Land Clearing, Oak Wilt, and Rock Excavation: The Real Cost of Building New on Hill Country Acreage

Raw acreage in the Texas Hill Country can look inexpensive compared to finished homes. But the price of the land itself tells you very little about what it will actually cost to create a legal, accessible, properly serviced homesite. That gap — between raw land and a buildable homesite — is filled with costs that many out-of-state buyers never see coming.

Out-of-state buyers sometimes assume that inexpensive Hill Country acreage will be inexpensive to build on. This guide covers the major cost categories and due-diligence questions for raw land in Kendall, Comal, and Medina counties: land clearing, oak wilt management, rock excavation, foundation engineering, well drilling, septic systems, electric service, broadband, and the county-specific regulations that affect all of them.

For a broader overview of Hill Country property infrastructure, see the Infrastructure and Land hub and the specific guides on limestone and caliche, wells and the Edwards Aquifer, and septic systems.

Land Clearing: The Cedar Problem

Ashe juniper — commonly called cedar — is widespread throughout the Texas Hill Country, but its density and ecological value vary substantially from one tract to another. Historic grazing patterns, reduced fire frequency, and land-management practices have contributed to denser juniper stands in many locations. Cedar is not uniformly present across 80 percent of the Hill Country, nor does every tree consume a fixed amount of water per year. Water use varies with tree size, weather, soil moisture, and stand density.

Dense juniper can restrict access, compete with understory vegetation, and increase the work required to create a building pad, driveway, septic disposal area, and defensible space. Clearing decisions should account for erosion, screening, wildlife habitat, mature-tree preservation, and the intended use of the property. Not every cedar on the property needs to be removed, and selective clearing around the homesite is often the better approach.

Selective vs. full clearing

Clearing generally falls along a continuum. At one end is selective clearing, which removes targeted cedar and brush while preserving desirable trees such as live oaks, Texas oaks, Texas madrone, and mountain laurel. At the other is broad clearing of most vegetation within a defined area. Selective clearing is generally preferred around the homesite for aesthetic, environmental, shade, screening, and erosion-control reasons, but it takes longer and requires an experienced operator who can identify tree species.

Forestry mulching may be faster or less expensive than selective hand clearing on some tracts, but it is not automatically the lowest-cost method. Production depends on vegetation density, trunk diameter, slope, rock, access, equipment size, and whether stumps, large trees, or debris must be removed. Mulching grinds suitable vegetation into material that can help protect disturbed soil and gradually add organic matter. The result varies with mulch depth, drainage, slope, and existing soil conditions.

Wildlife habitat must be evaluated before clearing

Mature Ashe juniper mixed with oak and other hardwoods can provide habitat for the federally endangered golden-cheeked warbler [4][15]. Not every cedar-covered tract is warbler habitat, but indiscriminate clearing — particularly in mature juniper-oak woodland — can create legal and environmental problems. Texas Parks and Wildlife guidance recommends that selective juniper removal within or adjacent to potential habitat occur during the September-through-February non-nesting period. Before clearing mature woodland, have a qualified wildlife biologist or environmental consultant determine whether protected habitat may be present.

Published Hill Country Clearing Examples

Published contractor prices are examples rather than market averages, and the two contractors use different pricing methods. Bear Claw Clearing publishes the following per-acre estimates for sloped or rocky Hill Country terrain: approximately $3,000–$4,500 for light cedar or brush, $4,500–$6,000 for medium cedar, and $6,000–$8,000 or more for dense cedar. Pierce Heavy Equipment publishes a $2,500 daily rate for a smaller forestry mulcher with estimated production of approximately 0.5–2 acres per day, and a $3,600 daily rate for larger mulchers with estimated production of approximately 2–4 acres per day, plus transportation costs [1][3].

These figures are not directly comparable. Per-acre cost depends on the contractor’s scope, equipment, minimum charge, mobilization, vegetation size, terrain, stump treatment, debris handling, and the finish condition required. Obtain a written tract-specific proposal before using any published rate as a budget.

