San Antonio Vacant Building Program: Chapter 12 Registration, the $400–$900 Fee, and the Standard of Care

San Antonio does not register every vacant building. It registers the ones inside a map — the Central Business District, every historic district and neighborhood conservation district, and every city-initiated TIRZ, plus a half-mile perimeter around each of those; a half-mile around active military bases; and anything within 1,000 feet of an operating school or child-care facility. Inside those lines, Chapter 12 of the city code requires registration within 90 days of a notice, an annual fee of $400 for a single-family house or $900 for anything else, a plan of action updated every six months, and an exterior standard of care that treats plywood as a temporary measure. Outside them, the program does not apply at all. The fee schedule was updated effective October 1, 2025; figures published before that date may not reflect the current schedule.

Where Chapter 12 Applies — and Where It Doesn't

Article I of Chapter 12 applies to vacant structures located within the boundary of, or within a half-mile perimeter of, the Central Business District, any historic district, any neighborhood conservation district, or any city-initiated tax increment reinvestment area (TIRZ); to all vacant designated historic landmarks; to vacant structures within a half-mile of active military bases and defense base authorities; and to vacant structures within 1,000 feet of a public or private school or a licensed child-care facility that is open and operating (Sec. 12-2(a)). The half-mile perimeter attaches to each of those districts, not only to downtown. The city publishes a Program Area Map — it is the first thing to check, because a property a few hundred feet outside a perimeter is not in the program and one inside it is — with one exception: a single-family house kept to the standard of care is exempt (Sec. 12-8). The applicability section was last amended by Ordinance 2023-09-21-0672 on September 21, 2023.

A structure is vacant under the ordinance when all lawful activity has ceased, or reasonably appears to have ceased, for 30 days. Lawful activity means the use the building was built or intended for, so a building being used for something else does not count as lawfully active (Sec. 12-1(16)). The code also draws a line between secured — every door and window locked — and temporarily secured, meaning plywood nailed or bolted over the openings (Sec. 12-1(14)). That distinction drives the standard of care below.

What the Owner Must Do After a Notice

The registration clock does not start until the city issues a written Notice to Register; the standard of care in Sec. 12-6 applies to a vacant property whether or not a notice has gone out. The notice goes out by personal service, or by first-class mail to the owner's last known address in Bexar County Appraisal District records, and by posting on the property. From the date it is issued the owner has 90 days to register (Sec. 12-3(a)). The director may extend that window on evidence that the property is listed for sale or lease at fair market value and has been for a reasonable time. The code names the Office of Historic Preservation as the administering department (Sec. 12-1(6)); the city's website now runs the program through Development Services, Code Enforcement, and that is where registrations and renewals are filed.

• The property address and legal description
• Name, physical address, mailing address, phone, and email for every owner with an interest — corporations submit the same for their registered agent
• Contact details for a local property manager (see below)
• Proof of liability insurance of at least $100,000, or a surety bond for the structure's Bexar County Appraisal District value if insurance cannot be obtained — not required for single-family residential structures
• A completed plan of action on the department's form: a timeline for correcting violations, the rehabilitation plan, how the building will be maintained while vacant, and its intended future use — updated every six months
• A complete floor plan, for first responders
• Criminal trespass affidavits filed with the San Antonio Police Department, and “No Trespass” placards posted on the premises; the director may also require paid security for a set number of hours a day based on the property's code and criminal history
• Written notice to the director, with a copy of the deed, within 30 days of any change in ownership or in the owner's or manager's contact details

Registration is annual and continues until the director deems the structure occupied and in compliance with all relevant codes (Sec. 12-3(c)). Renewal paperwork and fees are due, postmarked, by January 31 each year (Sec. 12-4(a)). The city's registration checklist also asks for photographic proof that the No Trespass placards are up, and proof of security services where they have been required.

Fees, Discounts, and Waivers

The annual registration fee is $400 for a single-family residential structure and $900 for every other structure, plus an annual inspection fee of one cent per square foot of the building as recorded by the Bexar County Appraisal District, with a $50 minimum — which means the first 5,000 square feet are covered by the minimum (Sec. 12-4(a)). The registration fee is pro-rated the first year. Section 12-4 was amended by Ordinance 2025-09-18-0629, and the city's fee page states the updated schedule took effect October 1, 2025 as part of the FY2026 budget.

Two timing rules change the bill. Submit the complete registration within 45 days of the date the notice was mailed and the owner may receive a $100 discount. Miss the 90-day deadline and an additional $150 fee may be charged (Sec. 12-4(b)). The city's fee page lists the $150 late fee; the 45-day discount sits in the code and not on the page.

Fee waivers exist but must be applied for annually on the city's forms, are subject to the director's approval, and last twelve months (Sec. 12-7). The five grounds: a catastrophe such as fire or flood — the owner then has 30 days to register and may be fee-exempt for a year from the event; an indigent owner; a representative of an owner who has died or is no longer legally competent; an owner holding a building permit and progressing expediently toward occupancy; and the owner of a non-single-family property who has maintained it to the standard of care — the city's program page puts that last one at two years of maintenance. In every case the property must still be registered; the waiver removes the fee, not the obligation. Separately, a single-family residential structure that meets the standard of care is exempt from Article I entirely (Sec. 12-8).

The Standard of Care

Registration is the paperwork. The standard of care in Sec. 12-6 is what the inspection fee pays for and what the city measures. It covers the entire exterior: surfaces kept weather-tight and proofed against rodents and pests, exposed wood and metal protected with paint or coating, siding and masonry joints kept watertight, and address numbers at least four inches high with a half-inch stroke, in a contrasting color, legible from the street — plus a vacant building identification placard as the director requires (Sec. 12-6(a)(1)–(2)).

