Public Works

Bexar County Public Works manages county roads, bridges, drainage infrastructure, transportation projects, right-of-way activities, development reviews, floodplain permitting, subdivision plats, stormwater responsibilities, fleet assets, and related infrastructure services. This article explains which Public Works division handles common requests, how to determine whether a road or project falls under County responsibility, where to check construction and road-closure information, how major permitting processes work, what applicants should prepare, and which common jurisdiction mistakes can delay a request.

Public Works Responsibilities

The Bexar County Public Works Department is responsible for developing and maintaining County roads, bridges, equipment, and vehicles. Its broader mission is to preserve County resources while providing services intended to protect public safety, health, and welfare.

Public Works responsibilities extend well beyond routine road repair. The department manages the construction and maintenance of streets and drainage infrastructure, reviews subdivision plats in unincorporated parts of Bexar County, oversees certain construction activities within County rights-of-way, manages transportation and flood-control projects, and performs engineering and infrastructure planning work.

The department is organized into several specialized functions. Residents, property owners, contractors, engineers, and developers can avoid unnecessary delays by identifying the division that actually handles their request rather than treating Public Works as a single permitting or maintenance office.

Engineering Services

Engineering Services prepares designs for capital improvement and in-house projects and conducts field investigations involving construction or design challenges. The division provides project management for road and bridge design and construction and performs work involving project development, plan review, right-of-way acquisition, utility coordination, community involvement, and construction inspection.

Engineering Services also supports other Public Works divisions with surveying, design, and construction-related activities. The division previously administered the Bexar County Flood Control Program, a 10-year, $500 million program initiated by Commissioners Court in 2007.

Operational Services

Operational Services maintains more than 1,600 center-line miles of dedicated public roads and rights-of-way. County information identifies an infrastructure inventory that includes 1,619 center-line miles of streets, 433 bridges, 1,294 culverts, 109 low-water crossings, and 38,370 signs.

Typical annual maintenance activity includes resurfacing more than 100 center-line miles of streets, refreshing nearly 200 miles of pavement markings, replacing approximately 3,000 signs, and mowing about 4,000 acres of rights-of-way and channels.

Operational Services also performs traffic engineering work. This can include studies related to speed limits, school speed zones, yield signs, multi-way stops, traffic signals, railroad crossing controls, warning signs, and pavement markings. The division also prepares traffic-control plans for construction and maintenance operations and handles issues involving temporary or permanent street closures and County rights-of-way.

Development Services

Development Services reviews subdivision plats, floodplain development permits, stormwater-related permits, post-construction requirements, and construction proposed within County rights-of-way. Examples of right-of-way work include driveways, utility repairs, roadway connections, landscaping, and irrigation systems outside incorporated city limits.

The division also coordinates planning and development matters involving major thoroughfares, collectors, master development plans, project review, subdivision platting, building permit authorizations, preconstruction permitting, floodplain management, and associated compliance activity.

Development Services does not issue building permits. Building permits covered by the County process are handled by the Bexar County Fire Marshal Office. That distinction is especially important for applicants whose construction project requires both a Fire Marshal building permit and reviews or permits administered through Public Works.

Other Public Works Functions

Fleet Management handles the acquisition, assignment, maintenance, repair, replacement, and disposal of County vehicles and equipment. Its responsibilities cover vehicles ranging from sedans and law-enforcement vehicles to emergency-response equipment and machinery used for road and bridge operations.

GIS / IT Services manages information technology, geographic information systems, information systems, and database needs for the department. Asset Management / Real Estate Services handles property acquisition and disposition for County projects, including rights-of-way and easements, County facility needs, surplus property, certain tax-foreclosed properties, and coordination of leased office space for County departments.

County Road Maintenance Limits

One of the most common sources of confusion is assuming that every road in Bexar County is maintained by the County. Public Works maintains roads only when they fall within County responsibility.

According to County criteria, a road generally must meet all of the following conditions for Bexar County maintenance:

It is outside the corporate or city boundary of an incorporated municipality.

It is not designated as an FM, LP, RM, RR, or SH roadway.

It is not privately owned or privately maintained, such as a road inside a gated community.

If it is within a subdivision, the developer has met County road standards and Bexar County has accepted the street for maintenance.

This jurisdiction check should come before requesting pothole repairs, sign work, roadside maintenance, or similar services. A roadway can be geographically located in Bexar County without being a Bexar County-maintained road.

