Microsoft Word - Infrastructure Regulations FINAL.docx

REGULATIONSOFHARRISCOUNTY,TEXAS

FORTHEAPPROVALANDACCEPTANCE

OFINFRASTRUCTURE

AS

ADOPTED:DECEMBER18,2018

EFFECTIVE:JANUARY1,2019

AMENDEDJULY9,2019

EFFECTIVEJULY9,2019



HARRISCOUNTY

ENGINEERINGDEPARTMENT 

JOHNR.BLOUNT,P.E.

COUNTYENGINEER



LOYDSMITH,P.E.

ASSISTANTCOUNTYENGINEER





PREFACE



ThisRegulationisbeingrevisedandapprovedbasedontheknowledgethat

the effective Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) do not accurately define

floodrisksbecausetheyarebasedonrainfallinformationthathassincebeen

updated.



The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Atlas 14

precipitation frequency analysis

 indicates that the updated 100‐year

frequency rainfall approximates the current 500‐year frequency rainfall.

Therefore,thisRegulationhasbeenadjustedtoreflectthatfact.



Upon issuance of the new FIRMs using updated rainfall data as part of the

MAAPnextprojectundertakenbytheHarrisCountyFloodControlDistrictand



FEMA, and concurrent with their adoption, this Regulation may require

adjustmentstomoreaccuratelyregulatefloodrisks.



TABLEOFCONTENTS



 PAGE



SECTION1‐ PRELIMINARYPROVISIONS..............................1



Section1.01‐ Authority.........................................................1



Section1.02‐ AreaCoveredbyRegulations............................1



Section1.03‐ Purpose............................................................1



SECTION2‐ USEOFTERMS.................................................2



Section2.01‐ AccreditedLaboratory......................................2



Section2.02‐ BaseFlood........................................................2



Section2.03‐ BaseFloodElevation........................................2



Section2.04– BuildableArea..................................................2



Section2.05‐ CoastalAreas....................................................3



Section2.06‐ Conduit............................................................3



Section2.07‐ CountyEngineer...............................................4



Section2.08‐ CurbandGutterSections..................................4



Section2.09‐ DesignStormEvent..........................................4



Section2.10‐ DrainageAreaMap...........................................4



Section2.11‐ Elevation..........................................................4



Section2.12‐ ExtremeEvent..................................................5



Section2.13‐ FEMA..............................................................5



Section2.14‐ GeotechnicalEngineer......................................5



Section2.14a.‐ FloodplainEasement........................................5



Section2.15‐ HCFCD.............................................................6



Section2.16‐ HydraulicGradeLine........................................6



Section2.17‐ In‐FillDevelopment..........................................6



Section2.18‐ LatentDefects..................................................5



Section2.19‐ Lot...................................................................6 



Section2.20‐ MeanSeaLevel.................................................6



Section2.21‐ Person…...........................................................6



Section2.22‐ RainfallFrequency..........................................7



Section2.23‐ Redevelopment.................................................7



Section2.24‐ ResidentialLot.................................................7



Section2.25‐ RoadsideDitchSections....................................8



Section2.26‐ SheetFlow........................................................8



Section2.27‐ Subdivision......................................................8



Section2.28‐ SubstantialModification..................................8



Section2.29‐ UnincorporatedArea........................................9



SECTION3‐ GENERALPROVISIONS...................................10



Section3.01‐ AdministrationbytheCountyEngineer..........10



Section3.02‐ ResponsibilityofOtherOfficials....................10



SECTION4‐ ADMINISTRATIVEPROCEDURES

FORTHEREVIEWOFPLATS............................11



Section4.01‐ ApprovalRequired...........................................11



Section4.02‐ Enforcement....................................................11



Section4.03‐ PlatCriteria....................................................11



Section4.04‐ Exceptions.......................................................12



Section4.05‐ ReviewProcedures.........................................14



Section4.06‐ RecordationRequirements...............................15



Section4.07‐ FloodplainEasementsonPlats.......................19



Section4.08‐ CertificatesRequiredonPlatsofProperty

LocatedintheUnincorporatedAreaof................ 

