State auditor briefs Grimes County on NFIP audit, permit rules and penalties for noncompliance

Belle Gonzales, a flood outreach specialist with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) state coordinating office at the Texas Water Development Board, told the Grimes County Commissioners Court in a May 2025 special meeting that the agency has begun an audit of the county’s floodplain management program and reviewed minimum federal and state requirements for participation in the NFIP.

Gonzales said participation in the NFIP is voluntary but carries consequences for noncompliance, including denial of federally backed flood insurance, ineligibility for certain federal grants or loans and limits on federal disaster assistance for structures in identified Special Flood Hazard Areas. She said the state’s review looks at permit records, inspections and enforcement dating back five years and that a finding of noncompliance can lead to probation or suspension from the program.

The presentation matters because federal regulations and state law set minimum local standards for regulating development in flood-prone areas, and noncompliance can affect homeowners’ access to insurance and federal aid. "Texas Water Code chapter 16.314 is what grants cities and counties the ability to... enforce ordinances or court orders that help them participate in [the NFIP]," Gonzales told the court, and she cited 44 CFR…