Hilshire Village

Overview and location

Source: official site.

Where it is. A small city just north of the Katy Freeway (I-10) along Wirt Road and Westview Drive, per the city zoning map and Census coordinates; R-2 lots line Wirt and Westview, and Pine Creek Lane and Bridle Spur Lane have their own districts. Confirm any address with HCAD. Source

• Land area The Census Bureau's boundary file gives Hilshire Village about 692,700 square meters of land (roughly 0.27 square miles) and no water area; the city describes itself as about one-third of a square mile. U.S. Census Bureau (TIGERweb via Census Geocoder)
• Government Hilshire Village is a Type A general-law city with a mayor and five council members elected by place to two-year terms. Council meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at City Hall, 8301 Westview Drive. City of Hilshire Village
• Election cycle The mayor and council positions 1 and 2 are elected in even years; positions 3, 4 and 5 in odd years. City of Hilshire Village
• Small city staff City Hall is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. One person serves as city administrator, city secretary and treasurer; HDR Inc. is the city engineer and Inframark runs water and sewer. City of Hilshire Village
• A zoned city Hilshire Village is zoned, with four residential districts (R-1 to R-4) and two small commercial districts (C-1 off Westview, C-2 off Wirt). Churches and schools need a specific use permit in R-1 and R-2. City of Hilshire Village
• Why it incorporated The city's history says residents sought incorporation because Houston planned to extend its limits to Brittmore Road; they wanted to avoid high water rates and higher city taxes, set their own zoning and set lower speed limits. A December 11, 1954 vote failed, and an April 9, 1955 election passed. City of Hilshire Village
• Origins In the 1940s Frank Bruess and his mother bought 30 acres here, and building started in the early 1950s; the development was first going to be called Tall Pines. City of Hilshire Village
• First council The first council, seated in July 1955, was led by Mayor Bill English; early meetings were held at Ridgecrest School and later at the Scout House on Wirt Road. City of Hilshire Village
• Police by contract The Spring Valley Village Police Department serves Hilshire Village; non-emergency dispatch is 713-465-8323. City of Hilshire Village
• Fire rating The city says the Village Fire Department holds an ISO Class 1 rating and suggests owners tell their insurer. City of Hilshire Village
• Civic club The city site has a civic club membership sign-up; dues and terms are not published there. City of Hilshire Village

Prices and market conditions

Hilshire Oaks 2025 Facts, values exactly as HAR.com shows them (appraisal-district data, not sale prices), checked Oct. 22, 2026: HAR.com. Neighborhood figures are not the value of any one home.

HAR’s neighborhood figures come from appraisal-district records. Asking prices and closed sales are different measures; for a specific home, request a pricing review.

Property taxes

Every home pays several taxing units. The rates below are the latest adopted rates we could verify; your bill depends on the appraised value, your exemptions and the exact units on the account. Look up the address on HCAD before you budget.

• City tax rate trend The SBISD tax office lists Hilshire's total rate per $100 at $0.589884 (2021), $0.577588 (2022), $0.560432 (2023), $0.550985 (2024) and $0.529226 (2025). Spring Branch ISD Tax Office
• Proposed FY 2026-27 budget The city's proposed FY 2026-27 budget is $3,148,611, up 5.25%, with about $1.58 million from M&O property taxes. City of Hilshire Village

Associations and deed restrictions

• Hilshire Village civic club Whether membership is required: confirm with the association and the title company. Dues: not published on the association’s public site; ask for the resale certificate. Association site

Order the resale certificate during your option period; it shows every association that bills the home, current assessments and transfer fees.

Building, renovation and tree rules

Rules below are summaries of the city’s or the association’s own pages and documents. Before you buy a home to remodel or rebuild, confirm the current rules and fees with the permit office named above.

