Establishment of drainage utility, calculation of drainage charges; service area; exemptions, and dedication of assets.
San Antonio City Code § 34-1101
in effectSec. 34-1101. - Establishment of drainage utility, calculation of drainage charges; service area; exemptions, and dedication of assets.
(a) The provisions of the Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 402, Subchapter C (currently codified at Chapter 552, Subchapter C, entitled, "Municipal Drainage Utility Systems Act") were adopted with Ordinance No. 86711 (September 25, 1997) to create the City of San Antonio Drainage Utility (herein after "drainage utility"). Accordingly, the city council hereby adopts the Municipal Drainage Utility Systems Act, as currently codified; declares the drainage of the City of San Antonio to be a public utility; and dedicates to the drainage utility all city owned property, real and personal, facilities, materials and supplies constituting the city's drainage system as currently constituted and as may be acquired in the future, to be used for the purpose of the drainage utility.
(b) The service area for the drainage utility shall include all real property within the city limits of the City of San Antonio as now existing and all which may be annexed hereafter from time to time.
(c) The following property shall be exempt from the provisions of this article:
(1) Real property with proper construction and maintenance of a wholly sufficient and privately owned drainage system;
(2) Real property held and maintained in its natural state, until such time that the property is developed and all of the public infrastructure constructed has been accepted by the city;
(3) A subdivided lot, until a structure or improvement has been built on the lot and a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the city;
(4) Real property owned by the State of Texas;
(5) Real property owned by public or private institutions of higher education; and
(6) Real property owned by the City of San Antonio constituting the drainage system, including public streets, rights-of-way, facilities, and infrastructure that provide drainage service.
All other real property within the drainage utility service area shall be subject to this article, including but not limited to, religious organization properties, railroad yards, cemetery properties, county properties, federal properties, city properties other than noted in subsection (c)(6) above, and school district properties. School district properties shall be subject to the current rate structure for a five-year period, through December 31, 2020. Drainage utility charges for the properties that make up Joint Base San Antonio shall be subject to the current rate structure for two (2) years, through December 31, 2017, or until the federal government appropriates funds for the payment of drainage utility charges.
(Ord. No. 2015-09-10-0761, § 7(Exh. D), 9-10-15)
Source: City of San Antonio, City Code, City Charter and Unified Development Code (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/san_antonio/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICO_CH34WASE_ARTVIIDRUT_DIV1CRDRUT_S34-1101ESDRUTCADRCHSEAREXDEASFetched: 10/27/2026