Casita Incentives Pilot Program

Application Open

A young boy sitting in a wheelchair in the kitchen of his casita. Casitas increase affordable housing options and create inclusive living spaces.

The Casita Incentive Pilot Program aims to help you in constructing and financing your casita. This program offers property owners a no-interest, forgivable loan to build or rehab a casita.

NOTE: To be eligible for incentives to construct or rehab a casita, the property must be owner-occupied. Casitas used for short-term rentals (less than 30 days) do not qualify.

The incentive helps make casitas more affordable for income-eligible property owners or property owners that will have income-eligible renters in their casita. These are forgivable loans and reimbursement will be provided upon completion of your casita. Learn more about Area Median Income (AMI) and our incentive tiers below:

Level I – Up to $25,000 in construction incentives with a 5-year forgivable loan for:

  • Renters earning 50% AMI or less OR
  • Property owners earning 80% AMI or less

Level II – Up to $35,000 in construction incentives with a 10-year forgivable loan for:

  • Renters earning 30% AMI or less OR
  • Property owners earning 50% AMI or less

Additional incentives that approved Casita Incentive Pilot applicants are eligible for include:

Casita Permit-Ready Plan Design Fees
Property owners earning 80% AMI or less are eligible for up to $4,500 for design fee reimbursement when using permit-ready plans.
Fee Waivers
Property owners are eligible for City Fee and SAWS (if available) waivers. The SAWS impact fee waiver is not necessary for most casita projects and eligibility for this fee waiver is pending availability of funding.

Application

NOTE: The Casita Incentives Application will not allow you to save your progress. This is a fail-safe to protect your sensitive information.

Please have the following documents and information available before starting your application.

Required Documents & Information

Income Documentation
  • Have available the prior year's tax documents or 2 months of bank statements for the 2-month period preceding the date of this application for each household member over the age of 18.
  • If the household member does not have income, please have them write and sign a statement confirming that they do not have income.
Proof of Financing

Documentation may be a loan statement, loan guarantee, or a bank statement showing available funds to finance request. The loan amount or the bank statement must prove that available funds are greater than the project cost.

Identification
  • Photo of your (homeowner) Texas Driver's License (must be a Texas Driver's License).
  • Photo of the Texas Driver's License for all members over the age of 18.
Home Owner's Association (HOA) – Only required for properties with an HOA

Obtain a letter from your HOA confirming that a Casita may be built on your property.

Casita Photos

If you are rehabbing your current Casita, please have photos of the Casita available.

Determine your household's AMI or your renter's household's AMI
  1. Determine the household size.
  2. Determine the total income for all members of the household over the age of 18.
  3. Go to Area Median Income Estimator.
  4. Write down your AMI.
Property ID (Ex: R-4, Single-Family Residential District)
  1. Go to Bexar County's Website.
  2. Click on View Details.
  3. Your Property ID will be listed under the Property Tab.
  4. Write this number down.
Zoning
  1. Go to the City of San Antonio One Stop Map.
  2. Enter your address in the quick search bar at the top right and an "Identify Results" tab will appear.
  3. Scroll down to "Zoning."
  4. Write down your zoning (Example: R2).
Proof of Citizenship

Copy of Social Security Card or Residential Permit.

Apply

Contact

Contact Form

Related Links

Area Median Income (AMI)

Back to top