Buying a home in Westlake Hills starts with identifying exactly where the property sits. The 78746 ZIP code covers the City of West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, and unincorporated Travis County, while Eanes ISD follows a separate boundary. That distinction affects property taxes, permits, utilities, building rules, and even what you may be able to renovate or rebuild.
For buyers, the key questions are parcel-specific: which jurisdiction governs the home, whether it connects to central wastewater or has a septic system, what impervious-cover and tree rules apply, and how hillside terrain could affect construction or repair costs.
Price data also needs context, as sales volume is relatively thin and reported medians can vary widely across sources and months. A TCAD property lookup, followed by the relevant city or county records, gives you the clearest starting point before making an offer.
Which "Westlake" are you actually buying in?
City of West Lake Hills: An independent, incorporated home-rule municipality with its own city council, zoning code, and building department.
City of Rollingwood: A separate, smaller incorporated city with its own zoning map and code of ordinances, adjacent to West Lake Hills along the Barton Creek and Lady Bird Lake side.
Unincorporated Travis County: Includes areas marketed as "Westlake," such as Rob Roy, Davenport Ranch, Lost Creek, and parts of the Loop 360 corridor. These areas are governed by the Travis County Commissioners Court and, for some services, by special districts such as the Travis County Water Control and Improvement District No. 10 or the Emergency Services District No. 9.
Eanes Independent School District: A separate boundary covering roughly 31.2 square miles. It includes all of West Lake Hills and Rollingwood, plus large unincorporated parts of Travis County, including portions of Barton Creek, Lost Creek, and areas west toward RM 620.
Because these boundaries overlap without matching exactly, a home's "Westlake" label does not tell you which city, school district, or governing authority actually applies. A property can therefore be "in Westlake" for school purposes while sitting in a different city, or in no incorporated city at all. Eanes ISD's boundary map directs prospective buyers to verify district status through a TCAD property search rather than relying on a mailing address or neighborhood name. Treat the listing description as a starting point. The neighborhood guides can help explain how the different pockets compare, but the parcel-level lookup determines the jurisdiction that actually applies.
Why jurisdiction decides your permits, services, and rules
For properties outside West Lake Hills and Rollingwood city limits, the next step is to identify whether the parcel falls within Austin's full-purpose jurisdiction, Austin's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), or unincorporated Travis County outside any ETJ. West Lake Hills also has its own ETJ, where it applies its Subdivision Ordinance, Sign Ordinance, and certain commercial site-plan rules. Those areas may also fall under Water Control and Improvement District No. 10 and Emergency Services District No. 9.
The distinction matters because jurisdiction determines which rules and permitting authority apply:
Inside full-purpose city limits: The city's building department and municipal code apply in full.
Within the West Lake Hills ETJ: The city enforces a subset of rules, including subdivision, signage, and drainage requirements for larger projects. Day-to-day building permits, septic systems, and most development reviews fall to Travis County.
In unincorporated Travis County outside an ETJ: Development is governed primarily by Travis County Development Services, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and state law, with fewer local design and environmental constraints.
Austin's ETJ is the unincorporated land within five miles of Austin's full-purpose limit not already claimed by another city.
Texas Senate Bill 2038, passed in 2023, also allows property owners to petition for release from a city's ETJ, which can shift a parcel from city-influenced rules to county-only regulation. Under the statute, release is automatic once an owner meets the conditions, subject to a short list of exceptions. One of those exceptions covers land within five miles of a military base, and it is the provision now being litigated in this area.
The Bee Caves Armory ETJ dispute, and why it matters to a buyer here
The sequence is worth understanding because it shows how a settled jurisdictional answer can be unsettled after the fact.
Between 2023 and early 2026, owners of roughly 170 properties near the Bee Caves Armory, a small facility operated by the Texas Army National Guard, petitioned for release from Austin's ETJ. The city reviewed the petitions, confirmed in writing that each property qualified, and released them.
In March 2026, the city reversed course. It sent certified letters stating that the releases had been "issued in error" and were "void and of no force or effect." Those letters cited Section 42.101(1) of the Texas Local Government Code, asserting for the first time that the armory is a "military base" and that the properties were therefore ineligible.
Litigation followed. On August 4, 2026, Judge Robert Pitman of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas granted a preliminary injunction barring the city from enforcing the March 2026 reversal while the case proceeds. The court found that the owners are likely to prove the city violated their constitutional right to due process and acted beyond its legal authority. It described the city's position, that it had no duty to determine eligibility before granting a release but was obligated to correct it afterward, as a "nonsensical proposition."
