Peter M. Eick
Member
I hired a lawyer and followed up on the legal aspects of shooting on my roughly 20 acres I bough in Bexar county. It is complex but in a nutshell, since I am outside San Antonio I can shoot some guns. But I am inside the ETJ (Extra Territorial Jurisdiction) for San Antonio, so there are limits.
In my case, I fall under 229.003 of the code and the criteria is as follows:
1) Over 50 acres - shoot anything, if more than 1000 ft from a property line of a school, hospital, commercial day care facility, and if more than 600 ft from a property line of a residential subdivision and multifamily residential complex and 300 ft from an occupied building.
I don't meet this criteria with my 20 so I fall under these rules.
2) greater than 10 acres, more than 1000 ft from a property line of a school hospital or commercial day care facility, 600 ft from a residential subdivision and complex and 150 ft from an occupied building.
In this case I can shoot, shotgun, air rifle bb gun or bow and arrow. No rimfire or centerfires allowed.
Obviously in both cases you must have taken reasonable care to make sure the bullet does not leave your property.
So for you Texans thinking about buying land, be careful about buying in Harris, Bexar and up by DFW as these are some of the parts of the states that the city can expand its ETJ and put city rules out in the county.
I got caught with the ETJ aspect of the law, but I bought the place to retire on and I figure I am better off then I am in Harris county now. I can't shoot anything here on my property.
Basic rules apply though even in the ETJ areas:
1) buy more than 50 acres and meet the distance rules stated above you can shoot anywhere in the state with up to a centerfire gun.
2) Buy more than 10 acres and meet the distance rules stated above, you are limited to shotguns and air rifles depending on the ETJ.
3) Buy less than 10 acres and local city rules can limit you to nothing.
Of course there is always the "just do it" but then you are breaking the law and risk the consequences.
In my case, I will probably set up a nice sporting clays section in my back 10 acres and start shooting my air rifle a lot more. There are some nice public ranges in the area that I can go blast centerfires on.
In my case, I fall under 229.003 of the code and the criteria is as follows:
1) Over 50 acres - shoot anything, if more than 1000 ft from a property line of a school, hospital, commercial day care facility, and if more than 600 ft from a property line of a residential subdivision and multifamily residential complex and 300 ft from an occupied building.
I don't meet this criteria with my 20 so I fall under these rules.
2) greater than 10 acres, more than 1000 ft from a property line of a school hospital or commercial day care facility, 600 ft from a residential subdivision and complex and 150 ft from an occupied building.
In this case I can shoot, shotgun, air rifle bb gun or bow and arrow. No rimfire or centerfires allowed.
Obviously in both cases you must have taken reasonable care to make sure the bullet does not leave your property.
So for you Texans thinking about buying land, be careful about buying in Harris, Bexar and up by DFW as these are some of the parts of the states that the city can expand its ETJ and put city rules out in the county.
I got caught with the ETJ aspect of the law, but I bought the place to retire on and I figure I am better off then I am in Harris county now. I can't shoot anything here on my property.
Basic rules apply though even in the ETJ areas:
1) buy more than 50 acres and meet the distance rules stated above you can shoot anywhere in the state with up to a centerfire gun.
2) Buy more than 10 acres and meet the distance rules stated above, you are limited to shotguns and air rifles depending on the ETJ.
3) Buy less than 10 acres and local city rules can limit you to nothing.
Of course there is always the "just do it" but then you are breaking the law and risk the consequences.
In my case, I will probably set up a nice sporting clays section in my back 10 acres and start shooting my air rifle a lot more. There are some nice public ranges in the area that I can go blast centerfires on.
