Per state law, annexations can only be executed in three ways. These are the options cities have when annexing land within their extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ. An ETJ is a region measured from any city limit line to a mile out or more based on the population of the adjacent city. A city can only annex land within its ETJ.

Voluntary: A landowner approaches the city asking to be annexed and to gain access to city services, including water, wastewater and emergency services. Round Rock Development Director Brad Wiseman said this typically occurs when new developments are being built. After the city accepts the voluntary annexation, it can zone the land a certain way to develop the land uses and exercise control. The city is not constrained by any rules in extending utilities and does not have any required timeline to do so.

Involuntary: The city initiates the annexation of a piece of land that is not seeking it. Wiseman said cities do this to gain land-use control over the land, and the land must be contiguous to city limits. The city might seek such an annexation if officials are worried about what kind of development will go onto the property without city zoning. Once the city annexes, it is required to provide services to the property within two and a half years.

Annexation development agreements: When land qualifies for ad valorem tax purposes as agricultural, wildlife management or timber management use, a city cannot annex it involuntarily. It can offer a development agreement to the owner that ensures should development occur on the property, the land will be annexed into the city. If the land continues to be used for agricultural, wildlife or timber purposes, the city cannot annex it. However, if the landowner refuses to sign the agreement, the city can then annex the property involuntarily.

Local approaches

Annexation looks incredibly different from city to city, which is why this graphic reflects different elements of the annexation process.

In Pflugerville, the city does not currently have plans to annex land, but has used the process in the past to grow city limits and population. Round Rock and Hutto do not have the same historic data that Pflugerville does, which is why only maps from the current year are presented here.

Hutto does not have an annexation plan, which is why growth corridors are shown. These areas reflect what city officials believe to be potential sites for future annexation.

Round Rock has used annexation in the past, but is currently primarily using it in the northeast corner of the city near SH 130 and University Boulevard, which is the focus of this map. The city is in talks with multiple landowners to annex the entire corridor, but each negotiation is unique. That is why so many different kinds of agreements are represented on Round Rock’s map.

Only Round Rock is exercising involuntary annexation. This type of annexation is currently the subject of special session legislative action.