HarrisCounty.................................................20



Section4.09‐ AlternativePlanningCriteria..........................22



SECTION5‐ ADMINISTRATIVEPROCEDURESFORTHE

REVIEWOFCONSTRUCTIONPLANS................24



Section5.01‐ SubmittalProcedures.....................................24



Section5.02‐ ConstructionPlans‐General..........................24



Section5.03‐ PlanLayoutRequirements..............................25



Section5.04‐ StandardDetailSheets...................................26



Section5.05‐ StandardNoteRequirements..........................26



Section5.06‐ SupplementalRequirements...........................27



SECTION6‐ DRAINAGEREQUIREMENTS...........................29



Section6.01‐ DrainagePolicy..............................................29



Section6.02‐ DesignRequirements......................................30



Section6.03‐ StormWaterDetention...................................46



Section6.04‐ OwnershipandEasements..............................52



Section6.05‐ SubmergedStormSewers...............................54



Section6.06‐ LowImpactDevelopment

andGreenInfrastructure................................57



SECTION7‐ PAVING.........................................................58



Section7.01‐ PavingDesignRequirements..........................58



Section7.02‐ DesignRequirements......................................58



Section7.03‐ MaterialsRequirements.................................65



Section7.04‐ SpecificationRequirements............................67



Section7.05‐ GeometricRequirements................................69



SECTION8‐ STRUCTURESANDBENCHMARKS...................76



SECTION9‐ TESTINGREQUIREMENTS..............................78



Section9.01‐ General..........................................................78



Section9.02‐ BeddingandBackfill.......................................78



Section9.03‐ SubgradeTesting............................................79



Section9.04‐ FlexibleBase..................................................80

Section9.05‐ SurfaceCourse...............................................80



Section9.06‐ ConcretePavement.........................................80



Section9.07‐ ConcreteCores...............................................81



Section9.08‐ Structures......................................................81



SECTION10‐ INSPECTIONS.................................................82



Section10.01‐ ConstructionInspections................................82



Section10.02‐ NoticeofStart................................................82



SECTION11‐ ACCEPTANCEOFIMPROVEMENTS..................83

WITHINSUBDIVISIONS



Section11.01‐ AcceptanceProcedures...................................83



Section11.02‐ InspectionandRe‐InspectionFees..................86



SECTION12‐ TRAFFIC.........................................................87



Section12.01‐ TrafficDefinitions..........................................87



Section12.02‐ LeftTurnLanes..............................................87



Section12.03‐ RoadsideSigns...............................................88



SECTION13‐ LANDSCAPE....................................................88



Section13.01‐ LandscapePolicy............................................88



Section13.02‐ UseofTerms..................................................89



Section13.03‐ ConstructionActivity......................................89



Section13.04‐ ProhibitedActivity.........................................89



Section13.05‐ TreescapeandScreeningRequirementsfor

CommercialEstablishmentsand

PublicBuildings.............................................90



Section13.06‐ TreePlantingRequirementsfor

SingleFamilyResidentialLots........................92



Section13.07‐ PreservationofExistingTrees........................93



SECTION14– VARIANCES....................................................93



SECTION15– VESTEDRIGHTS.............................................94



SECTION16– VESTEDRIGHTSDETERMINATION.................96



SECTION17– VESTEDRIGHTSAPPEALS..............................97



SECTION18– VESTEDRIGHTSHEARINGS

BEFORETHEEXAMINER................................97



SECTION19– FILINGOFEXAMINER'SDECISION

ONVESTEDRIGHTS APPEALS..........................98



SECTION20– REVIEWOFVESTED

RIGHTS

APPEALBYCOMMISSIONERSCOURT..............98



SECTION21–SEVERABILITY....................................................98



APPENDICES



CertificatesRequiredonPlatsofProperty

LocatedintheUnincorporatedAreaofHarrisCounty.........................A



NotaryFormats ........................................................................B



GraphicRequirements........................................................................C



ConstructionNotestobeOnAllProjects............................................D



ConstructionNotesInvolving

UtilitiesandPavingWorkLocatedWithina

PublicRight‐of‐Way .......................................................................E



ConstructionNotesforEsplanade

OpeningsandTurnLanes...................................................................F



