World One: The City, on Designated Property
Historic landmarks and property contributing to historic districts carry an affirmative duty to maintain, a reviewed demolition process, and a five year permit bar at the end of the wrong sequence. This is the most regulated position available in the county and the one with the most severe downside for an owner who waits.
World Two: The City, Not Designated
Ordinary city permitting through Development Services, without the preservation layer. Conventional, and the most straightforward of the three.
World Three: Unincorporated Bexar County
Where the county has stated it lacks legal authority to regulate residential construction, inspect it, or issue a residential certificate of occupancy unless a permit was taken voluntarily. Almost no oversight, and no record afterwards.
Suburban cities within the county form a fourth position, each running its own department and ordinances.
What Actually Differs
| Area | World | What decides the file |
|---|---|---|
| Southtown and King William | City, designated | Review, and the neglect provisions |
| Dignowity Hill | City, designated | Designation on older stock |
| West Side | City, mostly not | Older housing, ordinary permitting |
| Northeast San Antonio | City, not designated | Post-war stock, straightforward |
| Unincorporated Bexar | County | No inspection, no certificate |
| Suburban cities | Municipal | Each city's own department |
Areas We Cover
- San AntonioThe maintenance duty, the demolition review, the county line
- Southtown and King WilliamDesignated districts where review governs everything
- Dignowity HillEast side designation on older housing stock
- West SideOlder city housing outside the preservation layer
- Northeast San AntonioPost-war stock and the most conventional files
- Unincorporated Bexar CountyWhere almost nothing is inspected or certified
- The Suburban CitiesConverse, Schertz, Alamo Heights and the rest
If Your Area Is Not Listed
We buy across San Antonio and Bexar County, including in areas without a page here. Because the three worlds above cut across the map rather than following it, the specific address matters more than the general direction.
Send the address and we will tell you which world it sits in. The rules are set out once on our page covering neglect, demolition and the county line.