The Woodlands Covenants and Design Review: What Needs Township Approval Before You Buy, Build or Repaint

What are The Woodlands covenants, and who enforces them?

They are recorded deed restrictions, and the Township uses the two terms interchangeably. The developer created them in the 1970s, and three associations administered them: The Woodlands Community Association, The Woodlands Association and The Woodlands Commercial Owners Association. On January 1, 2010 The Woodlands Township became their successor, and its covenant administration department now reviews applications, issues permits and handles violations.

Which set applies depends on the village. The Township lists The Woodlands Community Association's covenants for Panther Creek, Grogan's Mill, Cochran's Crossing and Indian Springs east of Falconwing Drive, and The Woodlands Association's for Alden Bridge, College Park, Creekside Park, Sterling Ridge and Indian Springs west of Falconwing Drive. On top of either, each neighborhood has criteria of its own, with more specific rules that vary from one neighborhood to the next.

Which changes to a Woodlands home need approval?

Most changes to the outside, and some inside. The Residential Development Standards require prior written approval for the placement, construction, alteration or repair of any structure or improvement on a lot with a house, and they name additions, exterior color changes, fences, certain decks, patio structures, pools and spas, storage buildings, satellite antennas and lighting among them. Every roof replacement and every repainting of the house needs approval, as does replacing more than eight linear feet of fence.

Trees are covered too: no living tree more than six inches in diameter, measured two feet above the ground, may be removed without prior written approval. Some things need no application at all, such as interior work that changes no walls, structure, wiring or plumbing, low-voltage devices and certain items the standards list as pre-approved when they meet the rules.

How long does Township approval take?

Up to 45 days. A complete application is to be acted on by the design review committee, or its staff, within 45 days of receipt, and one that has not been acted on in that time is automatically disapproved. Staff can approve items that clearly meet the standards; anything else goes to a committee meeting.

A decision can be appealed by the owner or by an affected neighbor, in writing, to the Development Standards Committee within 10 days of the notice, and that committee's decisions are final. It can also grant a variance where strict compliance would create an undue hardship, though it will not hear an appeal or a variance request while a violation on the property is on notice. The Township's page on permits also asks owners to mark the outline of a proposed improvement on the lot, and to flag any tree they want removed, before staff visit.

What happens to a covenant violation when a Woodlands house is sold?

It stays with the house. The standards say a buyer may receive notice that a previous owner made an unapproved change and that current owners are responsible for existing violations, regardless of who made them. They also warn owners not to copy a neighbor, because the neighbor's improvement may have been approved under an older standard or never approved at all.

The covenants also carry a lien. The Township's letter on it says the covenant lien is superior to mortgages recorded after it, that lenders have long received a letter promising 90 days' notice before it is enforced, and that since the Township stopped levying assessments the remaining risk is tied to covenant enforcement. Before an offer, ask the seller what was built or changed and whether the Township approved it, and look up the address in the Township's permit records.

Is there still a covenant assessment in The Woodlands?

No community-wide one. When the Township became the covenants' successor in 2010, it levied a property tax in lieu of the associations' assessments and said it did not intend to levy an assessment under the covenants. The Township's tax, $0.1714 per $100 of value for 2025, is on the property tax bill. Some sections still have associations of their own, and the developer's tax sheet lists fees for East Shore, Windsor Hills and Town Center.

Can you rent out a Woodlands home short term?

Only with Township approval. The covenants require an application and registration for a short-term rental, which the standards define as a single-family home rented for less than 30 consecutive days for more than $15 a stay. The application needs a sketch or description of parking, proof of insurance listing the Township as a certificate holder, and a designated responsible party who lives in the area and can respond in person at any hour, and the Township may require a compliance deposit or fee.

The host, the owner, every resident and the responsible party sign a maintenance and use agreement, guests may not hold events that create a nuisance, and parking is limited to the garage and driveway. Any section association or other government with authority over the property has to approve the rental as well.

What is different in Grogan's Forest?

Three Grogan's Forest neighborhoods, Cantwell Forest, Avalon Oaks and Dulcimer Woods, are under the dual authority of the Township and the City of Shenandoah. An improvement both regulate goes in as a joint application to Shenandoah, which forwards it to the Township. Some changes are split: exterior paint is approved by The Woodlands and siding by Shenandoah, so replacing the siding and painting it needs both.

What can this page not tell you about one lot?

Its neighborhood criteria, which vary from street to street, and whether everything on it was approved. Those answers are in the recorded criteria for its neighborhood and the Township's permit history for the address, which its online permitting portal lets residents search.