El Paso County, TX Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

3(e)(1)(F) sets the county's freeboard standard: if any part of a lot on a final subdivision plat falls in FEMA's 'A' zone floodplain, the building elevation for that site, one foot above the 100-year flood level, must be worked out by an engineer, shown on the plat, and carry that engineer's professional certification. 3. Under subsection (d)(2)(G), the boundaries of the Flood Zone Area for the 100-year flood must be shown on the final plat for every waterway, established by a Texas-licensed professional engineer or registered surveyor whose seal appears on the plat, though a subdivider who contains the Flood Hazard Area entirely within a drainage easement can skip drawing the boundary if the engineer certifies it stays inside that easement.

Under subsection (d)(2)(H), when finished floor elevations for buildings on flood-hazard lots are noted on the plat, minimum development permit fees apply to buildings on those lots, elevation verification is still required regardless, and the floor elevations must be determined by the engineer or surveyor to comply with the county's separate Flood Plain Regulations and this document's drainage requirements. Subdivisions that contain or border a flood hazard area also need permanent benchmarks under subsection (d)(2)(I), spaced no more than 2,500 feet apart, so elevations can be checked on the ground after construction.

None of this substitutes for a building permit process, since El Paso County does not issue building permits in the unincorporated area; compliance is verified at the plat stage, before lots can be sold or built on.