Wells, groundwater districts, and power on Hill Country land

Texas groundwater districts draw their own lines, and those lines do not follow town names. A point query of the Texas Water Development Board's district map at each town, run in October 2026, returned these results:

Hill Country UWCD: the rules around Fredericksburg

The Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District covers Gillespie County and keeps its office in Fredericksburg. Its rules, last amended November 14, 2023, sort wells into permitted and exempt categories. Check whether your well fits one of the exempt categories below.

Exempt wells still get registered. An exempt well needs no permit, but the rules say it must be registered with the district before drilling. Exempt wells are generally domestic and livestock wells.

Which wells are exempt. The rules list several cases:

• A domestic or livestock well on a tract larger than 10 acres that cannot produce more than 25,000 gallons a day. This exemption comes from state law.
• One domestic well serving up to four households on a lot of 10 acres or less. The district grants this exemption itself.
• A well serving a subdivision that needs plat approval under Local Government Code chapter 232 does not qualify as exempt.

Setbacks. A new domestic or livestock well must sit 75 feet from property lines and public roadways. Tracts that existed before May 1, 1990 are exempt from that setback. On a narrow tract, the 75-foot line can decide where the well goes before anything else is placed, so mark it on the site plan first.

Drought. The district's board declared a Stage 4 (Critical) drought on August 8, 2023. The district's website reported a Local Drought Index of −2.77 as of August 29, 2026. Check the current drought stage before you buy, and ask neighbors how their wells held up.

Hiring a driller

TDLR licenses water well drillers and pump installers. Look up any driller's license on TDLR's license search before you sign. Ask the driller to handle the well registration, or confirm that it was filed before the rig arrives.

Well depth and yield vary from tract to tract, even between neighbors. No public figure tells you what a well on a specific tract will cost. Ask two or three drillers for a written price, and ask what each assumes about depth.

Who brings in the power

Central Texas Electric Cooperative (CTEC). CTEC's tariff lists a service area that includes all or part of Gillespie, Real, Llano, Kimble, Kerr, Menard, Kendall, McCulloch, Blanco, Mason, and San Saba counties. It names Fredericksburg, Llano, Sunrise Beach, Mason, and Ingram as municipalities it serves. Gillespie County's development brochure names CTEC as the contact for getting electricity to property outside Fredericksburg.

Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC). PEC describes its territory as 8,100 square miles of the Texas Hill Country, with its headquarters in Johnson City and an office in Marble Falls.

The two territories meet in several counties. Confirm the serving cooperative with the tract's address before you plan the line.

How CTEC line extensions are paid

CTEC's tariff (§305.1) sets the rule for permanent residential service. Where the extension serves a permanent residence that is completely constructed and occupied full time, the applicant pays in advance for the cost above $3,000, as a non-refundable contribution in aid of construction. Line extensions to all other service points on the premises are paid in full by the applicant. Underground service may require advance payment as well. The $300 new-service application fee and the $100 easement filing fee count toward that contribution.

Ask CTEC how it treats the line to a home that is still under construction. Before you fix the house location, ask the cooperative for a written estimate of the extension to each spot you are considering.

Solar and backup power

Some owners on remote sites add solar panels or batteries. Two points to know:

• The federal residential clean energy credit is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025, according to the IRS.
• TDLR now regulates residential solar retailers. Check a seller's TDLR status before you sign.

No CTEC or PEC rebate program was confirmed for this guide. Ask your cooperative what it offers.

A checklist for water and power

• Confirm the driller's TDLR license and who files the registration.
• Confirm the serving cooperative with the address.
• Get a written line extension estimate for each candidate building site.

For the full planning sequence, read the Texas Hill Country barndominium planning guide.