Potholes and Road Repairs

Public Works handles pothole requests on County-maintained streets and roads. When reporting a maintenance problem, provide a specific location so the County can identify the roadway and generate the appropriate request. Vague descriptions can make it harder to determine jurisdiction or locate the problem.

Operational Services uses three service centers for maintenance issues: Southton, Cagnon, and Judson. Their telephone numbers are included in County Public Works information, but residents who are uncertain which area applies can work through the central Public Works contact.

Dead Animals on Roads

Public Works removes animals killed within County-maintained rights-of-way, including qualifying roads and water-drainage facilities. This service follows the same basic jurisdiction limits as other road maintenance: the location must be outside incorporated city or town limits, not on a state-maintained highway or Farm-to-Market road, and not on a privately maintained road.

The County states that animals killed in County-maintained rights-of-way are normally removed the same day they are reported. Deceased pets remain the responsibility of the pet owner.

Traffic Signs and Speed Issues

Public Works maintains traffic-control devices on County-maintained roads and evaluates whether new devices are justified. A request for a four-way stop, for example, does not automatically result in installation. Public Works conducts a traffic study and determines whether conditions support the requested control.

Traffic engineering responsibilities can involve multi-way stops, speed limits, school speed zones, traffic signals, warning signs, pavement markings, railroad crossing controls, and other roadway controls. Public Works uses applicable traffic-control standards when evaluating these requests.

Speed Limits Versus Enforcement

A useful distinction is the difference between establishing a speed limit and enforcing it. Public Works is responsible for establishing speed limits on County roads as part of its traffic engineering duties. Enforcement of an existing posted speed limit is handled by the Bexar County Sheriff's Department rather than Public Works.

Residents concerned about the placement or appropriateness of traffic controls should therefore direct the issue toward Public Works, while complaints about drivers violating an existing speed limit belong with law enforcement.

Road Closures and Flooding

The County operates an official road closures map showing active and planned road closures and actively flooded low-water crossings. Individual closure entries may include the affected roadway, reason for closure, dates, construction status, access information, and available project contacts.

The road-closure system is especially useful before traveling through areas affected by construction or high-water conditions. Users should pay attention to the date of each entry because construction schedules may change as work progresses or because of weather.

The County states that it does not guarantee the content, accuracy, or timeliness of the road data, geographic layers, or map imagery. Conditions at low-water crossings can also change quickly, so the map should be treated as current County information rather than a guarantee of conditions at the moment of travel.

Public Works Permits

The official Public Works permits page organizes several permit types associated with construction and development. Depending on the project and location, Public Works functions may include floodplain development permits, right-of-way permits, stormwater permits, and post-construction requirements.

The County also provides an online permitting portal where users can start projects and access services associated with Development Services, Storm Water Quality, inspection functions, and other County permitting activities.

Applicants should avoid assuming that one County permit covers an entire project. A construction project may involve several reviews administered by different divisions or offices.

Right-of-Way Permits

Public Works controls construction activities within County-maintained rights-of-way. The official right-of-way permit information covers activities such as driveways, flatwork, median openings, auxiliary lanes, utility connections, and other work affecting the right-of-way.

The County lists the following application fees:

Driveway or flatwork: $35 per driveway.
Driveway only: $35 per driveway.
Other or miscellaneous activity: $35 per activity.
Median opening: $75 per median opening.
Auxiliary lane: $75 per auxiliary lane.
Utility permit: $35 per service-line connection or activity.

The appropriate application must be completed and submitted with the associated fee to the Development Services section. The type of work determines which specifications, standard details, insurance requirements, or traffic-control documents apply.

Driveway Applications

A driveway connecting to a County road is considered construction within the County-maintained right-of-way. Applicants must submit the driveway application and a sketch or drawing showing the work to be performed. County guidance identifies a $35 fee for each driveway or entrance.

Applications are reviewed against County driveway and right-of-way requirements. After a permit is issued, the applicant must contact the Bexar County inspector for construction approval. Beginning driveway work simply because the property owner controls the adjoining property can create problems because the work itself occurs within or connects to the public right-of-way.

Floodplain Development Review

Bexar County Public Works reviews construction activities on property near areas with a 1% annual chance of flooding. The floodplain development permit process is intended to verify that development does not negatively affect the 100-year floodplain.

A professional engineer may need to conduct a flood study to determine the base flood elevation or support changes to floodplain limits. Applicants seeking a Floodplain Development Permit are instructed to complete the online application, submit the supporting material required for review, and pay the applicable fee.

