West University Place and Bellaire
West University vs. Bellaire Comparison Guide
Two small cities inside Houston, side by side: taxes, city services, building and tree rules, flood tools, parks and HAR market facts.
Researched by The Michael O’Neal Group from official city, county, school-district and federal sources. Every fact links to its source and was checked Oct. 21, 2026. Michael O’Neal is a licensed real estate broker, not an attorney, engineer, surveyor, insurance agent or tax adviser; confirm anything that affects your decision with the source.
The short version
West University Place and Bellaire are separate cities with their own city councils, police, fire, water and trash service, zoning ordinances and tree rules. Both are in Houston ISD and Harris County. The table below puts the official facts side by side; the trade-offs that matter most depend on the street and the house, which is where a conversation helps.
Side by side
| Topic | West University Place | Bellaire |
|---|---|---|
| Population (U.S. Census estimate, 2025) | The U.S. Census Bureau estimates West University Place's population at 15,158 as of July 1, 2025. The 2020 Census counted 14,955 residents. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts | The Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimate puts Bellaire's population at 17,434 as of July 1, 2025. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts |
| Land area (U.S. Census) | 2.00 square miles The Census Bureau lists the city's land area as 2.00 square miles (2020). U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts | Census QuickFacts lists Bellaire's 2020 land area as 3.60 square miles. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts |
| Police | West University Place has its own police department at the Municipal Building, 3800 University Blvd. Services listed include patrol, investigations, a vacation house watch program, home security surveys and the city's DirectLink alarm monitoring. City of West University Place | Bellaire has its own police department at 5110 Jessamine Street; the non-emergency number is 713-668-0487. City of Bellaire |
| Fire and EMS | The West U Fire Department provides fire protection and EMS medical response to residents. It operates from the Municipal Building at 3800 University Blvd with three rotating shifts, and it also does car seat installations and home inspections. City of West University Place | The Bellaire Fire Department is at 5101 Jessamine and runs the city's ambulance service, staffed by firefighters cross-trained as paramedics. City of Bellaire |
| Water and sewer | The city itself provides water, sewer and solid waste (including recycling) service and bills for them. It does not provide electricity, gas or cable. City of West University Place | The city supplies water from 3 city wells blended 50/50 with surface water at the Central and Feld Park water plants. City of Bellaire |
| Trash and recycling | Curbside trash is collected twice a week, on Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday depending on route. Recycling and yard waste are collected once a week on one of your two trash days. City of West University Place | Garbage is collected twice a week, Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday by route. It goes out in bags only (plastic of at least 1.5 mil), up to 6 bags of no more than 25 lbs each, set out no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before and by 7 a.m. City of Bellaire |
| Short-term rentals | Not verified yet. Ask the city. | Ordinance No. 25-108, adopted November 17, 2025 and effective March 17, 2026, prohibits short-term rentals (30 days or less) in residential districts. Permitted STRs are allowed in nonresidential districts. Leasebacks to a prior owner as part of a sale are excluded from the definition. City of Bellaire |
| City property tax rate, 2025 | The Harris County Tax Office lists West University Place's adopted 2025 rate as $0.22944 per $100 ($0.17673 M&O, $0.05271 debt). The city's own page shows $0.229441. Harris County Tax Office, Truth in Taxation Summary | The Harris County Tax Office lists City of Bellaire's adopted tax rate for tax year 2025 as $0.4174 per $100 of taxable value. Harris County Tax Office, Truth in Taxation Summary |
| City exemptions | The city lists no general homestead exemption. It offers $185,000 exemptions for owners who are over 65 or disabled. City of West University Place | Not verified yet. Ask the city. |
| Zoning | West University Place has a zoning ordinance (Appendix A of its code) and a GIS zoning map. A Zoning and Planning Commission and a Zoning Board of Adjustment are supported by the Planning Division. City of West University Place | The city states plainly that Bellaire is a zoned community. Its FAQ gives R-1 (single-family detached homes only) and UV-D (mixed commercial, office, civic and entertainment) as example districts. City of Bellaire Development Services FAQ |
