Baytown, TX Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)

Sec. 110-106 governs the areas within Baytown's special flood hazard zones that FEMA designates coastal high hazard, zones V1-30, VE, and V, where tidal surges and hurricane wave wash create the most destructive flood forces. New construction there must sit landward of the reach of mean high tide and be elevated on pilings or columns so the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member sits at least 24 inches above base flood level or the 500-year floodplain elevation, whichever is higher, with the pile or column foundation anchored against flotation, collapse, and lateral movement from combined wind and water loads.

A registered Texas professional engineer must develop or review the structural design. The space below the elevated lowest floor must stay free of obstruction or use only non-supporting open lattice or insect screening built to collapse under storm loads without damaging the structure above; breakaway walls are explicitly prohibited in these zones. Fill can never be used for structural support of a building here, and manmade alteration of sand dunes or mangrove stands that would increase flood damage potential is also prohibited outright. Manufactured homes in these zones must meet the same 110-102(4) manufactured home standards, and recreational vehicles must either stay fewer than 180 consecutive days, remain highway-ready, or be elevated on a permanent, anchored foundation to base flood elevation. Elevation certificates sealed by a Texas engineer or surveyor are required before, during, and after construction, same as elsewhere in the floodplain chapter.