• Windows and doors: broken or missing windows must be replaced with glass and secured; broken or missing doors replaced with new doors; every lock on doors, windows, attic access, and exterior hatchways must tightly secure the opening. Plywood or similar exterior covering is allowed only as a temporary securing measure and must be removed within a period the director designates (Sec. 12-6(a)(11)).
• Roof and drainage: roof and flashing sound and tight; gutters, downspouts, and drains in repair, unobstructed, and working (Sec. 12-6(a)(5)).
• Structure and walls: foundation and structural members free from deterioration; exterior walls free of holes, breaks, and loose or rotting material, weatherproof and coated where needed (Sec. 12-6(a)(3)–(4)).
• Stairs, porches, decks, balconies, handrails, and guards: structurally sound, anchored, and able to carry their loads (Sec. 12-6(a)(8), (10)).
• Chimneys, towers, cornices, awnings, canopies, signs, and fire escapes: in good repair and properly anchored (Sec. 12-6(a)(6)–(7), (9)).
• Basement hatchways and windows: protected against rodents, rain, and surface water, with rodent shields or storm windows on openable basement windows (Sec. 12-6(a)(12)).

All repairs are subject to the director's approval and to normal permitting and final inspection; buildings in historic districts also fall under Chapter 35 (Sec. 12-6(b)). Failing to keep a registered property to this standard is itself a violation of the article (Sec. 12-6(c)) — a registered building that stays boarded past the director's deadline is in violation on that fact alone.

The Local Manager Requirement

Every registered owner must designate a local manager and give the department that person's contact details. The manager acts as the owner's agent for accepting legal service, but the owner remains personally liable in any criminal prosecution for code violations. The manager must be reachable at the listed number at all times for emergencies, and for any property other than a single-family house, the manager's name and telephone number must be posted at the front of the building in large, legible print (Sec. 12-5). The city's program page frames the trigger plainly: a local manager is required when the owner does not reside in Bexar County, and the manager must conduct business in Bexar County.

Enforcement and Penalties

Enforcement starts with a written notice of violation, delivered the same three ways as the registration notice, giving the owner a reasonable time — set by the director — to correct the problem before any criminal citation issues (Sec. 12-9(a)). Failing to register after notice is itself a violation (Sec. 12-9(b)). A violation of Chapter 12 is a Class C misdemeanor, a strict-liability offense requiring no mental state, with a fine not to exceed $500 (Sec. 12-9(c)). Administrative, civil, and criminal enforcement are alternative remedies the city may pursue independently of one another (Sec. 12-9(d)).

Two things soften that picture. The director has express authority to enter into an agreement with a registered owner to reach compliance by a date certain (Sec. 12-2(c)) — a negotiated timeline instead of a citation. An owner renovating under a building permit also has the fee-waiver route in Sec. 12-7(4). And the program is transparent: the city publishes a Vacant Building Inventory alongside the program materials, worth reading before closing on an asset inside the boundaries.

If the Building Is Headed for Demolition

Chapter 12 gained a second article in 2022 (Ord. 2022-09-08-0668), which is why its title now reads Vacant Buildings and Deconstruction. Article II applies deconstruction requirements to residential demolition permits: as of January 1, 2025, single-family structures, multi-unit structures of eight units or fewer, and accessory structures built on or before December 31, 1945 — or on or before December 31, 1960 if they carry a historic or neighborhood conservation district zoning overlay — must be taken down by a certified deconstruction contractor, dismantled to maximize salvage for re-use, with documentation of where every material went (Secs. 12-21–12-23). It carries its own penalties: a Class C misdemeanor of up to $500 per violation, a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation, and each day a violation continues counts as a new one (Sec. 12-26). An owner who registers a vacant pre-war house and later decides to clear the lot is dealing with both articles.

The State Law Behind It

Chapter 12 does not cite its enabling statute, but its securing and upkeep provisions parallel Texas Local Government Code § 214.001, which lets a municipality require by ordinance the securing, repair, removal, or demolition of a building that is dilapidated, substandard, or unfit for habitation and a hazard to public health, safety, and welfare; of one that, regardless of structural condition, is unoccupied and unsecured enough that vagrants or children could enter; or of one that is boarded up or fenced but either still dangerous or inadequately secured. That last clause is the state-law context for San Antonio's rule that plywood is temporary: under § 214.001(a)(3)(B), a board-up that no longer keeps people out is treated the same as no board-up at all.

What This Means for Out-of-Town Owners and Servicers

The program is built around the owner who is not there. The local manager rule, the posted contact for non-residential buildings, the floor plan for first responders, the trespass affidavit on file with SAPD — each one exists because the city wants someone reachable and the property defensible without the owner present. The practical sequence for a servicer or investor with an asset inside the boundaries: confirm the boundary on the Program Area Map first; if the structure is in, expect the notice and calendar the 90-day window and the 45-day discount; put the $100,000 liability cover in place for anything that is not a single-family house; name the manager; and treat any board-up as a step toward glass and new doors rather than a destination. For how San Antonio compares with Dallas, Houston, and the rest of the state, see our Texas vacant building registration guide.

Operationally that is an initial secure and lock change on day one, a board-up only as long as the director allows, then glass and door replacement, recurring exterior and lot upkeep to the Sec. 12-6 standard, winterization where the plumbing is still charged, and dated, photographed vacant property checks that give the local manager something to answer with when the city calls.