Laredo requires grading permits for excavations over 50 cubic yards or 3 feet depth. Drainage plans must show no adverse impact on neighbors. Positive drainage required away from foundations — minimum 6 inches in first 10 feet.
Laredo Engineering Department issues grading permits under Chapter 31 and the Land Development Code. Grading over 50 cubic yards of cut or fill, or any excavation over 3 feet deep, requires an engineered grading plan stamped by a Texas licensed professional engineer. Plans must show existing and proposed contours, drainage patterns, retaining wall locations, and erosion controls. The engineer must certify no adverse impact on upstream or downstream neighbors — diverting runoff onto adjacent property is a civil tort and code violation. New residential construction requires positive drainage: grade falls minimum 6 inches in the first 10 feet from foundations (IRC R401.3). Lots with slopes over 15 percent require geotechnical review. Retaining walls over 4 feet tall (measured from bottom of footing to top of wall) require engineered plans and building permits.
Unpermitted grading: stop work, 500-2,500 dollars. Runoff onto neighbor: civil liability plus abatement order. Wall over 4 feet unpermitted: tear-down risk.
Laredo, TX
Laredo allows residential fire pits under 3 feet diameter, 25 feet from structures and supervised. Gas and propane pits are exempt from Webb County burn bans.
Laredo, TX
Laredo requires property owners to clear brush, tall weeds, and combustible vegetation over 12 inches to reduce wildfire risk in the South Texas brushland al...
Laredo, TX
Laredo lies in the South Texas brushland wildfire corridor. Texas A&M Forest Service maps moderate to high risk for Rio Grande floodplain and mesquite brush....
Laredo, TX
Laredo follows the International Fire Code and Texas law requiring smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on each level. Landlords must m...
Laredo, TX
Laredo Utilities enforces year-round water conservation and a four-stage drought plan. Landscape irrigation is limited to designated days and evening hours. ...
Laredo, TX
Laredo has no general residential tree preservation ordinance. Owners may remove trees on private land without a permit, though commercial developments must ...
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