El Campo adopts flood-damage rules into Unified Development Code
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Summary
The El Campo City Council adopted Ordinance 2026-01 to move flood-damage-prevention regulations into the Unified Development Code, maintaining a one-foot-above-base-flood-elevation standard and adding new prohibitions for critical facilities and special flood-hazard areas to satisfy state grant requirements.
The El Campo City Council voted to adopt Ordinance 2026-01, moving the city’s flood-damage-prevention regulations from Chapter 3 of the building code into Article 10.19 of the Unified Development Code.
City staff told the council the change is intended to satisfy a state grant condition requiring adoption of zoning-related development standards and to consolidate development rules in the UDC. A staff presenter said some minor edits are shown in green in the council packet and that the text will be copied into a forthcoming full UDC revision later in the year.
Council members pressed for details about how the ordinance applies in flood-prone areas. According to staff, residential permits remain allowed in flood zones but buildings must be constructed at least 1 foot above base flood elevation (BFE). The presenter said the ordinance also adds prohibitions for construction within areas of special flood hazard and floodways and clarifies that critical facilities such as hospitals, EMS and police stations would be required to meet higher elevation standards only if rebuilt.
The presenter described ongoing mapping work and said a recent project along the Highway 59 frontage removed portions of that corridor from the floodplain. He said future project phases will prompt a FEMA Letter of Map Revision to re-evaluate flood levels and potentially remove additional areas from the floodplain.
A council member asked whether an adjacent road crown higher than the BFE could require buildings to be set higher; staff confirmed that, when the crown of the road exceeds the BFE, the ordinance requires the building elevation to be one foot above the road crown to address water displacement.
Following the discussion, a council member moved to approve Ordinance 2026-01 “as stated.” Another member seconded; the presiding officer called for a voice vote and announced the motion passed. The ordinance will take effect according to the effective date established in the ordinance text.
The council’s action was framed as both an administrative consolidation and a grant-driven compliance step; staff said the change does not increase the standard freeboard beyond the established one-foot requirement but does add regulatory clarity for special flood-hazard areas and for critical facilities.