Permitting and restrictions affecting clearing

The rules depend on the tract’s exact location, not merely its county. In designated portions of Comal and Medina counties, regulated construction or land-clearing activity in an Edwards Aquifer recharge, transition, or contributing zone may require an applicable Edwards Aquifer Protection Plan approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) before soil disturbance begins. The required plan and any available exemption depend on the activity and the tract's mapped location [5]. The Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) regulates certain wells and groundwater withdrawals, but TCEQ administers the construction-related Edwards Aquifer Protection Program.

Kendall County is not located within a designated Chapter 213 (Edwards Aquifer) zone, which means the TCEQ Edwards Aquifer Protection Plan requirement does not apply in unincorporated areas — but additional restrictions may come from municipal tree ordinances, subdivision plats, deed restrictions, conservation easements, floodplain rules, protected-species laws, and utility easements. Before clearing, identify every applicable jurisdiction and obtain written confirmation of the required approvals. Do not assume that the absence of a countywide tree ordinance means the tract is unrestricted [5].

Oak Wilt: What It Is and Why It Matters

If you are building on wooded acreage in the Hill Country, the trees you keep — particularly live oaks and Texas red oaks, often called Spanish oaks — are a major asset. Mature live oaks can materially improve a property’s shade, appearance, privacy, and buyer appeal. But those trees are under threat from a fungal disease called oak wilt, and if you have oaks on your property, you need to understand how it works and what it costs to manage it [6].

What oak wilt is and how it spreads

Oak wilt is caused by the fungus Bretziella fagacearum. Texas red oaks are highly susceptible and may die within four to six weeks. Infected red oaks can form fungal mats that help spread the disease above ground. Live oaks commonly decline and die within approximately three to six months. The disease can move between connected live oaks through root grafts. Above-ground transmission and below-ground root transmission therefore require different prevention and management strategies [6].

Oak wilt spreads two ways. Above ground, sap-feeding nitidulid beetles carry fungal spores from the mats produced on dead red oaks to fresh wounds on healthy trees. Any pruning, construction damage, or storm damage that creates a fresh wound during the high-risk period — roughly February through June — creates an entry point for the fungus. Below ground, the disease spreads through interconnected root systems. Live oaks in the Hill Country form extensive root grafts with neighboring live oaks, creating a shared root network. When one tree becomes infected, the fungus can travel through the root grafts to every connected tree, creating an expanding infection center that can kill dozens or hundreds of trees [6].

Symptoms and identification

Symptoms on live oaks include veinal necrosis (the leaf veins turn brown while the rest of the leaf is still green), leaf browning starting at the leaf tip and margins, and premature leaf drop. Affected trees may show a pattern of browning that follows the leaf veins in a fishbone pattern. On red oaks, the leaves wilt and turn brown rapidly, often remaining on the tree after death [6].

If you suspect oak wilt on your property, contact the Texas A&M Forest Service or a certified arborist with oak wilt experience. They can confirm the diagnosis and recommend a treatment plan. Do not wait — by the time symptoms are visible on a live oak, the root system may already be spreading the disease to neighboring trees.

Treatment costs and strategies

Propiconazole injections may be used to protect selected high-value live oaks that are threatened by a nearby infection center. The fungicide protects individual treated trees; it does not stop the fungus from moving through connected root systems. Treatment suitability, dosage, retreatment timing, and cost should be determined by an Oak Wilt Qualified Arborist or another properly credentialed professional. Pricing is often based on trunk diameter, but a regional price-per-inch estimate should not be treated as a guaranteed rate [6].

Wood handling depends on the oak species. Infected red oaks are the principal concern for fungal-mat formation. Texas guidance recommends cutting and properly disposing of diseased red oaks and cautions against storing unseasoned red-oak firewood from an infection center near healthy oaks. Approved management options include chipping, burning where lawful, burial, or properly covering and seasoning the wood [6].