ConstructionNotesforAllProjectsLocated

inthe1%(100‐Year)Floodplainand

.2%(500‐Year)Floodplain.................................................................G



IntensityDurationCurves.................................................................H



JointDetailFor:KnuckleConfiguration..............................................I



BenchmarkRequirements...................................................................J



UniformStandardsforPublicStreetNaming......................................K



REGULATIONSOFHARRISCOUNTY,TEXAS

FORTHEAPPROVALANDACCEPTANCEOFINFRASTRUCTURE



 SECTION1‐PRELIMINARYPROVISIONS



SECTION1.01‐AUTHORITY



TheseRegulationsareadoptedbytheCommissioners'CourtofHarrisCounty,

Texas, acting in its  capacity as the governing body of Harris County and the

HarrisCountyFloodControlDistrict.TheauthorityofHarrisCountytoadopt

these Regulations and for the contents hereof is derived from the following

statutes: Chapter 232 of the Texas Local Government Code,  Texas Local

GovernmentCodeSection240.901,asamended;Texas TransportationCode

Section 251.001 – 251.05 and Section 254.001 – 254.019, as amended;  the

Harris County Road Law, as amended, (Special Laws of the 33

 Texas

Legislature, Regular Session, 1913, Chapter 17, as amended), and the Flood

ControlandInsuranceAct,asamended.TheseRegulationsmaybeamended

atanytimebyamajo rityofCommissioners'Court.



SECTION1.02‐AREACOVEREDBYREGULATIO NS



TheseRegulations applyinallunincorporated areasofHarris County ,Texas,

andthoseareaswher e HarrisCountymaintainstherights‐of‐way.



SECTION1.03‐PURPOSE



The purpose of these Regulations is to ensure that the construction of

infrastructure within the County’s rights‐of‐way perform their intended

functionwithlimitedmaintenanceandrepair.



SECTION2‐USEOFTERMS



SECTION2.01‐ACCRED IT ED LABORATORY



An“AccreditedLaboratory”isalaboratory thatisaccredited bytheAmerican

Association for Laboratory Accreditatio n  (A2LA) or American Association  of

State Highway and Transportation Officials (AAS HTO) in the field of

constructionmaterialstesting.



SECTION2.01.a.–ADMINISTRATIVELY COMPLETE



“Administratively Complete” means

 a completed  permit application that is

submittedtotheCountyEngineeralongwithallrequiredfeesandincludesall

the required documents or Plans listed on the Administratively Complete

Checklist provided on Harris County Engineering – Permits website. An

AdministrativelyCompletepermitapplicationisread yfortech nical review.



SECTION2.02‐

BASEFLOOD



A“BaseFlood”isthenationalstandardonwhichthefloodplainmanagement

andinsurancerequirementsoftheNationalFloodInsuranceProgram(NFIP)

are based. Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) are depicted on Federal

EmergencyManagementAgency(FEMA)FloodInsuranceRateMaps(FIRMs)

andareareassubjecttoinundationbythebasefloodhavingaone‐percentor

greaterprobabilityofbeingequaledorexceededduringanygivenyear(this

isalsoknownasa1%or100‐yearfloodevent).



SECTION2.03‐BASEFLOODELEVATION



“Base Flood Elevation” (BFE) means the calculated elevation or level above

meansealevelthatfloodwatersmayreachduringthebaseflood.



Section2.04‐BUILDABLEAREA



“BuildableArea”meansthatportionofaresidentiallotshownonafinal

platuponwhichasingle‐familydwellingunitoramulti‐familyresidential

structuremaybelawfullyconstructed,locatedorplaced,includingasite

builthome,modularhome,manufacturedhome,duplex,townhouse,ora

multi‐unitresidentialbuilding,inaccordancewithapplicablebuilding

restrictionlines,covenants,platnotations,andsetbacks,ifany.



