Buying Land in Texas: What to Check Before You Fall in Love with Acreage
By The Boraak Team · September 27, 2026 · 8 min read
The short answer
Before buying land in Texas, confirm legal access, utilities (water, power, septic or sewer), the flood zone, easements and deed restrictions, zoning or city rules, and a current survey, and check whether the land has agricultural valuation (and any rollback tax). Get title insurance and put these checks in the contract's feasibility or option period.
Access: can you legally get to it?
A beautiful parcel with no legal road access is a very expensive view. Make sure there's frontage on a public road or a recorded access easement. The title company can show you what's recorded.
Utilities and water
- Electricity: how far is the nearest line, and what will the co-op or utility charge to extend it?
- Water: city water, a rural water supply corporation, or a well? Wells mean drilling costs, and some areas have groundwater district rules.
- Wastewater: no sewer usually means a septic system, which needs a permit and suitable soil.
Get estimates before closing, not after.
Flood zones, easements and restrictions
- Check FEMA flood maps for the parcel; flood zones affect building and insurance.
- Read every easement (pipelines, power lines, drainage). They limit where you can build.
- Look for deed restrictions or an HOA that limits mobile homes, livestock or subdividing.
- Inside a city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), city rules may apply.
Survey, title and the tax situation
Order a survey to confirm boundaries and acreage, and get title insurance. Ask whether the land has agricultural valuation; if you change the use, a rollback tax may apply. See our ag valuation guide.
Build these checks into your contract
Land sales often use a feasibility or option period so you can do all of the above before you're committed. Talk to a Texas real estate attorney or an agent who sells land regularly. Their knowledge of local septic rules alone can save you a fortune.
Quick questions
Do I need a survey when buying land in Texas?
It's strongly recommended. A survey confirms boundaries, acreage, easements and encroachments, and title insurance often needs one to remove certain exceptions.
How do I find out if land is in a flood zone?
Look the parcel up on FEMA's flood map service center and ask the county or city floodplain administrator.
Ready to look around?
See land for sale near DFW →Sources
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and numbers change; check with a Texas professional for your situation.