Extra Territorial Jurisdiction
Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ)
DEFINITION:
The Extra-territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) of a municipality is the unincorporated area contiguous to the municipality’s corporate boundaries and extends to a certain distance based on the municipality’s population.
The City of Fort Worth’s population exceeds 100,000 therefore its ETJ extends (5) five-miles along all borders of the corporate boundary.
When a municipality annexes an area for full-purposes, the ETJ of the municipality expands with the annexation to comprise the area around the new municipal boundary.
When a municipality annexes an area for limited-purposes (meaning, residents must comply with city development and construction standards and certain ordinances but do not pay city taxes), the ETJ of the municipality does not expand with the annexation.
(Chapter 42 of the Texas Local Government Code)
EXTENSION OF REGULATIONS:
A municipality by ordinance may extend to the ETJ the application of municipal ordinances and other ordinances relating to platting, access to public roads, or the pumping, extraction, and use of groundwater by persons other than retail public utilities. A municipality may not enforce its Zoning Rules and Regulations within the ETJ; however, subdivision rules and regulations apply to the ETJ areas.
DEVELOPING IN THE ETJ – SUBDIVISION REQUIREMENTS
If you are seeking development information for the property that lies within the City of Fort Worth’s Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ), you are strongly encouraged to visit with Comprehensive Planning Division of the Planning and Development Department to discuss the proposed 'use' for this property and how it relates to what the City has identified for the area in the City's Master Comprehensive Plan, and Pat Flusche in Transportation and Public Works for identifying proposed roads and street improvements as these relate to what the City has identified for this area in it's Master Thoroughfare Plan.
State statutes extend municipalities the power to exercise certain controls in their ETJ:
- No land may be expanded or subdivided within the ETJ without Fort Worth’s approval (Platting)
- Platting - based upon the property location and at the discretion of the City, all community facilities development (streets, storm drains, water and ewer lines, parks, street lights, etc) within Fort Worth's ETJ must be constructed to the same standards required for development within the City limits.
- No on-site-sewage-disposal system permit may be obtained or system installed without Fort Worth’s approval
- No municipal utility district may be created within the ETJ without Fort Worth's consent
- Fort Worth has the power to annex any land in its ETJ
Subdivision Ordinance
The City of Fort Worth Subdivision Ordinance applies to the subdivision of land within the city limits and the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), which consists of the unincorporated land within five miles of the city limits. The Ordinance guides the land development process and protects the public from inferior and undesirable development practices. The Ordinance governs streets, alleys, driveways, easements, drainage facilities, street lighting, lots and blocks, and park dedication.