Travis County, TX Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- property in special flood hazard area
- Data required
- FEMA 1%/0.2% or Atlas 14 elevations
- Certification
- Texas-licensed professional engineer
- Reviewer
- County Floodplain Administrator
- Approval gate
- Commissioners Court withholds final plat
- Penalty
- Class C misdemeanor, up to $500/day
Summary
Any plat application in unincorporated Travis County must include a drainage plan showing FEMA or Atlas 14 flood elevation data whenever the property sits in a special flood hazard area. A Texas-licensed professional engineer must certify the data, and the Floodplain Administrator reviews it before the Commissioners Court will approve the final plat.
When a person files an application for approval of a plat, the approval of the plat is subject to the approval of a drainage plan for the property that is the subject of the plat application if the property is located in whole or in part in a special flood hazard area within the County. The drainage plan shall include the flood elevation data (specifically, for both the FEMA 1 percent annual chance flood and the FEMA 0.2 percent annual chance flood or for the 1 percent annual chance flood based on Atlas 14 data) for the property certified as true and correct on the face of the drainage plan by a registered professional engineer licensed in the State of Texas. If alternative flood elevations exist for the property because of the administration of supplemental data as provided in this chapter, the drainage plan shall include those flood elevations. If an official floodplain map is not available, the owner of property to be developed shall calculate, using Atlas 14 data, the boundaries of the 1 percent annual chance floodplain and the 0.2 percent annual chance floodplain in accordance with the City of Austin Drainage Criteria Manual and submit the calculation to the Floodplain Administrator for approval.
Full Breakdown
Travis County Code Sec. 051 ties plat approval directly to flood elevation documentation. When a developer files for a preliminary plan, final plat, subdivision construction plan or site plan on land that lies wholly or partly in a special flood hazard area, the application cannot advance until a drainage plan is approved. 2 percent annual chance flood, or the 1 percent annual chance flood calculated from the newer Atlas 14 rainfall data; for property in the Colorado River Corridor floodplain, only the 1 percent annual chance flood applies.
A registered professional engineer licensed in Texas must certify the elevation figures as true and correct on the face of the drainage plan. If no official floodplain map exists, the owner must calculate the floodplain boundaries using Atlas 14 data under the City of Austin Drainage Criteria Manual and submit that calculation to the Floodplain Administrator. Preliminary plans and construction plans must depict the floodplain boundaries and every drainage easement; final plats must additionally note the FIRM community and panel number for any floodplain portion outside a drainage easement, warn that flood insurance may be required, and describe any pending map revision.
The Floodplain Administrator reviews the plan for whether the development is reasonably safe from flooding under Subchapter D, then must approve it in writing before the Commissioners Court can approve the final plat. If the project requires flood-storage mitigation under Sec. 062, the plat and deed must record the mitigation location and volume, an obligation that runs with the land in perpetuity.
Violations & Fines
Travis County will not approve a final plat until the Floodplain Administrator signs off on the drainage plan, so an incomplete or uncertified elevation submission simply stalls the subdivision. If a plat records without the required data, Sec. 464.241 lets the County Attorney sue to enjoin the violation, recover civil penalties, or recover the County's cost of remedying it, and Sec. 464.242 makes any violation of Chapter 464 a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, with each day counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every plat in Travis County need flood elevation data?
Who has to certify the flood elevation numbers?
What happens if the plat is missing the required data?
Does the county rely on FEMA maps or something newer?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Travis County
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Travis County to another location·View the Texas hurricane preparedness overview
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