Houston-Area Floodplain Regulations to Expand from 100-Year to 500-Year Levels

Harris County is proposing new floodplain regulations that would use 500-year floodplains instead of 100-year floodplains for new development, according to an article by Mihir Zaveri.

According to Zaveri, the new floodplain regulations would be "the first significant overhaul of county elevation requirements in nearly two decades." Not only would the new regulations stretch the geographic areas under the purview of floodplain regulations, the new regulations would also "force developers to build new homes eight feet higher than previously required in some flood-prone areas."