Lots, setbacks, height and coverage

• Minimum lot sizes District A lots must be at least 12,000 square feet and District B lots 8,000 square feet, not counting land in a dedicated street or drainage easement. City of Hilshire Village
• Minimum lot width Lots need at least 55 feet of width at the front street line and 75 feet at the front building line; R-3 (Pine Creek Lane) lots must be at least 50 feet wide at any point. City of Hilshire Village
• Front setbacks Front setbacks are 30 feet on local streets in R-1 and 40 feet on Wirt Road or Westview Drive; R-2, R-3 and R-4 use 25 feet. City of Hilshire Village
• Side setbacks Side setbacks are 8 feet in R-1 and R-2, 5 feet in R-3 and 10 feet in R-4, with 15 feet on a side street and 25 feet along Wirt or Westview. Second stories add 2 feet unless one side yard is 15 feet or more. City of Hilshire Village
• Rear setbacks and height slope The main house and attached garage must be 25 feet from the rear line (10 feet for detached garages). Where a lot backs onto a rear yard, height is limited to 10 feet at the rear building line and can rise 3 feet for every 5 feet farther in. City of Hilshire Village
• Lot coverage and building size Impervious cover is capped at 55% behind the front building line and 50% in front (55% if the back is at or under 50%). The building itself may cover no more than 40% of the lot. City of Hilshire Village
• Height and stories No structure may exceed 35 feet including chimneys, and homes are limited to two stories. A surveyor's height certificate is due before the framing inspection. City of Hilshire Village
• Minimum house and garage size Each lot gets one dwelling of at least 1,400 square feet, with a garage of 400 to 1,000 square feet; detached garages are one story and at least 3 feet from the house. City of Hilshire Village
• Equipment setbacks Air-conditioning units and pads must be at least 5 feet from the property line. City of Hilshire Village
• Minimum tree count Lots must keep at least one tree 8 inches or larger per 2,000 square feet of lot area (flood control and utility easement land and trees do not count). New or replacement buildings, pools and additions of 40% or more trigger replanting to meet the minimum. City of Hilshire Village
• Board of Adjustment Variances, special exceptions and zoning interpretations go to a citizen Board of Adjustment that meets as needed under Chapter 12, Section 91. City of Hilshire Village
• Pool setbacks Pools must be at least 8 feet from side lines and 10 feet from the rear line and no closer to the street than the house; decks may sit no more than 2 feet above the pool beam, and pool equipment must be at least 5 feet from the property line. City of Hilshire Village

Trees

• Tree removal permits Removing any tree 8 inches or larger in diameter needs a permit. Replacement trees must be at least 3-inch caliper and come from the preferred tree list or be approved by the city arborist. City of Hilshire Village
• Tree protection Trees that stay must be fenced at least 4 feet high, ideally 6 feet or more from the trunk, before demolition or construction starts. City of Hilshire Village
• Overnight parking permits Parking on the street between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. requires a city permit; parking is banned near Westview and Wirt on parts of Glourie and Ridgeley and across from driveways. City of Hilshire Village

Permits, demolition and construction

• Driveway limits Driveways must be 10 to 22 feet wide, and driveways plus walkways may take up no more than half of the front property line (one 22-foot drive is always allowed). Culverts must be at least 18-inch concrete pipe. City of Hilshire Village
• Fences Fences can be up to 8 feet tall and may not extend in front of the front corners of the house (except stone walls up to 18 inches that do not enclose the yard, or open fences up to 36 inches by a porch or courtyard). Where there is a gap at the bottom for drainage, new fencing must keep at least 1 inch. Barbed and electric wire are banned. City of Hilshire Village
• Construction hours Construction is allowed 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, with no work Sundays or city holidays except emergencies, and no demolition on weekends. City of Hilshire Village
• Steps to build The city's steps are: review the plan checklist, hold a pre-development meeting with the building official and city engineer, submit plans and pay review fees, hold a pre-construction meeting, then pull permits. City of Hilshire Village
• Sprinklers Fire sprinklers are required in new homes and in renovations or additions whose cost over 12 months exceeds 50% of the higher of the HCAD value or a certified appraisal from the past six months. The city allows water meters from 1 inch up to a maximum of 1.5 inches. City of Hilshire Village
• Demolition rules A demolition permit needs a sealed topographic survey and a tree survey, a 6-foot screened perimeter fence, silt fencing and disconnected utilities. It is good for 45 days and the teardown must finish within 7 days of starting. City of Hilshire Village
• Work without a permit Starting work before a permit is issued makes the owner liable for double the permit fee. City of Hilshire Village
• Pool barrier Pools need a barrier at least 5 feet high (or a building wall), with self-closing gates latching at least 52 inches above the ground. City of Hilshire Village

Pools, fences, rentals and other rules

• Attic living space Attic space is generally not habitable; it can be if it meets nine conditions in Ordinance 810-2021, including a pitched roof, at least 70 square feet, a 7-foot ceiling over at least half the area and an emergency egress at least 20 feet from side lines and 30 feet from the rear line. City of Hilshire Village
• Shared fences The city does not check fence location against property lines; shared fences need signed agreements from the neighbors. City of Hilshire Village
• Adopted codes Hilshire uses the 2024 International Codes (residential, building, energy, fire, mechanical, plumbing) and the 2023 National Electrical Code. City of Hilshire Village
• Jobsite rules Builders must keep a dumpster, screen portable toilets from public view, clean dirt off streets within 48 hours and repair any damage to city streets or ditches. The building official can issue a stop work order if a violation is not fixed within 48 hours of written notice. City of Hilshire Village
• Deed restrictions The city does not check or enforce deed restrictions or HOA rules; owners and builders are responsible for following them. City of Hilshire Village