Where root transmission threatens nearby live oaks, an oak-wilt management plan may include a trench at least four feet deep and generally about 100 feet beyond the visible perimeter of the infection center. Placement must be planned by a qualified professional because trenching in the wrong location can fail to contain the disease or unnecessarily destroy healthy roots. Obtain a site-specific trenching proposal rather than relying on a generic per-foot estimate [6].

Pruning rules and local assistance

Texas guidance recommends avoiding oak pruning and other wounding from February through June and immediately painting every fresh oak wound, regardless of season. Local ordinances may impose additional requirements. Fair Oaks Ranch limits oak maintenance to July 1 through January 31, subject to specific exemptions, and requires immediate painting of oak wounds. Contractors working within the city must also be registered. Development-related work outside the designated season requires the city’s exemption process [14].

Fair Oaks Ranch currently operates a local reimbursement program that may reimburse eligible property owners for up to 50 percent of approved oak-wilt treatment costs, subject to a maximum of $1,500 per property per fiscal year and available funding. Eligibility and funding should be confirmed before work begins [14]. Separately, the Texas A&M Forest Service may provide limited cost sharing for approved trenching and removal of certain diseased red oaks. Treatment must be approved before work begins, and not every tree or treatment qualifies. The program page does not list fungicide injections as an eligible practice [7].

Caliche, Limestone, and Rock Excavation: Why Site Testing Matters

Caliche and limestone are related construction obstacles, but they are not the same material. Caliche is soil or sediment cemented by calcium carbonate. Limestone is bedrock. Either can complicate excavation, but hardness, thickness, fracture patterns, and depth vary dramatically — even within the same tract. Caliche is not uniformly present across the Hill Country, and there is no fixed topsoil depth or standard two-to-ten-foot caliche layer. Test pits, borings, and contractor evaluation are more reliable than any assumption about what lies beneath the surface.

What controlled rock blasting involves

When blasting is proposed, the contractor develops a drill-and-blast plan based on the material, excavation limits, nearby structures, utilities, and acceptable vibration levels. Federal explosives licensing, storage, transportation, and recordkeeping requirements may apply, together with local fire-code or county requirements where adopted [13]. The property owner should require a qualified and properly insured blasting contractor, confirmation of all required permits, utility locating, a pre-blast survey of nearby improvements, and appropriate vibration and air-blast monitoring. TDLR’s Industrialized Housing and Buildings program is not the agency that licenses ordinary residential rock blasting.

Mechanical removal — using equipment such as a hydraulic breaker, rock saw, or rock mill — is an alternative to blasting on many sites. It may take longer than blasting when a large volume of competent rock must be removed, but it avoids requirements specific to explosives. Mechanical removal is often practical for limited excavations such as utility trenches. For a large building pad, road cut, or deep excavation, controlled blasting may be more economical, depending on rock conditions, access, nearby improvements, and the required excavation volume.

How rock excavation is priced

Rock-excavation pricing is not reliably expressed through a single regional per-cubic-yard range. Contractors may price the work by machine hour, crew day, measured quantity, or lump sum. The proposal should state whether it includes drilling, blasting, breaking, excavation, loading, hauling, disposal, imported fill, compaction, mobilization, monitoring, permits, and restoration. Obtain written proposals based on test pits, borings, or an identified excavation quantity rather than applying a generic multiplier to ordinary soil excavation.

How caliche affects foundations, driveways, and utilities

Foundation engineering: Competent limestone may provide favorable foundation support, but weathered rock, fractured rock, caliche, clay-filled seams, solution cavities, variable rock depth, and sloping rock surfaces can create materially different conditions within the same building footprint. Caliche should not automatically be assigned the bearing characteristics of competent limestone. A geotechnical professional should evaluate the proposed building area, and the structural engineer should design the foundation from the site-specific findings. There is no universal cost rule for post-tension slabs, pier-and-beam systems, or drilled-pier foundations.