| Building permits | The city requires a permit before anyone builds, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves, removes, converts or demolishes a building or structure, and it specifically names fences and storage buildings. Permit types include building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, stormwater and floodplain development. The permit desk is 713-662-5833. City of West University Place | The city requires a permit before work begins. Its FAQ says even painting needs a floodplain development permit. Applications and inspection requests go through the SmartGov portal. City of Bellaire Development Services FAQ |
| Tree removal | West U requires a removal permit for trees 12 inches or more in diameter citywide, and for 10 inches or more in front yards, corner side yards, rights-of-way and pre-development or construction sites. The contractor gets the permit from Development Services. City of West University Place | Removing or damaging a protected tree needs a permit. Protected trees include any significant tree (12 inches or more in diameter) anywhere in the city. They also include large trees (6 inches or more, excluding low-value trees) in front yards, corner street-side yards or rights-of-way, and all large trees on a site with an active development or pre-development permit. City of Bellaire Development Services FAQ |
| Building in the floodplain | All development in the floodplain, including new construction, filling, grading and paving, needs a permit under Chapter 18 of the city code. The city requires new and substantially improved buildings (50% of market value) to be built at least two feet above the base flood elevation, including equipment such as air conditioning units. City of West University Place | All development needs city permits. Bellaire's higher standard requires construction at or above the Design Flood Elevation. Improvements over a 365-day period that reach 50% of the structure's market value trigger new-construction requirements. City of Bellaire |
| Effective FEMA flood map | June 18, 2007 The city says the current effective FIRMs for West University Place are dated June 18, 2007, and they can be viewed at the Building Department at 3826 Amherst. The city suggests checking older maps on FEMA's site for homes built before that date. City of West University Place | The city's City Maps page posts a Bellaire FIRM (Flood Insurance Rate Map) along with the zoning, street and benchmark maps. City of Bellaire |
| Drainage projects | Package One (University Blvd, Buffalo Speedway to Kirby Dr) is shown as Completed. Package Two (Wakeforest, Rice and Duke) is shown as In Progress; construction began May 13, 2024, with a 24-month duration listed. City of West University Place | Bellaire voters approved 2024 Bond Proposition A ($40 million for drainage) on November 5, 2024. On June 23, 2025 the state announced $54 million toward the $110 million Cypress Ditch program. The city page gives no construction schedule. City of Bellaire |
| Swimming pool | Colonial Park Pool at 4130 Byron has a zero-depth area, slide, diving board, rock wall and play features. A pool membership is required to swim; 2026 season passes are sold to residents, and non-residents can enter only as one-time guests with a resident. City of West University Place | The Family Aquatic Center is at 7001 Fifth St. The city also runs Evergreen Pool and the Elaine Wood Therapy Pool at 4500 Evergreen St. Pricing is on the city's aquatics membership page. City of Bellaire |
Every cell links to its official source, checked Oct. 21, 2026. Rules change; confirm with the city before you rely on them.
Shared by both
Both cities are in Houston ISD and are also taxed by Harris County, the Harris County Flood Control District, the Port of Houston Authority, the Harris County Hospital District and the Harris County Department of Education. The rates for those units are in the West U field guide. School assignments can change; confirm the assigned schools for an exact address with Houston ISD.
HAR market facts (2025)
| HAR figure | West University Place | Bellaire |
|---|---|---|
| Median Market Value | $2,108,596 | $1,029,086 |
| Median Price / Sqft. | $555.05 | $317.75 |
| Single Family Properties | 1,254 | 600 |
| Median Sqft. | 4,142 | 3,502 |
| Median Lot SqFt. | 7,500 | 7,500 |
| Median Year Built | 1990 | 1995 |
Values exactly as HAR.com shows them for 2025, checked Oct. 21, 2026. HAR’s “Bellaire” neighborhood (ZIP 77401) covers about 600 single-family homes, which is part of the city, not all of it. Neighborhood figures are not a value for any one home: request a property-specific pricing review.
Still deciding between them?
Tell us your budget, timeline and what matters most. Michael or a member of his team will contact you to talk through taxes, rules, flood research for specific streets and what each city offers for your budget.
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