Buying Land in Kendall County, Texas

Catastrophic Guadalupe River Flooding Twice in Two Years

Case-by-case / verify locally

Kendall County communities along the Guadalupe River -- Comfort and Center Point in particular -- have been hit by severe flash flooding in both July 2025 and July 2026, with the 2026 event actually exceeding the prior year's severity: the river gauge at Comfort crested at 37.08 feet in 2026 versus 35.64 feet in 2025, and the Center Point gauge rose 32 feet in just four hours. This is not a once-a-generation risk here -- see our standalone flood-zones page for the specific river-gauge history, floodplain permitting process, and what to check before buying near the Guadalupe.

Kendall County Has Its Own Dedicated Groundwater District

Generally favorable

Unlike counties sharing a multi-county groundwater district, Kendall County is served by the Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District (CCGCD), created specifically to manage the county's own Trinity Aquifer -- a formation the district describes as highly compartmentalized with widely varying permeability from one spot to the next. CCGCD is also explicit that heavy pumping risks reducing or drying up spring flow at the headwaters of Cibolo Creek, a direct surface-water consequence of groundwater use here. Confirm current well-permitting rules and any spacing requirements directly with CCGCD before drilling.

Boerne's ETJ Is Smaller Than You'd Expect, and Getting Smaller

Generally favorable

Boerne's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) extends just one mile beyond city limits -- notably smaller than the 2.5-to-5-mile ETJs seen around comparably fast-growing Texas cities like New Braunfels. A 2023 Texas law permitting negotiated ETJ opt-outs has already produced at least one release of land from Boerne's ETJ, shifting it to county development standards perceived by proponents as less restrictive. Agricultural, wildlife, or timber landowners facing annexation can also request a non-annexation agreement, available for up to 45 years. Confirm current ETJ boundaries directly with the City of Boerne before assuming a parcel's status.

A Small Corner of the County Touches the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone

Case-by-case / verify locally

Kendall County isn't a full Edwards Aquifer Protection Program county, but the regulated Edwards recharge zone's boundary actually begins inside the county's southeast corner, at Herff Falls on Cibolo Creek near Boerne. A parcel in that specific area could fall within the mapped recharge or contributing zone and trigger a TCEQ Water Pollution Abatement Plan requirement -- confirm a specific parcel's status directly with TCEQ or Kendall County Environmental Health before assuming Edwards Aquifer rules don't apply just because the county as a whole isn't an EAPP county.