*BuildableAreaGraphic



SECTION2.05‐COASTALAREAS



“Coastal Areas” means areas which border on bays or estuaries or other

waterways subject to tidal action which are subject to possible flooding or

increasedfloodlevelsbecauseoftidalaction,hurricanesurgeorrisingwater

duetostorms,hurricanesortsunamis.A“coastalarea”is

notnecessarilyina

“V”Zone.Incaseswherethereisaquestionasto whether anareaisacoastal

area,theHarrisCountyEngineeringDepartment shallreferto theFEMAFlood

InsuranceStudy.



SECTION2.06‐CONDUIT



A“Conduit”isanyopenorcloseddeviceforconveyingflowingwater.



SECTION2.07‐COUNTYENGINEER



“County Engineer” means the holder of the statutory position of the County

EngineerforHarrisCountyortheemployeedesignatedbytheCountyEngineer

toperformataskrequired bytheseRegulations.



SECTION2.08‐CURBANDGUTTERSECTIONS



A“CurbandGutterSection”isafullwidthconcretepavementwithcurb,either

doweledonsix‐inch(6”)curbsordoweledfour‐inch(4”)bytwelve‐inc h (12”)

curbormonolithiccurbandguttersectionsforasphaltconcretepavement.



SECTION2.09‐DESIGNSTORMEVENT



“Design Storm Event” means the rainfall intensity upon which the drainage

facilitywillbesized.Referencestorainfallconditionsinthesespecifications

shallapplyto“TechnicalPaperNo.40,U.S.WeatherBureau”,publishedbythe

U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture,SoilConservation Service.



SECTION2.10‐DRAINAGEAREAMAP



“DrainageAreaMap”meanstheareamapofawatershed,whichissubdivided

toshowtheareaservedbyeach subsystem.



SECTION2.11‐ELEVATION



“Elevation”meansheightabovemeansealevel.TheNorthAmericanVertical

Datum (NAVD) of 1988 (2001 Adjusted ) shall be used.Any future studies

changingtheFloodInsura nc eRateMap(FIRM),whichisreferencedtoalater

re‐levelingoftheverticalcontrolsystemshallbeusedwheneverarevisedFIRM

becomeseffective.



SECTION2.12‐EXTREMEEVENT



“ExtremeEvent”meansarainfallevent,whichexceedstheDesignStormEvent

up‐to and including the 100‐year frequency resulting in surcharge of the

underg round stormsewersystemandoverlandsheetflow.



SECTION2.13‐FEMA



“FEMA”meanstheFederalEmergencyManagementAgency.



SECTION2.14.a.–FLOODPLAIN

EASEMENT



“FloodplainEasement”meansthearea ofaresidentiallotshownonafinal

platthatis withinthe10 0‐yearfloodplainasdeterminedbythecurrentFlood

Insu ra nc eRateMap(FIRM).TheFloodplainEasementwillprovideno t ic e that

theresidentiallotissubjecttospecia l developmentandpermitting

requirements

bylocal governmentsimplementingfloodhazardarea

regulationsaspartofafloodmanagementprogramdevelopedincompliance

withtheNationalFlood Insuranc eProgramorTexasWater CodeSection

16.315.TheFloodplainEasementencu mbersthatportionofa“residentiallot”

thatmaybeusedforresidentialpurposeswhichmaybefloodproneorina

floodhazard areabasedonthecurrentFIRM.Improvementsconstructedor

placedinaFloodplainEasement,includingsing le ‐familyandmulti‐family

dwellingunits,maybesubjectto additionalfloodplainmanagement

regulations.”



SECTION2.14‐GEOTECHNICALENGINEER



A“GeotechnicalEngineer”isalicensedengineer withintheStateofTexa swho

worksforacompanyregisteredintheStateofTexasthathasbeenaccredit ed 

by the American Association for Labo rato ry  Accreditation (A2LA) in

geotec h n ical testing.



SECTION2.15‐HCFCD



“HCFCD”meanstheHarrisCountyFloodCont ro lDistrict.



SECTION2.16‐HYDRAULICGRADELINE



“HydraulicGradeLine”meansthelinerepresentingthepressureheadavailable

atanygivenpo intwithinthedrainagesystem.



SECTION2.17‐IN‐FILLDEVELOPMENT



“In‐fillDevelopment” means the development of opentracts ofland in areas

where the storm  drainage infrastructure is alread y in place and takes

advantageoftheexist in g infrastructureasadrainageoutlet.



