Amarillo, TX Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Freeboard
- 1 foot above BFE
- Governing section
- Amarillo Code § 4-8-8(d)(1)
- Enforcer
- City Engineer / Floodplain Admin
- Certification
- Engineer, architect, or surveyor
- Shallow AO/AH zones
- BFE or 2 feet minimum
Summary
New and substantially improved residential structures in Amarillo's FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas must have the lowest floor, including any basement, elevated to at least one foot above the Base Flood Elevation, certified by a registered engineer, architect, or land surveyor.
Residential Construction—New construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure shall have the lowest floor (including basement) elevated to or at least one (1) foot above the Base Flood Elevation. A registered professional engineer, architect, or land surveyor shall submit a certification to the Floodplain Administrator that these standards are satisfied.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
Amarillo Code § 4-8-8(d)(1) requires the lowest floor, including basement, of any new or substantially improved residential structure in a Special Flood Hazard Area to sit at least one foot above the Base Flood Elevation: a one-foot freeboard. A registered professional engineer, architect, or land surveyor must certify compliance to the Floodplain Administrator, who is the City Engineer. No building permit issues until the City Engineer grants a floodplain development permit. In shallow-flooding AO and AH zones, the floor must clear the FIRM depth number, or two feet where no number is specified.
Violations & Fines
Building without a floodplain development permit, or with a lowest floor below one foot over the Base Flood Elevation, blocks final inspection and the building permit; the City Engineer withholds approval until certified compliance is provided.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high must my home's floor be in an Amarillo flood zone?
Do I need a permit to build in Amarillo's floodplain?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Amarillo
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Amarillo to another location·View the Texas environmental rules overview
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