast public-data screen, not a parcel verdict.

Official recordsWell, OSSF and parcel research

Start with TWDB well reports, identify the OSSF permitting authority, then connect county appraisal/title records and groundwater-district questions to the actual project.

Texas-specific riskMineral rights and surface use

Research severed minerals, nearby oil and gas wells, leases and surface-use risk before buying Texas land.

Before closingTexas due-diligence checklist

Track access, water, septic, minerals, flood, utilities and development cost.

Current facts · verified August 2026

Texas details that change the research path

Permit + approved planTexas OSSF baseline. TCEQ says a permit and approved plan are required to construct, alter, repair, extend or operate an onsite sewage facility, subject to the applicable local permitting authority.Separate estatesMineral / surface ownership. The Railroad Commission explains that Texas surface and mineral estates can be severed and that the mineral estate is generally dominant for reasonably necessary mineral development.1964–present onlineRRC well-document coverage. RRC says online oil and gas well-record profiles include major well documents from 1964 to the present, with additional historical records available through Central Records.

Start here

The Texas parcel path

Identify the jurisdiction and legal rights first, then resolve water, wastewater, site conditions and full project cost.

State guide

How to Buy Land in Texas

A full buying path with Texas-specific questions and official sources.

Interactive

Build a Texas-aware checklist

Use the national checklist and select the Texas-specific records relevant to the parcel.

Water cost

Estimate private-well cost

Build a complete well range after reviewing official well records and local conditions.

Questions that need local verification

Texas is not uniformly unrestricted.

JurisdictionCity limits, ETJ, county powers, subdivision rules and special districts may differ.

WaterWell records, groundwater districts, public providers and actual availability are separate questions.

Recorded rightsAccess, easements, deed restrictions and mineral/surface-use documents require title review.

Texas sources

Begin with the responsible record owner.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service · United States

NWI Wetland Classification Codes

Decode National Wetlands Inventory Cowardin map codes and understand system, class, subclass and water-regime components.

Important: A classification code describes mapped habitat; it does not establish a regulatory wetland boundary, jurisdiction or buildability conclusion.

Checked August 2026Open source

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service · United States

NWI Wetlands REST Services

Query National Wetlands Inventory polygons and wetland codes for web-based screening applications.

Important: NWI is a screening dataset updated with the Wetlands Mapper and does not establish a regulatory boundary or jurisdiction.

Checked August 2026Open source

U.S. Census Bureau · United States

Census Geocoding Services

Convert a complete street address to an interpolated coordinate and Census geography for public-data screening.

Important: A geocoded address point is not a parcel boundary, survey monument or proof that a structure exists at the returned coordinate.

Checked August 2026Open source

U.S. Geological Survey · United States

Elevation Point Query Service

Return a terrain elevation estimate from The National Map for a latitude/longitude point.

Important: The value is interpolated from elevation data and is not a surveyed elevation, benchmark or Elevation Certificate.

Checked August 2026Open source

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service · United States

Soil Data Access

Access current soil survey spatial and tabular data through REST, WFS and WMS services.

Important: Mapped soil interpretations support planning; onsite evaluation can still be required for septic, engineering and construction decisions.

Checked August 2026Open source

USA.gov · United States

State and Local Government Directory

Find official state, county, parish, city and local-government websites before searching parcel, assessor, zoning or planning records.

Important: The directory identifies governments; the relevant parcel map, zoning map and adopted records remain local.

Checked August 2026Open source

Federal Emergency Management Agency · United States

National Flood Hazard Layer

View, download and work with official effective flood-hazard data and map products.

Important: Flood-hazard layers do not replace a survey, elevation certificate, local floodplain review, insurance analysis or map-change research.

Checked August 2026Open source

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · United States

Loan Estimate Explainer

Understand loan terms, projected payments and closing-cost disclosures when a covered mortgage transaction is involved.

Important: Land-only, seller-financed, agricultural and commercial transactions may use different disclosures and underwriting structures.

Checked August 2026Open source

USDA Farm Service Agency · United States

Farm Ownership Loans

Official starting point for eligible farm ownership financing programs and purposes.

Important: Eligibility, security, underwriting, funding and program terms require direct confirmation with the agency or lender.

Checked August 2026Open source

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · United States

SepticSmart and Decentralized Wastewater

Public guidance on septic-system function, care and environmental considerations.

Important: System siting, sizing, design, permits and approval are controlled by applicable state and local programs.

Checked August 2026Open source

Federal Emergency Management Agency · United States

FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Official flood-map search and flood-hazard products.

Important: Flood maps do not replace insurance, survey, elevation, permitting or site-specific professional review.

Checked August 2026Open source

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service · United States

National Wetlands Inventory Wetlands Mapper

Mapped wetland and deepwater screening data.

Important: Mapped data does not establish regulatory jurisdiction or a parcel-specific wetland boundary.

Checked August 2026Open source

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service · United States

Web Soil Survey

Official soil maps, properties and interpretations for an area of interest.

Important: Soil mapping is a planning resource and does not replace a site evaluation, perc test or engineering investigation.

Checked August 2026Open source

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · United States

Superfund Site Search

Screen nearby listed Superfund sites and open official records.

Important: Distance from a listed site does not determine whether a parcel is safe or contaminated.

Checked August 2026Open source

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · United States

All Appropriate Inquiries

Official federal context for environmental due diligence and recognized Phase I assessment practices.

Important: A database screen is not a Phase I ESA, and liability protections require professional and legal guidance.

Checked August 2026Open source

Federal Communications Commission · United States

National Broadband Map

Screen reported fixed and mobile broadband availability at a location.

Important: Reported coverage does not guarantee serviceability, construction price, speed or installation timing for a parcel.

Checked August 2026Open source

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development · United States

Manufactured Housing Homeowner Resources

Federal manufactured-home construction, installation and homeowner resources.

Important: Placement, zoning, foundations, delivery and permits remain subject to applicable state and local requirements.

Checked August 2026Open source

Bureau of Land Management · United States

Split Estate Information

Official context for private surface ownership with separately owned federal mineral interests.

Important: Actual mineral ownership, leases and surface rights require parcel-specific title and legal review.

Checked August 2026Open source

U.S. Forest Service · United States

Wildfire Risk to Communities

Community-scale wildfire-risk information for planning and comparison.

Important: It does not replace parcel access, fuels, insurance, fire-code or site-specific professional review.

Checked August 2026Open source

U.S. Geological Survey · United States

USGS Water Data for the Nation

Public groundwater, surface-water and monitoring information.

Important: Public monitoring data does not guarantee a private well’s depth, yield, quality or legal availability.

Checked August 2026Open source

Texas Water Development Board · Texas

Texas Water Well Reports

Instructions and databases for locating water-well reports.

Important: Records can be split by drilling date and may be incomplete; a record does not guarantee current yield or water quality.

Checked August 2026Open source