SECTION2.18–LATENTDEFECTS



“Latent Defects” means a defect or condition of construction which does not

complywiththeconstructiondocumentsordesignsintentwhichisgenerallya

hidden or concealed defect which cannot be discovered by reasonable or

customary inspection, examination or observation at either the time of

constructionorsubstantialcompletion,butwh ic hmanifestsovertime.



SECTION2.19–LOT



ForthepurposeoftheseregulationsthetermLotmeansanyplattedlot,parcel,

orreserve.



SECTION2.20‐MEANSEALEVEL



“Mean Sea Level” means the average height of the surface of the sea for all

statesofthetideaswasestablishedbytheUnitedStatesCoastalandGeodetic

Surveyin1929.



SECTION2.21‐PERSON



“Perso n” includes any individual or group of individuals, corporation,

partnership, association, or any other organized group of persons, including

StateandLocalgovernmentsandagenciesthereof.



SECTION2.22‐RAINFALLFREQUENCY



“Rainfall Frequency” means the probability of a rainfall event of defined

characteristicsoccurringinanygivenyear.Inform at ion onrainfallfrequency

is published by the National Weather Servic e.For the purpose of storm

drainagedesign,thefollowing frequenciesareapplicable:



1. 2‐year frequency – a rainfall intensity having  a 50% probability of

occurrenceinanygivenyear,ornominallylikelytooccuronceeverytwo

years.



2. 3‐year frequency – a rainfa ll intensity having  a 33% probability of

occurrence in any given year, or nominally likely to occur once every

threeyears.



3. 5‐year frequency – a rainfall intensity having a 20% probability of

occurrenceinanygivenyear,ornominallylikelytooccuronceeveryfive

years.



4. 10‐year frequency – a rainfall intensity having a 10% probability of

occurrenceinanygivenyear,ornom inallylikelytooccu ronceeveryten

years.



5. 25‐year frequency – a rainfa ll intensity having a 4% probability of

occurrence in any given year, or nominally likely to occur once every

twenty‐fiveyears.



6. 100‐year frequency – a rainfall intensity having a 1% probability of

occurrenceinanygivenyear,ornominally

likelytooccuronceev eryone

hundredyears.

7. 500‐year frequency – a rainfall intensity havi ng a 0.2% probability of

occurrenceinanygivenyear,ornominallylikelytooccuronceeveryfive

hundredyears.



SECTION2.23‐REDEVELOPMENT



“Redevelopment”meansachangeinlandusethatalterstheimperviouscover

fromonetypeofdevelopmenttoeitherthe

sametypeoranothertypeandtakes

advantageoftheexist in g infrastructurein placeasadrainageoutlet.



Section2.24‐RESIDENTIALLOT



“Residentiallot”meansalot,parcelorreservewithinasubdivisiononwhich

a single‐fa mily dwelling unit or a multi‐family residential structure may be

lawfully constructed, located or placed, including a site built home, modular

home, manufa ctured  home, townhouse, duplex or a multi‐unit residential

building.



SECTION2.25‐ROADSID EDITCHSECTIONS



“Roadside Ditch Sections” are ditch sections adjacent to either full width

reinforced concretepavementorasphalticconcretepavement.



SECTION2.26‐SHEETFLOW



“SheetFlow”meanstheoverlandstormrunoffthatisnotconveyedinadefined

condu it and is typically in exces s  of the capacity of the conduit or roadside

ditch.



SECTION2.27‐SUBDIVISION



“Subdivision”meansadivisionofanytractoflandintotwo(2)ormoreparts

forthepurposeoflayingoutanysubdivisionoranytractoflandoranyaddition

to the city, or for laying out suburban lots or buildings lots, or any lots, and

streets,alleysorpartsofotherportionsintendedforpublicuseortheuseof

the purchasers or owners of lots fronting thereon or adjacent thereto.A

subdiv isionincludesre‐subdivision(replat),butitdoesnotincludethedivision

oflandinparcelsor

tractsoften(10)acresormoreandnotinvolvinganynew

streets,alleysoreasements ofaccess.Thisdefinitionisbasedoncurrentstate

statutesandshouldthestatutesbechangeditsnewdefinitionwouldgovern.



