El Paso County, TX Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Subdivision Regulations Sec. 2.8(o)
- Gutter flow limit
- 600 feet before requiring an inlet
- Storm sewer required
- Lots under 10,000 sq ft with central sewage
- Min drainage easement width
- 15 feet outside road right-of-way
- Flood-fill elevation
- 12 inches above maximum probable flood
- Design authority
- County Engineer, County Design Standards
- Enforcement
- Plat withheld; County Attorney damages suit, Sec. 4.4
Summary
El Paso County requires every new subdivision in the unincorporated area to handle its own storm and flood water under Section 2.8(o) of the county's Subdivision Regulations. The County Engineer sets inlet spacing, storm sewer sizing, and easement widths, and the Commissioners Court can withhold plat approval until a subdivision's runoff won't overload downstream drainage.
(o) Drainage and Storm Sewers. (1) No subdivision shall be approved which does not make adequate provision for storm or flood water runoff channels or basins. The storm water drainage system shall be separate and independent of any sanitary sewer system. Storm sewers, where required, shall be designated by such methods as are approved by the County Engineer. Inlets shall be provided so that surface water is not carried across or around any intersection, nor for a distance of more than six hundred feet (600') in the gutter. ... (3) Dedication of Drainage Easements. Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainageway, channel, or stream, there shall be provided a stormwater easement or drainage right-of-way conforming substantially to the lines of such watercourse, and of such width and construction as will be adequate for the purpose. ... (A) Where topography or other conditions are such as to make impractical the inclusion of drainage facilities within road rights-of-way, perpetual unobstructed easements at least fifteen feet (15') in width for such drainage facilities shall be provided across property outside the road lines and with satisfactory access to a road.
Full Breakdown
8(o)(1) bars approval of any subdivision that does not make adequate provision for storm or flood water runoff channels or basins, and requires the storm drainage system to be separate from any sanitary sewer system; inlets must keep surface water from crossing an intersection or running more than 600 feet in the gutter before a basin intercepts it. 8(o)(2)(A), the subdivider carries away spring or surface water by pipe or open ditch, located in the road right-of-way where feasible or in perpetual unobstructed easements, built to the County Design Standards.
8(o)(2)(B)); subdivisions with lots under 10,000 square feet served by central sewage and an approved public water system must build storm sewers throughout, even without a nearby outlet. 8(o)(2)(C)). 8(o)(2)(D)). 8(o)(2)(E)). 8(o)(3) requires a stormwater easement or drainage right-of-way, and subsection (A) sets a 15-foot minimum width for perpetual unobstructed drainage easements outside the road right-of-way, running from the road to a natural watercourse.
Violations & Fines
The Commissioners Court enforces the drainage standards mainly by withholding plat approval until a developer fixes an inadequate drainage plan, and Section 4.2 backs that with the enforcement powers in Water Code Chapter 7 and Local Government Code Sections 232.037 and 232.080. If a subdivider skips required drainage work after a plat records, Section 4.4 lets the County Attorney sue in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover damages enough for the county to build or finish the drainage improvements itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides how big a culvert or drainage easement must be?
Can the county reject a subdivision because of downstream flooding?
How wide must a drainage easement be outside the road right-of-way?
Can a flood-prone lot still be subdivided?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Paso County
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