Installing a Mobile Home in San Antonio: Permits, Land, and Utilities

Where to Go for Permits, Utilities, and Land in San Antonio

When you decide to place a mobile home in San Antonio, things can get a little bit tricky. And even more so if you haven’t purchased land yet and aren’t quite sure where to start.

Within most city limits, you won’t often find a warm and welcoming attitude toward mobile homes, however there are occasionally small pockets zoned for manufactured home placement as well as several mobile home communities.

While it isn’t always easy to install a mobile home in the San Antonio city limits, we’ve put together a list of resources to help you along the way.

Start with Flood Zoning

One of your top priorities when deciding whether installing a mobile home on your property, or buying a piece of property, is the best option, is checking to see if it is in a flood zone.

For any property in Bexar County, you can go to this website and input the address to see if FEMA has determined the area to be prone to flooding.

This step is crucial in avoiding the cascade of paperwork, approvals, permits, and cost of developing a flood prone property.

While it’s not impossible to place a mobile home in a flood zone, the benefit does not often outweigh the cost that might have been saved by putting in the research up front.

San Antonio Building Permits

When placing a manufactured home in San Antonio, there is an application process for receiving a permit from the city, which can be found here.

In addition, the land you are buying or looking to place the mobile home on will often have an HOA or Architectural Control Committee, which has to approve or deny the home you have chosen to make sure it is in accordance with their rules.

Ask about the annual dues up front as well as any cost for permitting as each association will vary.

Construction permits and regulations will vary from the San Antonio city limits to other parts of Bexar County and into other cities.

In addition to a building and ACC permit, other permits that may be required in your area can include: utility permits, base pad permits and inspection, and a septic permit.

This information can all be found at your county’s development and building office, typically with access to the forms online.

SAWS (San Antonio Water System)

The city of San Antonio is serviced by SAWS which provides both water and sewer services. If land you have purchased in San Antonio does not have any connection to the water system, it is crucial to contact them directly and get good estimates on what new connections will cost.

Often, a property newly entering the San Antonio Water System can expect a number of impact and tap fees, a water meter fee, and even an “easement” fee. In other words, it can cost a lost of money. In the $6,000-$10,000 range, and sometimes more.

You can find contact info for SAWS here.

CPS Energy

The electricity provider in San Antonio is from CPS Energy. Contacting CPS very early and getting on the waiting list for power is important, as it can take weeks to have your electric meter installed and power turned on.

You will want to call early and find out costs, code requirements, as well as an estimated wait time. Electricity is the difference between moving into your new home and finding accommodations after your lease is up when you expected to already be in your new home.

Costs for hooking into the electricity aren’t typically as shocking as those for water connection but can still range in the thousands.

You can find the contact information for CPS Energy here.

Looking for Land in San Antonio

One of our top resources when helping home buyers find land suitable for their mobile home is GetSomeLand.com

On this website you can search for land in your target county and filter by land that already has all the utility improvements or still needs to be developed.

Mobile home approved, utility improved land in San Antonio, will come at a premium, but be careful if going with an unimproved property to save money. You might not save any and might even pay more in the end. It’s all about getting good cost estimates and understanding what is required to install a mobile home from start to finish.

You might find after researching what it takes to buy a mobile home in San Antonio that you’d rather live a little bit further out and save a little time and money on all the regulations. Just make sure you do the same research in those areas, always check for flood zoning, and understand costs before you commit!

We’ll be bringing you more info in the coming weeks on other popular cities in Texas to get you the resources you need to be an educated home buyer.