SECTION2.28–SUBSTANTIALMODIFIC ATION



Substantialmodificationshallmeanchangestotheapprovedplans,

plat,and/or

drainage report or change of use that  will increase imperv ious cover, or the

volume and/orpeak discharge of the stormwater runoff from portio ns of, or

thewholeoftheprojectoranyotherchangethatwouldaffectthevolumeor

peakdischargeofstormwater runoffthatwouldcauseadverseimpactstooff‐

siteproperties.

SECTION2.29‐UNINCORPORATEDAREA



“Unincorporated Area”meansthe area in HarrisCounty, Texas,which isnot

within an incorporated area of a city, town, and village or within the

“jurisdictionofthePortofHoustonAuthorityofHarrisCounty,Texas,”being

thatareawithin2,500feetof thethreadoftheHoustonShipChannelthatis

eligible for limited purpose annexation pursuant to Texas Local Governme nt

Code§43.1 36 .

SECTION3‐GENERALPROVISIONS



SECTION3.01‐ADMINISTRATIONBYTHECOUNTYENGINEER



TheCountyEngineerisresponsiblefortheadministrationoftheseRegulations,

approval of plans required by these Regulations, and enforc em en t  of these

Regulations and maintain ing  proper records.The County Engineer may

delegate particular authority given to the County Engineer under these

RegulationstoanothermemberoftheHarrisCountyEngineeringDepartment

andanactionbysuchdelegatedpersonundersuchgrantedauthorityshallbe

deem ed anactionoftheCount yEngineer.



SECTION3.02‐RESPONSIBILITYOFOTHEROFFICIALS



Under these regulations the Harris County Engineering Department is

responsible for all administrative decisions, determinations and duties.The

HarrisCountyEngineeringDepartmentmayseekandsecuretheassistanceof

otherofficialsofHarrisCountyandoftheHarris CountyFloodControl District

in making its decisions, determinations and in performing duties but is not

requiredtoconformtotherecommendationsofothers.

SECTION4‐ADMINISTRATIVEPROCEDURES

FORTH EREVIEWOFPLATS



SECTION4.01‐APPROVALREQUIRED



AlldevelopmentwithintheunincorporatedareasofHarrisCountyisprohib it ed

withoutfirstsecuringapprovedplansorplat,ifrequired,and adevelopment

permit issued under the Regulations of Harris County, Texas, for Floodplain

Management.



SECTION4.02‐ENFORCEMENT



Itshallbeunlawfulforanypersontolayout,subdivideorplatanylandinto

lots,blocks,tractsorstreetswithintheunincorporatedareaofHarrisCounty

ifthelandhasnotbeenlaidout,subdividedandplattedinaccordancewith

theserulesandregulations.



SECTION4.03‐PLATCRITERIA



Fortractsoflandlocatedwithintheextraterritorialjurisdiction(ETJ)ofan

incorporated city or town and subject to the jurisdiction of the Planning

Commission or other governing body of that city or town, general

subdivision and layout requirements as established by the applicable

Commissionorothergoverningbodyshallapply.Inthecircumstancewhere

anyrule,regulation,procedureorpolicylawfullyorofficiallyadoptedbythe

governing body of any city or town exercising jurisdiction within its

extraterritorialjurisdictionislessrestrictivethanthatcontainedherein,the

standards adopted by these  rules and regulations and applicable State law

shallapply.





For all other tracts not located within a municipality’s extraterritorial

jurisdictionor forwhich themunicipality hasissueda writtencertification

statingthat aplat is notrequiredtobe filedfor thatsubdivision  of land in

accordance with Chapter 212 of the Texas Local Government Code, the

followingrules

anddesignrequirementsshallapply:



1. Lotsshallbe of sufficient acreage to meetminimumrequirementsfor

on‐site sewage service per TCEQ Chapter 285.4 Facility Planning

regulations,unlessservedbypublicwaterand/orsewage.



2. Publicroadrights‐of‐wayshallbeaminimumfiftyfeet(50’)inwidth

andinconformance withtheGeometricDesignGuidelinesas adopted

byHarrisCountyCommissioners’Court.