Driveways: Rock excavation can materially increase driveway cost, particularly where the alignment requires a deep cut, drainage structures, retaining walls, or imported base. Price the proposed alignment from a survey or concept plan. The quotation should distinguish clearing, excavation, rock breaking, hauling, culverts, base material, compaction, and final paving or surfacing.

Utility trenching: Electric, water, communications, and septic piping may require excavation through rock. Obtain a proposal based on the required trench length, width, depth, rock conditions, conduit or piping specifications, bedding, backfill, compaction, and surface restoration. Do not apply a generic “three to five times” multiplier without a contractor’s quantity-based estimate.

For a deeper dive on limestone geology, see the Limestone and Caliche guide.

Foundation Engineering on Hill Country Sites

Hill Country soils present a unique combination of challenges for foundation engineering. Thin topsoil sits over expansive clay in some areas, fractured limestone in others, and caliche layers that can range from soft to rock-hard. The variability from one lot to the next means you need a site-specific geotechnical evaluation. Limestone can provide excellent bearing capacity for foundations, but that capacity depends on the degree of weathering, fracturing, and the presence of voids or karst features. There are no universal design rules that apply to every Hill Country lot — the structural engineer selects the design based on the site-specific geotechnical information.

Texas construction requirements vary by location and building type. Municipalities generally enforce adopted residential codes and local amendments. Requirements in unincorporated county areas are more limited and vary by county. The builder, foundation engineer, county, municipality, and any applicable architectural-review authority should identify the standards governing the particular project.

Geotechnical engineering: A geotechnical investigation may not be legally required for every site-built home in every unincorporated Hill Country location. Nevertheless, it is prudent on raw acreage and may be required by the structural engineer, builder, lender, municipality, or subdivision. The scope should be selected for the proposed homesite and may include borings, test pits, laboratory soil testing, rock-depth evaluation, groundwater observations, and foundation recommendations. Costs typically range from $1,500 to $3,500.

Water: Wells and Aquifers

If a Hill Country property is outside a municipal or public water-service area, a private well is often the primary water source. Some tracts instead use a shared well, rainwater collection, hauled water and storage, or another approved arrangement. Confirm the legally available water source, applicable permits, expected yield, storage requirements, and lender or subdivision requirements for the specific tract.

Depth ranges by aquifer and county

Multiple aquifer systems occur across Kendall, Comal, and Medina counties, and the county name alone does not identify the aquifer beneath a particular tract. In Kendall County, the Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District identifies two principal systems: the Trinity Aquifer and the Edwards Group of the Edwards-Trinity (Plateau) Aquifer. The latter should not be confused with the Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer regulated through the TCEQ Chapter 213 program in portions of Comal and Medina counties. Use groundwater-district information, TWDB maps, and nearby well records to identify the relevant aquifer and expected drilling conditions [2].

How well drilling is priced

Well contractors may quote drilling by the foot while pricing casing, cementing, development, testing, pump equipment, storage, electrical work, mobilization, and difficult-site access separately. A low per-foot drilling rate therefore does not establish the completed cost of a functioning residential water system.

Obtain written proposals from licensed drillers familiar with the specific aquifer and area. Ask each contractor to state the assumed depth, casing program, diameter, drilling method, abandonment charges for an unsuccessful bore, pump and pressure-system allowances, water testing, electrical work, storage, and any groundwater-district or EAA requirements. Published agency documents describing aquifers and permits should not be cited as sources for private-contractor prices.

Permits and water quality

Within EAA jurisdiction, the current Edwards Aquifer well-construction permit application requires a $25 processing fee. Authorization to withdraw groundwater is a separate issue and may involve additional requirements. Before drilling, confirm whether the tract is within EAA or groundwater-conservation-district jurisdiction and obtain every required authorization [8].

