Buying Land in Grayson County, Texas

A $35 Billion Semiconductor Buildout Is Reshaping Land Demand Around Sherman

Case-by-case / verify locally

Texas Instruments ($30 billion, roughly 3,000 jobs) and GlobiTech ($5 billion, roughly 1,500 jobs) are both building semiconductor manufacturing plants in Sherman, and reporting from the Dallas Business Journal and Bisnow describes outside investors already buying raw acreage around Sherman and Denison specifically to hold until the surrounding market matures -- one Southlake-based firm purchased nearly 76 acres in Denison for exactly that purpose. If you're evaluating land near Sherman or Denison, treat today's asking price and the surrounding land's rural character as a moving target rather than a fixed baseline, and expect supplier and housing demand to keep pushing outward from the plant sites over the next several years.

No General Zoning, But Subdivision Rules That Just Got Stricter

Generally favorable

Consistent with the statewide default, Grayson County has no general zoning authority over its unincorporated area. County-level control instead runs through the Subdivision Regulations (adopted July 2023, amended November 2024) and administered by Development Services -- which set a 60-foot minimum lot width and, as of the 2024 amendment, now require plan submittal and a permit before building multi-family or commercial structures anywhere in the unincorporated county, a real change from the prior, lighter-touch approach. Confirm the current regulation text and any pending amendments directly with Development Services (903-813-5275) before planning a land split or commercial build.

The County Runs Its Own Septic Program, With Rules Tighter Than the State Floor on Small Lots

Case-by-case / verify locally

Grayson County is a TCEQ authorized agent for on-site sewage facilities under Subchapter C of Health & Safety Code Chapter 366, and its Development Services department applies county-specific rules on top of the statewide 30 TAC Chapter 285 floor -- including a 2021 Commissioners Court order that permits half-acre lots only with individual, case-by-case sign-off from the county's TCEQ Designated Representative, and a standing 2-acre minimum lot size anywhere a single tract needs to carry both a private well and an OSSF. See our standalone septic-systems page for the full detail -- a smaller acreage tract here can face real septic constraints that a nearby county without the same rules wouldn't.

One Shared Groundwater District, Standard Registration Rules

Generally favorable

All of Grayson County sits within the Red River Groundwater Conservation District, created by the Legislature in 2009 to serve Grayson and Fannin Counties jointly. New wells must be registered with the district and receive a Notice to Proceed before drilling begins. Confirm current registration requirements and any applicable exemptions directly with Red River GCD before drilling.