The County identifies a $50 fee per activity for this permit. Applicants who cannot submit online may use the Development Services Division kiosk at the Public Works Department.

Property owners should not treat a visual impression of the site as a substitute for floodplain review. Public Works maintains FEMA floodplain maps for public viewing, and the County directs residents seeking information about whether a house is within a floodplain to its floodplain resources.

Stormwater Quality Requirements

The Bexar County Stormwater Quality Program addresses sources of stormwater discharge that can adversely affect County waters. Its work includes permitting and inspection of construction sites, maintenance projects, public education, outreach, and detection of illegal discharges.

The program focuses on construction sites, floodplain violations, illegal discharges, industrial sites, public complaints, and County-owned water-quality basins.

County permitting guidance states that a Storm Water Quality Site Development Permit applies to construction activities disturbing one acre or more, or disturbing less than one acre when the project is part of a larger common plan of development or sale.

Federal Stormwater Quality Fee

Bexar County funds the stormwater program in part through a Federal Stormwater Quality Fee. The County states that the fee is dedicated to preventing pollution and improving stormwater quality.

The fee applies to owners of improved land in the unincorporated area of Bexar County and appears on the property tax bill. The amount varies by lot size and property use. County information states that the average homeowner pays approximately $10 to $14 annually. Properties within San Antonio or another incorporated suburban city are not charged this County fee.

Subdivision Plat Review

Public Works Development Services reviews subdivision plats in unincorporated Bexar County. The official subdivision plat information distinguishes a subdivision plat from an ordinary property plat, a difference that can prevent significant misunderstandings during development.

A property plat is generally a drawing of an individual property used to identify property lines and possibly easements. Such drawings may accompany deeds or other property documents, but the County states that property plats are not reviewed by the local government authority and do not satisfy subdivision platting requirements under Local Government Code Chapter 232.

A subdivision plat is a different type of document. Once recorded, it can establish new lots, streets, drainage rights-of-way, easements, right-of-way dedications, and other legal lines on property being divided.

When Platting Is Required

The County states that a subdivision plat is required when a property or lot is divided or subdivided into two or more parts. The plat must be signed and sealed by a licensed professional engineer and a licensed surveyor, reviewed by the appropriate local government entity, and approved and signed by the reviewing authority.

In Bexar County, the approving authority identified in County guidance is Commissioners Court or the Executive Director of Infrastructure Services. Recording the approved plat establishes the new legal description for the lot or lots shown on it.

Developers should keep plat review coordinated with construction plans. County building-permit guidance states that when a subdivision plat is required, staff must complete at least one review of the proposed plat to verify that the proposed construction does not conflict with easements that may be required by the plat.

Building Permit Coordination

Building permits are handled differently from Public Works development permits. In unincorporated areas of Bexar County, the Fire Marshal Office determines when a building permit is required for structures or areas that are not for single-family dwelling use. County guidance defines a single-family dwelling for this purpose as a single structure containing three or fewer residential dwelling units.

When the Fire Marshal requires a building permit, the applicant must complete a Permit Verification Form and supporting information for Public Works review. The form is used to confirm that applicable Public Works and Environmental Services requirements have been addressed, including permits, drainage impacts, exterior lighting requirements in affected military areas, and subdivision platting when required.

Permit Verification Documents

County guidance identifies several materials for Public Works review of a Permit Verification Form:

A project narrative describing the proposed work and addressing supplemental permit information.
Copies or explanations concerning applicable permits and subdivision plat requirements.
Drainage information when required.
A site plan showing the location of buildings associated with the building permit.
A CPS Address Verification Letter.
Lighting plans and supporting information when applicable.

An applicant may submit the Fire Marshal building permit application before Public Works signs the verification form. The building permit itself, however, will not be issued until the Fire Marshal receives the signed verification from Public Works and completes its own review.

The County recommends submitting a Site Development Permit and/or Floodplain Development Permit at least 45 days before submitting the Permit Verification Form when those permits are needed. This recommendation is intended to reduce delays caused by waiting for an applicable stormwater or floodplain review before Public Works can sign the verification.

There is no fee for Public Works review and processing of the Permit Verification Form. Once all applicable criteria have been satisfied, Public Works sends the signed Building Permit Authorization to the Bexar County Fire Marshal.

Capital Projects and Resurfacing

Bexar County maintains an official Public Works projects page covering pavement preservation and capital improvement projects involving roads, flood control, and sidewalks.

The pavement preservation program applies seal coat to most primary County streets and roads on a regular cycle, generally every six to seven years. This preventive maintenance is intended to extend pavement life and delay the need for full reconstruction.