Testing scope and price vary by laboratory and intended use. At minimum, use an accredited laboratory and select analytes based on the aquifer, nearby land uses, well condition, lender requirements, and guidance from the applicable groundwater authority or health professional. A basic potability screen may not identify every naturally occurring or human-caused contaminant.

For the full guide on wells, see the Wells and Edwards Aquifer guide.

Septic Systems: The Site Evaluation Determines the Design

Properties outside a public sewer-service area generally require an onsite sewage facility. Before a system is selected, the site must be evaluated by a TCEQ-licensed site evaluator or a professional engineer. The evaluation identifies soil texture, restrictive horizons, groundwater separation, slope, drainage, available disposal area, setbacks, and other site conditions. The designer proposes an appropriate treatment and disposal method, and the permitting authority determines whether the submitted design complies with state and local requirements [10].

Conventional vs. secondary treatment: A septic-tank system with a conventional absorptive drainfield is suitable only where the evaluated soil and site conditions satisfy the applicable TCEQ criteria. Shallow soil or fractured rock does not automatically require an aerobic treatment unit; depending on the evaluation, approved alternatives may include secondary treatment with an absorptive field, drip disposal, low-pressure dosing, a mound, soil substitution, or surface application. Minimum separation requirements vary by disposal method and should not be summarized as a universal three-to-four-foot rule [10].

Permits and regulation: TCEQ regulates onsite sewage facilities in Texas through Chapter 285 of the Texas Administrative Code. Counties may have additional requirements. Before purchasing raw acreage, a site evaluation by a licensed professional should confirm that the proposed building site can support a compliant septic system [10].

Maintenance: A system using secondary treatment or drip irrigation must be inspected by a valid maintenance provider at least once every four months or maintained by the single-family homeowner where local rules allow homeowner maintenance. Some permitting authorities impose more stringent requirements [11].

Utilities: Electric Service and Broadband

Electric service extension: The cost to serve a new homesite depends on the serving utility, distance to an existing serviceable line, required easements, transformer and meter location, overhead versus underground construction, rock excavation, road crossings, and the project’s electrical load. Obtain a written line-extension or service estimate from the utility before closing. Ask what portion is paid by the utility, what portion is the customer’s contribution in aid of construction, and which trenching or conduit work must be completed separately.

Broadband: Internet access varies substantially across the Hill Country. Verify service at the exact address rather than assuming coverage based on proximity to a town. Fiber is available in some subdivisions and corridors, while other rural properties rely on fixed wireless, cellular, or satellite service. Starlink offers multiple residential plans whose prices, equipment charges, speeds, promotions, and availability can change by address. Check the official service-plan page and enter the property address before quoting a price or treating the service as available [12].

County-By-County Considerations

Kendall County

Kendall County’s principal groundwater systems include the Trinity Aquifer and the Edwards Group of the Edwards-Trinity (Plateau) Aquifer. In unincorporated Kendall County, a development permit is required before property development and before septic or well permits can be issued. The county states that the 911 Rural Address and Access Permit must be issued before the development permit. Municipal requirements apply separately inside incorporated cities [2][9].

Comal County

Comal County sits over both Edwards and Trinity aquifer settings. Permits may be needed for onsite sewage facilities, floodplain development, driveway access onto county roads, utility connections, fire-code compliance, and outdoor lighting within the Camp Bullis Dark Skies Zone. Construction or land disturbance in a regulated Edwards Aquifer zone may require TCEQ approval before work begins, depending on the activity, mapped zone, and any applicable exemption. Do not assume the same process applies as in Kendall County [5][9].

Medina County

Medina County encompasses multiple aquifer and geologic settings. Well depth cannot be generalized at 200 to 400 feet — it depends on the specific tract location. Verify 911 addressing, well permits, septic requirements, driveway permits, and utility extension availability individually. A standard building permit may or may not be required depending on whether the property is inside a city limit or in unincorporated county area — verify with the county before assuming either way [9].