Notably, the court did not decide whether the armory qualifies as a military base. It held that even if it did, the city could not strip owners of releases it had already granted without notice, a hearing, or the authority to do so.
For buyers, two points matter:
The case remains unresolved: The August 2026 ruling is a preliminary injunction, not a final judgment. The underlying eligibility question remains open, and the outcome could change on appeal or at trial.
ETJ status should be re-confirmed close to closing: A release letter in a seller's records shows what the city concluded when it was issued, but it does not guarantee the property's current status.
A note from Kacy: I am writing about this as an affected owner, not as a neutral observer. Our own property sits in Austin's ETJ, we petitioned for release in November 2024, and the city granted it that December. In March 2026 we received one of the certified letters voiding that release. I mention it for two reasons. Readers deserve to know the interest sitting behind the perspective. And living through it is what moved jurisdictional status, for me, out of the "already answered" column and onto every buyer's verification list. What it does not make me is your lawyer. Anyone with a parcel in or near the affected area should be talking to a Texas real estate attorney about their specific facts.
Utility service is a separate question from jurisdiction, and a release does not necessarily change it. Austin Water and Austin Energy service areas can continue to apply independently of jurisdictional boundaries.
For a specific property, buyers should separately confirm:
Current ETJ or municipal jurisdiction;
Utility service areas;
Deed and boundary information; and
Any parcel-specific rules or restrictions.
Parcel-specific questions should be confirmed with the governing authority or a Texas real estate attorney.
What the housing stock looks like, and why teardowns dominate
Local brokerage reporting on the Eanes ISD and Westlake Hills submarket describes existing inventory as leaning heavily 1970s through early 2000s, with continual remodeling layered onto that base. Rob Roy and Davenport Ranch, two established hillside subdivisions, were largely built in the 1980s and 1990s. Mid-century ranch homes exist in pockets closer to the original 1950s and 1960s West Lake Hills subdivisions, but the dominant older stock is 1980s and 1990s construction rather than true mid-century product. That distinction drives the renovation scope: lower ceiling heights, smaller room footprints, and dated mechanical systems from that era cost far more to address than a cosmetic refresh would.
New construction is rare and clustered on the limited number of large, buildable, or teardown-eligible lots. Grewal RE Group's 2026 market commentary puts new-build pricing in Eanes ISD at roughly $2.85 million to $5 million, with typical move-ins trailing by 12 or more months after purchase due to design and permitting timelines. With Eanes ISD covering only about 31.2 square miles and little vacant land remaining, teardown purchases are described in industry commentary as increasingly the only path to new construction inside West Lake Hills itself. Build-ready lots in the Lost Creek pocket have been reported in the $600,000 to $1.5 million range, a rough floor for land value alone, and when land value approaches what a renovated structure could support at resale, the economics push toward demolition. No authoritative dataset publishes a lot-value-to-total-value ratio for West Lake Hills, so treat these figures as directional.
How hillside terrain changes construction and repair costs
The area sits on the Edwards Plateau's karst limestone, where acidic groundwater dissolves carbonate rock along joints and bedding planes, leaving voids and pinnacles rather than a uniform bearing stratum. Bedrock depth for foundation piers can vary meaningfully within a single home's footprint. Foundation contractors serving the area report that shallow soils, steep grading, and karst combine to make settlement multi-causal, with soil-pocket shrinkage, dissolutional voids, and downslope creep all possible on one lot. Typical steel-pier remediation projects run roughly $4,500 to $14,000, a useful proxy for hillside-specific repair costs against a flat suburban comparison.
Steep-slope lots also change what a build costs, typically requiring more retaining-wall engineering, deeper or pier-based foundations, and more detailed drainage plans than flat-lot construction. West Lake Hills has responded to slope-driven drainage problems by incentivizing permeable driveway paving, explicitly citing driveways running up steep slopes as a runoff source. Because karst is documented as highly non-uniform even within a single lot, a neighboring property's foundation history is not transferable evidence for the one you are buying.
What West Lake Hills' impervious cover and tree rules allow
These are city-limits rules, and they are where rebuild assumptions most often collapse in due diligence.
Impervious cover
The city's Code of Ordinances, Chapter 22.03, Division 8, sets a base maximum of 35% impervious cover for a typical single-family lot. Residential lots of 0.5 acre or larger on central wastewater are subject to specific caps, with bonus provisions for landscaping, detention, or permeable paving that can push allowable coverage as high as roughly 54.9% of site area on qualifying lots. Those bonuses were deliberate: a 2013 ordinance amendment let residents use permeable pavement for driveways, counted at only 75% impervious, precisely because so many driveways climb steep slopes. Unincorporated Travis County parcels are governed instead by county development regulations and, within a watershed protection area, by TCEQ or Austin watershed rules where applicable.
