Baytown, TX Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Sec. 110-32 adopts by reference FEMA's flood insurance rate maps from "The Flood Insurance Study for Harris County, Texas," effective January 6, 2017, and "The Flood Insurance Study for Chambers County, Texas," dated May 4, 2015, since Baytown straddles both counties; the original maps on file with the floodplain administrator control any dispute. Sec. 110-68 requires a floodplain development permit for all proposed development, redevelopment, or substantial improvement within those special or moderate flood hazard areas, though a building or engineering permit that includes floodplain review can double as the required permit.

The city engineer serves as floodplain administrator (Sec. 110-66) and reviews every application to confirm a proposed site will be reasonably safe from flooding, coordinates with federal, state, and local agencies on required approvals, and interprets disputed flood zone boundaries. Where FEMA hasn't designated a regulatory floodway, the administrator must bar new construction or fill in zones A1-30 and AE unless it's shown the project, combined with other development, won't raise the base flood elevation more than one foot anywhere in the community. Sec. 110-69 spells out the permit application: a scaled site plan showing floodplain, floodway, and coastal A-zone boundaries, required buffers, drainage and utility easements, and the elevation of the lowest floor and of mechanical equipment.