Residential and subdivision streets may be resurfaced less frequently. The County bases those decisions on factors including traffic volume, pavement condition, and available funding.

Capital improvement project information is scheduled to be updated on the 15th of each month, with additional updates published when major changes occur. Residents following a road, drainage, flood-control, or sidewalk project can use these project updates together with the road-closure system to distinguish long-term project information from a temporary traffic closure.

Environmental Services Coordination

Some requests that appear to be Public Works issues actually belong to Environmental Services. The Environmental Services Department handles functions including on-site sewage facilities, code compliance, environmental and stormwater enforcement, air-quality work, and other environmental programs.

This distinction matters particularly during property development. Public Works permitting information directs users seeking septic permits to Environmental Services. The County also states that an On-Site Sewage Facility permit may be required when a property uses a septic system, including situations where changes to a home affect the system requirements.

Code complaints involving issues such as high weeds, junk vehicles, or refuse on private property are also handled through Environmental Services rather than road-maintenance crews. Public Works and Environmental Services may both be involved in the same development project, but their reviews serve different purposes.

Common Public Works Mistakes

Reporting the Wrong Road

A road located in Bexar County is not automatically maintained by Bexar County. City streets, state-maintained routes, Farm-to-Market roads, highways, and private roads fall outside the County maintenance criteria described by Public Works. Confirming jurisdiction first can prevent a maintenance request from being directed to the wrong agency.

Beginning Right-of-Way Work Early

Driveways, utility work, street cuts, median openings, and similar construction affecting a County-maintained right-of-way require the applicable Public Works review and permit. Applicants should also account for inspection requirements after a permit has been issued.

Confusing Plats and Property Drawings

A survey drawing or property plat does not replace a subdivision plat when subdivision platting is required. The County treats subdivision plats as formally reviewed and approved documents that establish new lots, rights-of-way, easements, and other legal boundaries.

Treating One Permit as Enough

A development project can trigger several independent County requirements. Depending on the property and proposed work, a project may involve a right-of-way permit, floodplain review, stormwater permit, subdivision plat, Environmental Services requirement, or Fire Marshal building permit. The Permit Verification process exists in part to confirm that the applicable reviews have been addressed.

Waiting on Floodplain Review

Projects near the 100-year floodplain may require more than a basic permit application. A professional engineer's flood study may be required to determine the base flood elevation or address floodplain limits. Applicants should account for that possibility when planning the sequence of development reviews.

Departments and Offices

Public Works Department
1948 Probandt St.
San Antonio, TX 78214
210-335-6700

Bexar County Public Works Stormwater Quality Division
1948 Probandt St.
San Antonio, TX 78214
210-335-6651

Environmental Services
1948 Probandt St.
San Antonio, TX 78214
210-335-6700

Public Works FAQs

Can I request a speed hump on a County road?

Yes. Bexar County Public Works provides a formal process for requesting a speed hump investigation. The County publishes both a Speed Hump Policy and a Request for Speed Hump Investigation Form through its Operational Services information. Submitting a request does not mean a speed hump will automatically be installed. Public Works evaluates the location under County traffic-engineering requirements and the criteria established in the policy. Before filing a request, residents should confirm that the street is under Bexar County maintenance rather than a city, state, or private roadway.

How do I request temporary use of a County roadway for an event?

Public Works has a separate procedure for temporary use of County roadways for civic events. County materials include a Temporary Road Use Policy, an application form, and an indemnification form. Event organizers should review those requirements before planning activities that would occupy, restrict, or temporarily close a County roadway. The process is separate from ordinary construction-related road closures and allows the County to evaluate traffic-control and roadway-use issues before the event takes place.

Can residents ask for a no-parking restriction?

Yes. Operational Services publishes a Request for No Parking Investigation Form along with County no-parking guidelines. A request starts an evaluation rather than guaranteeing that signs or restrictions will be approved. Public Works reviews roadway conditions and applicable traffic-control considerations before determining whether a restriction is appropriate. The official Public Works frequently asked questions also explains how County traffic-control requests are evaluated.

Does Public Works handle County tax-foreclosed properties?

Public Works manages a “Struck-Off List” containing certain tax-foreclosed properties that were struck off to Bexar County and are available for sale. County guidance states that the list includes instructions explaining how interested buyers can pursue these properties. This process is different from an ordinary private real-estate listing because the properties reached County ownership through tax-foreclosure proceedings and are handled under County procedures.