Environmental Rules in Laredo, TX (2026)
4 verified environmental rules for Laredo, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Laredo bans discharging any pollutant into its MS4 storm sewer system or water bodies and separately charges every benefited property a monthly stormwater utility fee. The city engineer's office enforces both, backed by misdemeanor fines up to $2,000 per violation per day and stop-work orders on noncompliant construction sites.
Laredo Stormwater Discharge and Drainage Rules
Some RestrictionsLaredo Code of Ordinances Sec. 33-303
(a)No person shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the MS4 or water bodies any discharge that causes or contributes to causing the city to violate a water quality standard, the city's NPDES permit, or any state-issued discharge permit for discharges from its MS4 or water bodies.(b)No person shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the MS4 or water bodies any harmful quantity of s...
Erosion Control
Laredo requires grading permits for excavations over 50 cubic yards or 3 feet depth. Drainage plans must show no adverse impact on neighbors. Positive drainage required away from foundations: minimum 6 inches in first 10 feet.
Environmental: Grading Drainage
Light RestrictionsTex. Local Government Code Sec. 232.003 (Subdivision Plat Requirements — Drainage, Roads, Lots)
Sec. 232.003. SUBDIVISION REQUIREMENTS. By an order adopted and entered in the minutes of the commissioners court, and after a notice is published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, the commissioners court may:(1) require a right-of-way on a street or road that functions as a main artery in a subdivision, of a width of not less than 50 feet or more than 100 feet;(2) requir...
Flood Zones
Laredo regulates floodplain development through a standalone set of Regulations for Floodplain Management adopted by reference under Sec. 7-6, rather than printing the flood standards themselves in the general code. Violating those adopted regulations is a class C misdemeanor, with each day of noncompliance counted as a separate offense.
Laredo Floodplain Management Regulations and Penalties
Some RestrictionsLaredo Code of Ordinances Sec. 7-6
(a)Adopted by reference. The regulations attached and appended hereto, entitled "Regulations for Floodplain Management, City of Laredo, Webb County, Texas," are made a part of this section and are adopted as the regulations of the city.(b)Penalty for violation. Any violation of this section is a class C misdemeanor. Each day a violation occurs is a separate offense. The city council may file su...
Flood Elevation Requirements
New and substantially improved buildings in Laredo's mapped flood hazard areas must sit higher than the federal minimum. Section 24-69.7 of the Land Development Code requires the lowest floor of residential construction to be elevated eighteen inches or more above the base flood elevation, a freeboard cushion beyond what FEMA itself requires.
Laredo Requires 18 Inches of Freeboard Above BFE
Some RestrictionsLaredo Land Development Code § 24-69.7.B.(1)
(1)Residential Construction - new construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure shall have the lowest floor (including basement), together with attendant utilities (for example junction boxes, breaker boxes, electrical outlets, switches, plugs, HVAC systems, ale ductwork, hot water heaters or any non-structural system which when inundated with water would make the struct...