Schools

• Schools the city lists The city lists Spring Branch ISD's Bear Boulevard School, Valley Oaks Elementary, Spring Branch Middle and Memorial High. Confirm the zone for an address with SBISD. City of Hilshire Village
• School addresses Bear Boulevard (8860 Westview) and Valley Oaks Elementary (8390 Westview) are on Westview Drive; Spring Branch Middle is at 1000 Piney Point and Memorial High at 935 Echo Lane. City of Spring Valley Village

School assignments and attendance boundaries can change. Confirm the assigned schools directly with the district before making a housing decision.

Flood and drainage research

• Slab elevation New construction must have the top of slab at least 12 inches above the base flood elevation, and a foundation form survey must be submitted before the pour. City of Hilshire Village
• Drainage plans A Texas engineer's drainage plan, based on a sealed topographic survey with spot elevations no more than 25 feet apart, is required before construction and whenever a pool, driveway or outbuilding changes drainage. Grades may not change within 3 feet of the property line. City of Hilshire Village
• As-built drainage check After construction, a surveyor's as-built drainage survey and the engineer's certification letter are required before the certificate of occupancy. Downspouts cannot tie directly into city ditches. City of Hilshire Village
• Drainage review fee The pool checklist lists a $1,000 drainage plan review fee covering the submittal, resubmittal and as-built reviews, with extra reviews at $200 an hour. City of Hilshire Village
• Open ditches Hilshire has city ditches along its streets; the city has started a ditch regrading project and notifies affected owners as work moves along. City of Hilshire Village
• Friarcreek drainage project The city's capital project list includes drainage improvements to the channel between 1303 and 1307 Friarcreek Lane, in plan design, with HCFCD coordination needed. City of Hilshire Village
• Flood map on the city site The city's emergency page posts a FEMA flood insurance rate map PDF and links state and county flood tools. City of Hilshire Village

A neighborhood name never tells you a home’s flood risk. Check the address on the FEMA map and the Harris County tools, read the seller’s disclosure, ask for any elevation certificate and get a flood insurance quote during your option period.

More: Houston flood maps and flood questions.

Parks, shopping and amenities

• Commercial strip on Westview The city's business directory lists a recording studio, a hair salon, a real estate office, a church and several other firms at 8373 to 8399 Westview Drive. City of Hilshire Village
• Nearby library The city points residents to Harris County Public Library's Spring Branch Memorial branch at 930 Corbindale (713-464-1633). City of Hilshire Village
• CERT and alerts The city runs a Community Emergency Response Team; contact the city secretary to join. City of Hilshire Village

Getting around

• Water and sewer Inframark is the city's utility company for water and sewer and bills every two months. New service needs a $500 deposit per meter (Inframark customer service 832-467-1599). City of Hilshire Village
• Utility rates Bi-monthly charges are $9.00 per 1,000 gallons of water, a $95 flat sewer charge, a $30 meter maintenance fee and $51.50 for garbage and recycling. City of Hilshire Village
• Trash pickup The city provides garage-door pickup of garbage on Monday and Thursday, recycling in a 65-gallon cart on Thursday, and curbside heavy trash on Thursday. Construction debris and household hazardous waste are not collected. City of Hilshire Village
• Water emergencies Water and sewer problems go to Inframark at 832-467-1599, including after-hours emergencies. City of Hilshire Village
• Street lighting All existing streetlights were converted to LED in 2024; the city is asking owners to donate easements for new lights in dark spots. City of Hilshire Village

Before you buy: the three things to check

1. Drainage and the lot's elevation

   Hilshire drains through street ditches the city is regrading, and it has a drainage project on Friarcreek Lane. Check the address on FEMA's map and HCFCD's tool, get an elevation certificate, and if you plan to build, budget for the engineer's drainage plan and the 12-inch-above-BFE slab rule.

   Source · Source · Source · Source

2. Zoning district and buildable area

   Lot minimums, front setbacks (30 or 40 feet in R-1) and side setbacks change by district, and Wirt Road and Westview lots have deeper setbacks. Confirm the district on the city zoning map and hold the pre-development meeting before you buy to rebuild.

   Source · Source · Source

3. Deed restrictions the city won't enforce

   The city enforces zoning only. Read the recorded deed restrictions for the specific subdivision in the title commitment, since they may be stricter than city rules.

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Full checklist

1. Get the new resident package City Hall offers a new resident package with the trash schedule, a city map, permit rules and the animal, alarm and tree ordinances. City of Hilshire Village

Questions buyers ask

Available homes