On Houston's Unique Land Use Regulations (Just Don't Call Them Zoning)

Houston's famous lack of zoning codes might be more semantic than legal.

1 minute read

September 9, 2015, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


An article by Ryan Holleywell dives into the singular system of land use regulation that is the city of Houston. Holleywell explains what makes the city special: "Houston is the only major American city that lacks zoning. That position makes it a unique footnote in legal and urban planning textbooks. Among professionals who focus on urban development, Houston’s well known for being an anomaly."

Hollewell cites South Texas College of Law Matthew Festa in making the case, however, that such a characterization of Houston is actually misleading. "To be more precise, Houston doesn’t exactly have official zoning. But it has what Festa calls 'de facto zoning,' which closely resembles the real thing. 'We’ve got a lot of regulations that in other cities would be in the zoning code,' Festa said. “\'When we use it here, we just don’t use the 'z' word.'"

The article goes into more detail in backing up Festa's claims, including a list of policies that perform many of the duties traditionally assigned to the zoning case, including deed restrictions, tax increment reinvestment zones, and a buffering ordinance, among others.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015 in The Urban Edge

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 25, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

June 19, 2025 - Outdoor Life

Two-story buildings with porches in walkable Florida neighborhood.

Orange County, Florida Adopts Largest US “Sprawl Repair” Code

The ‘Orange Code’ seeks to rectify decades of sprawl-inducing, car-oriented development.

15 minutes ago - CNU Public Square

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1 - Honolulu Civil Beat

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1 - KQED

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.