3. Abuildingsetbacklineofnotlessthantwenty‐fivefeet(25’)fromthe

roadright‐of‐wayshallbeimposedontractsintendedforconstruction

ofasingle‐familystructure orstructures. However, twenty‐foot(20’)

building setback lines will be permitted for single‐family residential

lotsoncul‐de‐sacsandknuckles.Aten‐foot(10’)buildingsetbackline

will be permitted on side lots of single‐family residential lots. A

buildingsetbacklineofnolessthantenfeet(10’)shallbeimposedon

allothertracts.Thesesetbacksmaybemodifiedifsuch modifications

complywithCountyPlanningCriteria.



4. Construction of road and appurtenant drainage facilities shall be in

conformance with specifications as set out in these rules and

regulations.



5. Surveyorshalldelineatethelimitsofthe100‐yearfloodplainonafinal

plat and designate a Floodplain Easement on that portion of all

residential lots where the buildable area is within the 100‐year

floodplain.



6. Financial Surety: A cash deposit, bond, or letter of credit made in

accordance with the Texas Local Government Code 232.004 or

232.0045andtheseregulations.



Foralltractsnotlocatedwithinamunicipality’sextraterritorialjurisdiction,

thoroughfarealignmentandright-of-way(ROW)widthplanningshallfollow

the requirements specified in the Thoroughfare Amendment Study for

Unincorporated and

 Non-ETJ Areas of Harris County, Texas as adopted by

HarrisCountyCommissioners’Courtandanysubsequentrevisionsthereto.



SECTION4.04‐EXCEPTIONS



Exceptions to platting requirements are established in Section 232.0015 of

theTexasLocalGovernmentCode.Abriefdescriptionfollows:



1. A countymay notrequire theownerof

atract oflandlocated outside

thelimitsofamunicipalitywhodividesthetractintotwoormoreparts

tohaveaplatofthesubdivisionpreparediftheownerdoesnotlayout

apartofthetractasstreets,alleys,squares,parks,orotherpartsofthe

tract to be dedicated to public use or for use of lots fronting on or

adjacenttothe streets,alleys,squares,orotherparts,andthelandis

to be used primarily for agricultural use or farm, ranch, wildlife

management,ortimberproduction.



2. A  countymaynotrequire theownerof a tractoflandlocated outside

the limitsof amunicipality whodivides the tract of landinto fouror

fewer partsand doesnot lay out a partof the tractas streets,alleys,

squares,parks,orotherpartsofthetracttobededicatedtopublicuse

orforuseoflotsfrontingonoradjacenttothestreets,alleys,squares,

orotherpartstohaveaplatofthesubdivisionpreparedifeachofthe

lotsistobesold,given,orotherwisetransferredtoanindividual who

is related to the owner within the third degree

 by consanguinity or

affinityperChapter573,GovernmentCode.Ifthetractistransferred

toanotherwhoisnotrelatedwithinthethirddegreebyconsanguinity

or affinity, then the platting requirements of these regulation shall

apply.



3. A countymaynot require theownerof a tractof land

locatedoutside

thelimitsofamunicipalitywhodividesthetractintotwoormoreparts

to have a plat of the  subdivision prepared if all the lots of the

subdivisionaremorethan10acresinareaandtheownerdoesnotlay

outapartofthetractasstreets,alleys,squares,parks,orotherparts

ofthetracttobededicatedtopublicuse orforuseoflotsfrontingon

oradjacenttothestreets,alleys,squares,orotherparts.



4. Acountymaynotrequiretheownerofatractoflandlocatedoutsidea

municipalitytohaveaplatofthesubdivisionpreparedifallthelotsare

soldtoveteransthroughtheVeterans’LandBoardprogram.



5. A county may not require the owner of a tract land to have a plat

prepared if the owner is the state or any state agency, board, or

commissionorownedbythepermanentschoolfundsofthestateunless

the subdivisionlays out apart of thetract as streets, alleys,squares,

parks,orotherpartsofthetracttobededicatedtopublicuseorforuse

oflots frontingon oradjacentto thestreets,alleys,squares,or other

parts.