Illustrative Planning Allowances

Except for the land-clearing example identified above, these amounts are the author’s preliminary planning allowances and are not presented as agency-validated prices or regional market averages.

What California Buyers Should Compare

Rather than comparing Texas and California as abstract categories, compare specific tracts in each state. California also has properties that require wells, septic systems, slope engineering, rock excavation, and wildfire mitigation. A wooded lot in Northern California may have substantial site-preparation costs of its own. The comparison that matters is the written project scope for the specific tract you are considering — not a state-level generalization. Request written proposals for site preparation, utilities, and foundation work, and compare those to the equivalent scope in the California property you are considering leaving.

Due-Diligence Checklist for Raw Acreage

Before making an offer on raw Hill Country acreage, verify each of the following items. A gap in any one of these can stop a building project or add unexpected costs after closing.

1. Survey and legal access: Confirm the property has a recorded legal description, a recent survey, and a legal access easement or road frontage. A tract without recorded legal access can present serious financing, permitting, construction, and resale problems. Have the title company or a Texas real-estate attorney determine whether enforceable access exists before proceeding.
2. Deed restrictions, HOA covenants, and conservation easements: Read the chain of title for any restrictions that affect building setbacks, house size, materials, or land use.
3. Floodplain, drainage, and slope: Check FEMA flood maps, verify drainage patterns, and have a civil engineer evaluate slope stability if the lot is on a hillside.
4. Endangered species and critical habitat: Use the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service IPaC system to generate a resource list for the project location, and consult TPWD or a qualified biological professional when potential golden-cheeked warbler habitat may be present [4][15].
5. Aquifer zone and well permitting: Identify whether the tract is over the Edwards recharge or transition zone, and whether EAA or GCD permits are required before drilling [5][8].
6. Septic suitability: A TCEQ-licensed site evaluator or professional engineer should evaluate the proposed disposal area and identify suitable treatment and disposal options. The local permitting authority must approve the submitted system design [10].
7. Electric service availability: Contact the serving electric cooperative or utility for a written service-extension estimate. Confirm the distance to the nearest serviceable distribution line, the proposed transformer and meter location, easement requirements, customer-paid construction costs, and whether the project’s planned equipment creates any unusual service requirement.
8. Broadband and cellular coverage: Verify internet availability at the exact address, not the nearest town. Cellular signal varies substantially by terrain.
9. Test pits and geotechnical borings: Before closing, have test pits or borings dug at the proposed homesite to confirm rock conditions, soil depth, and drainage.
10. Written proposals vs. budget: Obtain written proposals from contractors for clearing, excavation, well drilling, septic, and utility extension. Compare those proposals to your planning budget. The gap between preliminary estimates and property-specific bids is a common source of cost surprises.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I build on land with oak wilt?

Yes, but obtain a qualified diagnosis and management plan before clearing or construction. Diseased red oaks may need to be removed and handled appropriately because certain infected red oaks can produce fungal mats. Propiconazole may be recommended for selected live oaks; it is not a substitute for controlling root-graft transmission. A management plan may also call for professionally located trenching around an infection center. The Texas A&M Forest Service cost-share program may assist with approved trenching and removal of certain diseased red oaks, but approval is required before eligible work begins [6][7].

Is blasting always necessary for Hill Country rock excavation?

No. Many Hill Country excavation projects can be completed mechanically with a hydraulic breaker, rock saw, rock mill, or other appropriate equipment. Controlled blasting may be considered for a large building pad, road cut, deep excavation, or a substantial volume of competent rock. Test pits, borings, the excavation design, nearby improvements, and contractor evaluation should determine the appropriate method.

How deep for water in Kendall County?