Tree protection
West Lake Hills describes its tree ordinance as one of the most restrictive in the state. Removing any tree with a trunk diameter between 6 and 14 inches requires a permit, and those trees must be replaced at a 75% replacement rate. Any tree 14 inches or larger requires a City Council variance, plus replacement elsewhere on the property at 1.5 times the diameter of the tree removed. A 2014 revision loosened rules for vegetation within 30 feet of a home, allowing removal of understory and sub-12-inch trees without replacement, but barred new construction for five years in any area cleared under that exemption. Rollingwood parcels and unincorporated county lots are not automatically subject to this code.
Setbacks
Code Section 22.03.275 governs building setback distances, and roof overhangs and eaves are barred from encroaching into them. Numeric setback and height limits vary by zoning district, so pull the city's zoning map for the specific parcel before any offer contingent on a rebuild.
Who provides water, wastewater, and power at a given address
Utility service here does not follow the pattern buyers expect from a City of Austin address, and it does not follow city lines cleanly either.
Wastewater: Inside West Lake Hills city limits, wastewater service is provided directly by the city, which publishes its own wastewater map.
Water: Potable water inside West Lake Hills is delivered by Travis County Water Control and Improvement District No. 10, a separate special district, not by the city.
Electric: Austin Energy serves most of West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, and large surrounding portions of the metro even though these are not incorporated in the City of Austin, and its service-area map lists both cities among the municipalities in its roughly 437-square-mile territory. Some unincorporated pockets farther out and areas toward Lakeway and Bee Cave may instead fall under Pedernales Electric Cooperative.
Septic: On-Site Sewage Facilities (OSSF) are common outside central wastewater service areas and are permitted through Travis County Development Services, not through a city or TCAD. Applicants submit a site plan, a soil-evaluation report, and, for aerobic or advanced treatment systems, a maintenance contract.
Austin Energy and Pedernales' boundaries within the unincorporated area are not clearly shown on general service-area maps, so confirm the electric provider for a specific address with the utility directly.
What homes cost, pocket by pocket
Reported medians vary substantially by source, date, and method, which is itself the finding: sample sizes are thin enough that medians swing month to month.
A separate market report for early 2026 showed monthly medians ranging from roughly $1.99 million to $2.68 million, including a swing of more than 27% between consecutive months. A January 2026 snapshot from a local brokerage, based on only two closed sales, reported a $3.275 million median, 4.4 months of inventory, and homes closing at 82.7% of original list price. Zillow's algorithmic typical home value, a metric distinct from median sale price, stood at $1,947,335 as of December 31, 2025.
The limited sales volume helps explain that variation. The same January 2026 snapshot recorded just 15 active listings, 4 new listings, 2 pending sales, and 2 closed sales for the entire month. Multiple local brokerages also report that a significant share of inventory in Westlake Hills and Rollingwood trades off-MLS through private agent networks, while sellers at this tier are often not financially motivated to sell.
That means published listing counts and days-on-market figures may understate actual market activity. Comparing current listings with privately available inventory is where an agent with established relationships in these pockets can add context to the search.
How the property tax bill is assembled
A West Lake Hills tax bill stacks several independent taxing entities, each set annually. Per Travis County's official jurisdiction rate file for tax year 2025:
West Lake Hills' city council stated that the FY2025-26 rate produces an average city tax bill of $3,828.72 on an average taxable residence valued at $2.17 million. That figure covers only the City of West Lake Hills portion of the bill, not the combined property tax total.
The remaining tax burden depends on the property's jurisdiction. Rollingwood addresses combine the city's rate with Travis County, Eanes ISD, and Austin Community College rates. Unincorporated "Westlake" addresses omit the city line item but still include Travis County, Eanes ISD, ACC, and any applicable special-district rate.
These are tax year 2025 figures, the most recent finalized rates published by Travis County; 2026 rates were not yet available as of mid-2026. Exemption eligibility and protest strategy should be confirmed with TCAD or a tax professional.
Commute, corridors, and daily life
West Lake Hills sits roughly 8 to 12 miles from downtown Austin, with non-rush-hour drive times commonly cited at 10 to 20 minutes via Loop 360, the Capital of Texas Highway, and MoPac Expressway. Bee Cave Road (FM 2244) and Westlake Drive are the two main local corridors feeding those routes, with peak-period congestion a known constraint. Several infrastructure projects aim to improve traffic flow. In 2026, the City of West Lake Hills approved a $360,000 project to install nine AI-managed traffic signals along Bee Cave Road, funded from city general revenue. TxDOT is also removing a Loop 360 mainlane signal at Courtyard Drive in favor of an overpass and reconfiguring the RM 2222 interchange into a diverging diamond. Daily life is shaped just as much by access to outdoor space. Key amenities include:
Barton Creek Greenbelt: An 809-acre corridor with roughly 7.9 miles of trail, limestone climbing, and swimming holes.
