San Antonio, Texas residential lease guide: CPS Energy, SAWS, JP courts

San Antonio is the largest city in Texas where a tenant has no electricity provider to choose: CPS Energy is owned by the City of San Antonio and serves the whole city for both electricity and natural gas, and SAWS is likewise a city-owned water utility. That single fact removes a paragraph most Texas leases need and adds a different one. The other San Antonio specifics are procedural — evictions filed by precinct in one of four Bexar County justice-of-the-peace precincts — and regulatory: an owner who lives outside Bexar County must register a house or duplex, and pay $500 a year, once the property collects two code violations in twelve months. Each point below carries the page it was read on in September 2026.

Utilities: two city-owned providers, no retail choice

CPS Energy describes itself as “the nation’s largest public power, natural gas, and electric company,” serving more than 996,000 electricity and 399,000 gas customers, and dates its municipal ownership to October 24, 1942 (CPS Energy — Who we are). Under Utilities Code §40.051 a municipally owned utility decides for itself whether to open its area to retail competition, and San Antonio has not; §39.102 excludes such customers from the statewide choice that began in 2002. The lease therefore says something simpler than a Houston or Dallas lease: the tenant opens an account with CPS Energy for electricity and gas, in the tenant’s name, from the start date. There is no provider to name because there is only one.

Water and sewer follow the same pattern. “SAWS is a public utility owned by the City of San Antonio,” created in May 1992 by consolidating three predecessor agencies, governed by a board made up of the mayor and six council appointees (About SAWS). SAWS also publishes the watering rules tied to the Edwards Aquifer level on its home page; a lease that makes the tenant responsible for the yard should mention that watering restrictions are set by SAWS and can change by stage. For a master-metered building where water is allocated among units, Water Code §13.5031 requires the rental agreement to describe the allocation method and state the average unit bill.

Where an eviction is filed in Bexar County

Bexar County organises its justice courts by precinct, each with numbered places — Precinct 1, Place 1 sits at 3505 Pleasanton Road, Precinct 3, Place 1 on Interpark Boulevard, Precinct 4, Place 1 in Converse (Bexar County — Justice of the Peace Courts). The county’s guidance is direct: “To file an eviction, a demand for possession must be made in writing, then you file a Forcible Entry and Detainer (FE&D) suit at the appropriate Justice of the Peace Precinct where the property is located.” That matches Property Code §24.0041, in force since January 1, 2026, and the same chapter’s new rule that a tenant who was not previously late must receive a notice to pay rent or vacate rather than a bare notice to vacate. Precinct 1, Place 1 publishes its eviction petition form and e-filing requirements, in effect since August 1, 2024 (JP Precinct 1, Place 1).

The absentee-owner rule: name a local manager before you need one

Chapter 6, Article III of the city code, in force since January 1, 2014, applies to one- and two-family dwellings inside the city owned by an “absentee property owner” — an owner who resides outside Bexar County. The article is “activated by the issuance of two (2) or more code violations within a 12-month period.” From that point the owner must register the property, pay an annual fee of $500 (§6-39, as amended by Ordinance 2025-09-18-0629) due by January 31 each year, and designate a local manager who resides in Bexar County (§6-40); registration continues for two years after the latest violation. An owner without violations may register voluntarily but is not required to. Practical consequence for the lease: name the local manager and their address in the notices clause from day one, and put the repair-reporting route through that manager, so the first code notice does not find you unprepared.

Two more clauses San Antonio makes worth writing

Short stays. A short-term rental — under 30 consecutive days — requires a city permit under Chapter 16, Article XXII: $300 for an owner-occupied Type 1, $450 for a non-occupied Type 2, valid three years, with density limits for Type 2. A subletting clause that prohibits platform listings unless the owner holds the permit avoids a tenant creating an unpermitted use. See the San Antonio registration guide.
Floodplain. The city requires a floodplain development permit for any development in a special flood hazard area and applies a “50% rule” to improvements over ten years (Floodplain Development Permit). The state disclosure under §92.0135 is unchanged; see the San Antonio flood and heat plan.

WHAT TO WRITE IN A SAN ANTONIO LEASE
Clause	What changes for a San Antonio address	Source
Electricity and gas	Tenant opens a CPS Energy account; no provider choice exists	CPS Energy · Utilities Code §40.051
Water and sewer	Tenant opens a SAWS account; watering stages set by SAWS; allocation method described if master-metered	SAWS · Water Code §13.5031
Notices and venue	JP precinct for the address; pay-or-vacate notice for a first late payment	Bexar County JP · Property Code ch. 24
Manager and notices	Local manager residing in Bexar County named if the owner lives outside the county	Chapter 6, Article III
Subletting	No listings under 30 days without the city STR permit	Chapter 16, Article XXII

What changes in San Antonio

No electricity or gas provider to choose: CPS Energy, city-owned since 1942, serves every address.
Water and sewer are SAWS, city-owned since 1992; watering stages follow the Edwards Aquifer level.
An owner living outside Bexar County must register a house or duplex ($500 a year) and name a local manager after two code violations in 12 months.
Evictions are filed in one of four Bexar County JP precincts, by the location of the property.
Short-term rentals need a three-year city permit ($300 or $450) with density limits for non-occupied units.

Frequently asked questions

Can my tenant choose their electricity provider in San Antonio?

No. CPS Energy is a municipally owned utility and Utilities Code §40.051 leaves the decision to open to competition to the city, which has not done so. The tenant opens a CPS Energy account for electricity and natural gas.

Where is an eviction filed in San Antonio?

At the Bexar County justice court of the precinct where the property is located, after a written demand for possession (Bexar County — Justice of the Peace Courts). Bexar County has four precincts with numbered places; the property address, not the landlord’s address, decides the precinct.

I live outside Bexar County — do I have to register my San Antonio rental?

Only once the property receives two or more code violations within a 12-month period; then Chapter 6, Article III requires registration, a $500 annual fee and a local manager residing in Bexar County, for at least two years after the last violation. Voluntary registration is available at any time.

Does San Antonio limit how much water a tenant can use on the yard?

SAWS sets watering hours and stage restrictions based on the Edwards Aquifer level and publishes them on its home page (SAWS). A lease that assigns lawn care to the tenant should say the tenant follows the current SAWS stage.

Sources

Rules change and the right answer can depend on the home, the city, the lease and the timing. These are the official pages this guide relies on; check them before signing, charging a fee, sending a notice or making a legal decision.

General information for U.S. landlords, with a Texas focus. This guide is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Consult a qualified professional for your situation. Written by the rentalfreelease.com Editorial Team; last reviewed September 19, 2026.