Well depth varies widely across Kendall County. The Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District management plan reports historical wells ranging from shallow hand-dug wells of approximately 20–30 feet to drilled wells as deep as 1,200 feet. That countywide range is not a prediction for an individual tract. Review nearby well logs, identify the target aquifer, consult the groundwater district, and obtain a written proposal from a licensed driller [2].

When does Hill Country require aerobic septic?

An aerobic treatment unit is not triggered by one universal soil-depth measurement. The site evaluation and system-selection criteria determine which combinations of treatment and disposal are suitable. TCEQ’s table assigns different soil, fractured-rock, groundwater, and restrictive-horizon criteria to absorptive fields, drip disposal, low-pressure dosing, mounds, soil substitution, and surface application. In the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, additional planning, lot-size, setback, and protection-plan requirements apply, but the state rule does not automatically require an aerobic unit solely because the tract is in the recharge zone. Confirm the design with the licensed evaluator or professional engineer and the local permitting authority [10].

What should I budget for site infrastructure and foundation work?

The illustrative subtotal in the table is approximately $56,500–$220,000 or more before contingency and includes foundation construction. Applying a 15 percent contingency produces approximately $64,975–$253,000 or more. Applying a 25 percent contingency produces approximately $70,625–$275,000 or more. These are broad author-created planning allowances, not property-specific bids. Confirm whether a builder’s price already includes the foundation or any other listed category so the same work is not counted twice.

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Sources

1. Bear Claw Clearing — Texas Hill Country Land Clearing Guide. Published vegetation-based clearing examples for flat and rocky or sloped Hill Country terrain. bearclawclearing.com
2. Texas Water Development Board / Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District — Amended Groundwater Management Plan. Kendall County aquifer descriptions and evidence of substantial well-depth variability. twdb.texas.gov
3. Pierce Heavy Equipment — Hill Country Texas Land Clearing and Brush Removal. Published forestry-mulcher day rates, production estimates, and transportation-cost qualification. pierceheavyequipment.com
4. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department — Management Guidelines for the Golden-cheeked Warbler in Rural Landscapes. Habitat guidance and September-through-February recommendations for work within or adjacent to habitat. tpwd.texas.gov
5. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality — Edwards Aquifer Protection Program. Official requirements and maps for regulated Edwards Aquifer zones. tceq.texas.gov
6. Texas Oak Wilt — Texas A&M Forest Service and Texas Oak Wilt Partnership. Oak-wilt biology, identification, prevention, pruning, trenching, wood handling, and treatment guidance. texasoakwilt.org
7. Texas A&M Forest Service — Oak Wilt Cost Share. Current eligibility, approved practices, cost-share limits, and preapproval requirements. tfsweb.tamu.edu
8. Edwards Aquifer Authority — Well Closure Procedures and Construction. Well-construction permit requirements and current $25 application-processing fee. edwardsaquifer.org
9. Official County Permit Information. Kendall County: kendallcountytx.gov | Comal County: comalcounty.gov | Medina County: medinatx.gov
10. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality — Choosing and Permitting an On-Site Sewage Facility. Official site-evaluation, system-suitability, soil, fractured-rock, groundwater-separation, and permitting guidance. tceq.texas.gov | tceq.texas.gov
11. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality — Maintenance of On-Site Sewage Facilities. Official maintenance-provider, homeowner-maintenance, inspection, testing, and reporting requirements. tceq.texas.gov
12. Starlink — Service Plans. Current residential plan information; verify price, hardware, promotion, and availability for the property address. starlink.com
13. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — Federal Explosives Licenses and Permits. Federal licensing and permit requirements for acquiring, using, manufacturing, importing, or distributing explosive materials. atf.gov
14. City of Fair Oaks Ranch — Oak Wilt. Local pruning restrictions, contractor requirements, wound-painting rules, exemptions, and reimbursement information. fairoaksranchtx.org
15. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Golden-cheeked Warbler. Current federal species status and official species information. fws.gov

Last verified: July 17, 2026