Emma Long Metropolitan Park: Roughly 1,147 acres along Lake Austin, with boat ramps, camping, and swimming.
Commons Ford Park: A 215-acre park near the Lake Austin waterfront. Retail and dining are concentrated around Davenport Village and Westbank rather than a single downtown core. Rob Roy and Davenport Ranch tend toward larger, more secluded estate lots, while Lost Creek and areas closer to Bee Cave Road are denser and more walkable.
Mistakes that cost Westlake buyers money
Assuming jurisdiction from the marketing name: Buyers who infer city services, city tax rates, or Eanes ISD enrollment from a "Westlake" listing description risk being wrong on all three. The correct path is a parcel-level TCAD lookup plus the relevant city or county jurisdiction map.
Budgeting a rebuild before checking the building envelope: Impervious-cover caps, tree replacement and variance requirements, and setback rules can materially shrink what a hillside lot will carry. West Lake Hills notes that projects involving variances can add two to three months or more to an already multi-month permitting timeline.
Taking a septic system on the seller's word: For homes outside central wastewater service, system age, soil-evaluation status, and maintenance-contract compliance should be confirmed with Travis County Development Services directly.
Treating a neighbor's foundation history as your own: Karst bedrock varies within a single lot, so geotechnical assumptions borrowed from next door do not transfer. Vendor marketing claiming that warrantied underpinning carries resale value should be read as marketing, not verified fact.
Relying on stale ETJ records: A release letter in a seller's file records what a city determined on the date it was issued. The Bee Caves Armory litigation shows that determination can be reversed and then enjoined, all within eighteen months. Re-verify a parcel's ETJ or full-purpose status as close to closing as possible, and ask directly whether the property sits in an area affected by a pending dispute.
Each of these is answerable inside a Texas option period, provided you start the parcel-level verification the day you go under contract rather than the week it expires.
Buying in Westlake Hills with someone who knows the boundaries
Jurisdiction matters in 78746 because the difference between a West Lake Hills parcel, a Rollingwood address, and an unincorporated county lot can affect permits, utilities, taxes, and what you can build. Kacy Dolce, Broker Associate with Christie's International Real Estate Lone Star, works across these pockets and brings local knowledge of how they differ street by street, including private-network inventory that may never reach the public MLS. For legal questions around boundaries, rebuilding, or permitting, she can also help direct buyers to the appropriate governing authority or a Texas real estate attorney.
Looking for a home in West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, or the surrounding 78746 area? Explore current properties and connect with Kacy for a more informed search.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Westlake mailing address mean the home is in Eanes ISD?
No, ZIP code 78746 spans West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, and unincorporated Travis County, while the Eanes ISD boundary matches none exactly. Eanes ISD directs buyers to verify district status through a Travis Central Appraisal District property search rather than relying on a mailing address or listing name.
Can I buy a lot in West Lake Hills and build whatever square footage I want?
No, buildable square footage is limited by impervious-cover caps starting at 35% for a typical single-family lot, setback rules under Code Section 22.03.275, and tree-protection requirements. Removing a tree 14 inches or larger requires City Council approval. Confirm the allowable building envelope before making an offer contingent on a rebuild.
Why do published median prices for West Lake Hills vary so widely?
Low transaction volume and different reporting methods cause wide swings. One brokerage recorded 35 closed sales over 12 months, while another month had only two closings. Zillow also reports an algorithmic typical home value rather than a median sale price. Some inventory also trades privately and never appears in MLS-derived figures.
Is Rollingwood subject to the same building rules as West Lake Hills?
No, Rollingwood is a separate incorporated city with its own zoning map and code of ordinances, so West Lake Hills' impervious-cover, tree-protection, and setback rules do not automatically apply. The two cities do share Travis County, Eanes ISD, and Austin Community College taxing entities.
Do all Westlake homes connect to a central sewer system?
No, West Lake Hills provides wastewater service within city limits, while homes outside central wastewater areas may use On-Site Sewage Facilities permitted by Travis County Development Services. Confirm whether a specific property uses central wastewater or septic with the relevant city or county authority.
Market data, pricing, and neighborhood details in this post reflect research at the time of publication and are subject to change. Please verify current figures independently.