Shipping Container Homes in Texas: Rules, Permits and Costs

Texas does not have one building code that follows you onto every lot. The state sets a baseline for cities, counties can only apply residential standards if they choose to, and the rest depends on where the land sits. That is why a container home is a simple permit in one place and a long conversation in another.

This page covers what we could confirm from state law and from the codes of Houston, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio. For costs, layouts and the build itself, start with our guide to shipping container homes, and see which states allow shipping container homes for the comparison with other states.

Key takeaways

• The state baseline for city building codes is the 2012 International Residential Code, but the four cities covered here have moved to the 2021 or 2024 editions.
• Houston has no zoning. Austin allows up to three units on lots in SF-1, SF-2 and SF-3. Dallas and San Antonio set owner-occupancy conditions for accessory dwellings.
• Counties have no general zoning power, and residential building standards apply only in counties that have opted in.
• Almost every septic system in Texas needs a permit before work starts.
• We found no Texas statute or city code that treats shipping containers differently from other construction, so plan on plans that meet the code your city has adopted, and ask whether the city wants them sealed by an engineer.

What the state sets and what it leaves to cities

Under Local Government Code 214.212, the residential code that applies to a Texas municipality is the International Residential Code as it existed on May 1, 2012. A city may review later ICC editions and adopt them, with local amendments, after a public hearing and by ordinance. Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio have done so.

The model codes from 2021 on include a section on intermodal shipping containers (Section 3115 in the 2021 IBC, renumbered 3114 in the 2024 edition, with a matching pointer in IRC R301.1.4). Because Houston and Dallas use 2021 editions and Austin and San Antonio use 2024 editions, ask the permit office whether the city amended that section. We did not find a Texas rule that does.

Houston: no zoning, but plenty of rules

Houston says it has no zoning and that its codes do not address land use. That does not make it a free-for-all. The city regulates how land is subdivided, reviews site plans for lot size, building setbacks and parking.

Two details matter for a container on a slab or piers. Flood-resistant construction in Houston follows Chapter 19 of the city code, and the first-floor finish has to sit at least 12 inches above the nearest sanitary sewer manhole rim, or 4 inches above the street crown where there is no sewer, unless Chapter 19 asks for more. The design wind speed is looked up by the property address and printed on the plans. You can read more about buying locally on our Houston page.

Austin, Dallas and San Antonio

Austin’s HOME ordinance of December 7, 2023 allows up to three housing units, tiny homes included, on lots in the SF-1, SF-2 and SF-3 districts. A second ordinance in May 2024 created a small-lot single-family use for lots of at least 1,800 square feet. Austin defines a tiny home as 400 square feet or less, loft excluded. An accessory unit built after October 1, 2015 cannot be a short-term rental for more than 30 days a year.

Dallas Ordinance 30930 of 2018 lets the Board of Adjustment grant a special exception for a rentable accessory unit, and the city also has an ADU overlay option, so ask the city which applies to your lot. The property has to be deed restricted to owner occupancy and the owner registers the rental each year. San Antonio allows one accessory dwelling on lots in its single-family and multifamily districts, up to 800 square feet or 50 percent of the main house, whichever is larger, with a cap of 1,600 square feet, and the owner has to live on the property. Our pages for Dallas and San Antonio cover buying and delivery in those markets.

Counties and rural land

Texas counties do not have general zoning power. Chapter 231 of the Local Government Code gives them zoning authority only for named places and purposes, such as certain lakes and recreation areas. Residential building standards in unincorporated areas come from Subchapter F of Chapter 233, and they apply only to a county that has adopted a resolution or order requiring them and that meets the eligibility conditions in Section 233.152, which include being within 50 miles of an international border. Ask the county whether it has opted in. Where a county has opted in, a new single-family house or duplex must follow the 2008 IRC or the code of the county seat, and it needs at least three inspections: foundation, framing and mechanical, and a final. Homes built under the state industrialized housing law are outside that subchapter.

Read that as a reason to ask, not as a reason to skip the paperwork. The county may still handle floodplain permits and septic approval. Travis County, for example, runs floodplain management, subdivision review and septic permitting for its unincorporated area. Travis County, for example, runs floodplain management, subdivision review and septic permitting for its unincorporated area.

