Plano, TX Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Plano's Flood Damage Prevention ordinance, Code of Ordinances Chapter 16, Article VIII, applies to all areas of special flood hazard within city jurisdiction under Sec. 16-164. Because Plano sits in both Collin and Denton counties, Sec. 16-165 adopts two separate FEMA studies as the legal basis for the flood maps: the Flood Insurance Study for Collin County, Texas and Incorporated Areas with FIRMs dated November 21, 2024, and the Flood Insurance Study for Denton County, Texas and Incorporated Areas with FIRMs dated April 18, 2011, plus any later revisions.

Sec. 16-166 requires a floodplain development permit before any structure or land is located, altered, or has its use changed within these zones, and Sec. 16-167 makes full compliance with the article mandatory. The floodplain administrator, a position established under Sec. 16-171, carries the duties listed in Sec. 16-172: reviewing every application to confirm a project is reasonably safe from flooding, approving or denying development permits, interpreting disputed floodplain boundaries, notifying the Texas Water Development Board and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality before any watercourse alteration or relocation, and, when a regulatory floodway has not been designated, barring new construction, fill, or substantial improvements in zones A1-30 and AE unless the applicant proves the project will not raise the base flood water surface elevation.

Sec. 16-175's general standards require that all new construction and substantial improvements be anchored against flotation and lateral movement, built with flood-resistant materials and methods, and designed so water supply and sewage systems cannot be infiltrated by floodwater. Variance requests go to the City Council under Sec. 16-174, which may grant relief only on a showing of good cause, hardship, and no increased flood risk to others.