Abilene, TX Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

5 of the Abilene Land Development Code makes a Floodway Development Permit mandatory before any building construction or earth change on property located within a designated floodway. The permit is issued per site: a separate application covers each noncontiguous parcel, and no permit can be transferred to a new owner without the Floodplain Administrator's written consent. Four categories of activity are exempt under subsection (b): bona fide agricultural and farming operations that meet the zoning code, customary grounds maintenance and home gardening that does not affect stormwater drainage, emergency repairs of a temporary nature necessary to preserve life, health or property, and excavation for public streets, utilities or service lines.

To apply, an owner files a written application with the Floodplain Administrator, accompanied by a permit fee set by City Council fee resolution and on file with the City Secretary. 6. Once a complete application is on file, the Floodplain Administrator has 20 working days to approve or deny it, and can request an engineering conference if the submission is technically deficient. Approval conditions bar any earth change that creates a public hazard, obstructs a watercourse, or increases runoff above natural-condition levels, and in the regulatory floodway a permit cannot issue until the applicant proves no rise in flood levels community-wide.