The coast and the 2024 wind code

On the Texas coast the Texas Department of Insurance sets the building requirements for structures that want catastrophe property insurance. For structures built, repaired or added to on or after April 1, 2026 in the designated catastrophe area, that means the 2024 IRC and IBC. The area has three parts: the zone seaward of the intracoastal canal, Inland I about 25 miles from the coast, and Inland II further inland. The designated catastrophe area is a separate map that also reaches inland and includes certain Harris County areas, so check your address with TDI. The 14 first-tier coastal counties named in the Insurance Code are Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Galveston, Jefferson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio and Willacy. Ask the building department whether openings and anchoring need an engineer’s design for the local wind speed.

Septic, water and utilities

Almost every on-site sewage facility in Texas needs a permit before any construction, repair or extension. The permit is usually issued by a local government acting as an authorized agent of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which reviews plans and inspects the installation. Start this early on rural land, because a site evaluation can rule out a conventional system and push you toward an alternative treatment system.

Rainwater collection is common on rural lots. Texas exempts rainwater harvesting equipment from state sales tax, and a homeowners association cannot ban it.

Modular container homes

Texas regulates modular homes and buildings, called industrialized housing, through the Department of Licensing and Regulation. Industrialized housing built since July 1, 2024 has to meet the 2021 I-codes and the 2015 IECC, carries a state decal and is inspected in the plant and again at the building site. A container module built by a manufacturer in that program is a different permit path from a container converted on your own land. Ask the manufacturer for its state registration before you pay a deposit. Our guide to how to build a shipping container home explains the other steps from permit to inspection.

2025 laws that change less than you might expect

Senate Bill 15 and Senate Bill 840 were signed on June 20, 2025 and took effect on September 1, 2025. They apply only to cities with more than 150,000 residents in counties with more than 300,000. Senate Bill 15 limits minimum lot sizes and setbacks for small lots, and Senate Bill 840 lets housing be built in commercial and office zones. Senate Bill 15 does not address accessory dwellings. A statewide ADU bill, Senate Bill 673, passed the Senate but stopped in the House.

What containers cost in Texas

These are median depot prices from our October 2026 price index. Each figure comes from at least three independent suppliers in that metro. Delivery is not included, and transport cost depends on the distance from the depot to your site.

Container homes often start from high cube units because of the extra interior height, see standard vs high cube. Cutting large openings in the walls changes how the box carries load, which is why the engineer comes before the torch, as in our joining and cutting guide.

Listings

Containers for Texas home builds available now

Container homes often start with high cube containers, new or in premium used condition. Starting prices come from current inventory at US depots. Pick a container and vetted local suppliers send delivered quotes for your ZIP code.

Depot prices updated October 2026

New

40ft High Cube New

One-trip

As-new high cube with clean paint and floors. The first choice for container homes, offices and long term use.

40′ x 8′ x 9’6″ · 2,690 cu ft

from $3,145

Most metros $3,595 to $3,945 · depot price

Get delivered priceDetails

New

20ft High Cube New

One-trip

One foot taller inside. The usual base for tiny homes, workshops and tall equipment.

20′ x 8′ x 9’6″ · 1,360 cu ft

from $2,895

Most metros $2,995 to $3,145 · depot price

Get delivered priceDetails

Used

40ft High Cube Used

Premium grade

Higher grade used high cube with fewer dents. A smart pick for conversions on a budget.

40′ x 8′ x 9’6″ · 2,690 cu ft

from $1,695

Most metros $1,795 to $2,145 · depot price

Get delivered priceDetails

Used

40ft High Cube Used

Cargo worthy (CW)

Extra foot of height for racking and bulky goods, at used container prices.

40′ x 8′ x 9’6″ · 2,690 cu ft

from $1,495

Most metros $1,745 to $2,045 · depot price

Get delivered priceDetails

Starting prices at the depot, based on current inventory at major US container depots. Delivery, sales tax and local fees are extra and depend on your ZIP code. Your supplier confirms the final price in your quote.

See all containers and prices

Listing prices above are US-wide depot prices from our supplier network. For Texas metros, use the median table further up.

Before you buy a container for a Texas build

1. Find out whether the lot is inside a city, and which city, or in an unincorporated county.
2. Ask the permit office which code edition applies and how it treats a container used as a dwelling.
3. Check deed restrictions, plat notes and any homeowners association rules.
4. Look up the floodplain status and, near the coast, the wind zone.
5. Apply for the septic permit with the local authorized agent.
6. Hire an engineer for the foundation and for every opening before cutting steel.
7. Then request delivered quotes, using our foundation guide to plan the site.

Planning a build in another state? See our guides for Florida, Arizona and Colorado.