Baypark Commercial Capital in Big Spring, Texas put this guide together for owners leasing or buying commercial property. It covers the city's zoning map and commercial and industrial districts, specific use permits and zone changes, the adopted building codes, permit forms, and how zoning and permit records come up in a funding request. Confirm every rule with the city.
Zoning Checks Before an Oilfield Service Company Signs a Big Spring, TX Yard Lease
A service yard stores trucks, tanks and equipment, may run a wash bay or a shop, and brings heavy vehicles in and out. Whether that use is allowed depends on the zoning district of the lot. The city's Planning Department page links the zoning map, the district handouts and the application forms.
- Find the lot on the zoning map and note its district.
- Read that district's handout for the uses it allows.
- If the use is not listed, ask the Planning Department whether a specific use permit or a zone change applies.
- Get the answer in writing before signing, and make the lease conditional on the approval if one is needed.
The Big Spring, TX Zoning Map and Its Commercial and Industrial Districts
The Planning Department publishes handouts for each district. The nonresidential ones are the Office District (O), Neighborhood Service District (NS), Retail District (R), Light Commercial District (LC), Heavy Commercial District (HC), Central Area District (CA), Light Industrial District (LI) and Heavy Industrial District (HI). The city notes that the handouts summarize allowed uses and that the full Zoning Ordinance is the definitive source.
A storefront or restaurant looks first at the retail and commercial districts; a yard with heavy equipment looks at the heavy commercial and industrial ones. The handout for the lot's district is the place to start, not the end.
Specific Use Permits and Zone Changes in Big Spring, TX
The Planning Department lists application forms for a specific use permit, a zone change, preliminary and final plats, and annexation, along with a fee schedule. The page notes that applications must be complete, signed and dated before they are processed, and that applicants can discuss an application at the Planning Department in the City Hall Annex.
A specific use permit or a zone change takes time and is not guaranteed. A business planning to buy or lease a lot that needs one should build that time into the closing date and the funding request.
Big Spring, Texas Building Code: The Adopted International Codes
The city's Permits and Inspections page says the City of Big Spring, TX has adopted the 2012 International Building Codes and the 2023 National Electric Code, with local amendments in the Adoption of Codes section of the Code of Ordinances. The department administers and enforces the adopted construction codes.
Permit Forms a Big Spring, TX Business Pulls Before a Build-Out
- Building permit applications, including the permit, building and food applications.
- The commercial construction checklist.
- The certificate of occupancy application.
- The contractor registration form.
- The building permit fee schedule and floodplain elevation certificate information.
All of these are listed on the Permits and Inspections page. The city's Development page adds that its Development Process Guidelines are being revised, so check with the Planning or Permits and Inspections departments for current steps.
Commercial Property for Sale in Big Spring, TX: Checks Before a Purchase Loan
- The zoning district and whether the planned use is allowed in it.
- Whether the building has a current certificate of occupancy for that use.
- Open permits or code enforcement matters on the property.
- Floodplain status, using the city's floodplain information.
- Property tax status, through the Howard County, TX appraisal and tax offices listed in the Texas Comptroller's county directory.
A funding partner financing a purchase may ask for an appraisal, a survey and title work as well. Each of those can surface a zoning or permit problem, so finding it first saves a closing delay.
Buying a Business for Sale in Big Spring, TX: Zoning and Occupancy Questions
A business purchase can include the right to keep operating at the same location. Confirm that the current use is allowed, or legally nonconforming, and that a change of owner does not trigger a new certificate of occupancy or permit. The term loan page covers acquisition requests and the records a partner reads.
How a Funding Partner Uses Zoning and Permit Records
For a purchase or a build-out, the partner wants to know the business can legally operate where it plans to. A lease or purchase that depends on a pending permit may be funded on a condition, or held until the permit is issued. That is the partner's decision.
For equipment requests, zoning rarely enters the file. For a yard purchase or a dining-room rebuild, it can. The funding types page compares the options, the Big Spring, TX page has local counts, and the guides index lists the other guides.
Vendor Permits for Trucks and Trailers in Big Spring, TX
Mobile selling follows a separate path: the city's vendor permits page says itinerant vendors and peddlers obtain a license from the Big Spring Police Department. A restaurant adding a food truck or trailer should confirm which permit applies before buying the unit.
By Baypark Commercial Capital · Updated