6. A countymay notrequirethe ownerof atractof land locatedoutside

thelimitsofamunicipalitywhodividesthetractintotwoormoreparts

tohaveaplatofthesubdivisionpreparediftheownerofthelandisa

politicalsubdivisionofthestate,thelandissituatedinthefloodplain,

andthelotsaresoldtoadjoininglandowners.



7. Acountymaynotrequiretheownerofatractoflandoutsidethelimits

ofamunicipalitywhodividesthetractintotwopartstohaveaplatof

thesubdivisionpreparediftheownerdoesnotlayoutapartasstreets,

alleys, squares, parks, or other

parts of the tract to be dedicated to

publicuseorforuseoflotsfrontingonoradjacenttothestreets,alleys,

squares,orotherpartsandonepartistoberetainedbytheowner,and

the other new part is to be transferred to another person who will



furthersubdividethetractsubjecttotheplatapprovalrequirements.



8. A countymay notrequire  theownerof atract oflandlocatedoutside

thelimitsofamunicipalitywhodividesthetractintotwoormoreparts

tohaveaplatofthesubdivisionpreparediftheowner

doesnotlayout

apartofthetractasstreets,alleys,squares,parks,orotherpartsofthe

tract to be dedicated to public use or for use of lots fronting on or

adjacenttothestreets,alleys,squares,orotherpartsandallpartsare

transferredtopersonswho

ownedanundividedinterestintheoriginal

tractandaplatisfiledbeforeanyfurtherdevelopmentofanypartof

thetract.



SECTION4.05‐REVIEWPROCEDURES



MunicipalitiesinHarrisCountyexercisingtheirextraterritorialjurisdiction

(“ETJ”)intheunincorporatedareaofHarrisCountyhavedevelopedspecific

and unique proceduresin processingplats.The procedures outlined below

shallbefollowedforsubmittingaplatapplicationandplattoamunicipality

andHarrisCountyforreviewandcomment.Proceduresforsubmittingaplat

applicationandplatforpropertylocatedintheunincorporatedareaofHarris

Countyarealsoincludedbelow.Forallplats

withinamunicipality’sETJ,use

the dedicatory language as promulgatedby that municipality. Forplats not

located in a municipality’s ETJ, required dedicatory language and all plat

certificate requirements are set forth in Section 4.07 and in Appendix “A”

respectively.

Plats Within A Municipality’s ETJ.For  plats of property located in the

unincorporated area of Harris County and the ETJ of a municipality, the

ownerofthetractbeingplattedshallsubmitcopiesoftheplat,alongwitha

platapplication,tothemunicipalityexercisingETJforreviewandcomments,

atwhichtimethemunicipality maybeginitsreviewoftheplat.Itshallbe

theresponsibilityofthe ownerof thetract beingplatted toensurethat the

HarrisCountyEngineeringDepartmentandtheHarrisCountyFloodControl

Districtalsoreceivecopiesoftheplat.

Plats NotLocated ina Municipality’sExtraterritorial Jurisdiction.For plats

ofpropertylocatedexclusivelyintheunincorporatedareaofHarrisCounty

andnotintheextraterritorialjurisdictionofanymunicipality,theownerof

the tract being platted shall simultaneously submit copies of the plat

applicationandtheplattotheHarrisCountyEngineeringDepartmentandthe

Harris County Flood Control District, at which time they will begin their

reviewoftheplat.

All Plats. Upon Harris County Engineering Department’s receipt of the

original mylar  of the plat fully executed by the owners and, as applicable,

approvedbytheappropriatePlanningCommissionorgoverningbody,along

withtherequireddocumentationdescribedin“RecordationRequirements”in

Section 4.06 below, Harris County Engineering Department  will begin its

reviewoftheplat.

If the plat does not meet all  the requirements of Section 4 of these

Regulations, the Harris County Engineering Department will provide its

commentstotheownerofthetractbeingplattedinaccordance withSection

232.0025 of the Texas Local Government Code.If the plat meets all the

requirementsset forthin Section4of theseRegulations,the HarrisCounty

Engineer will sign it.The plat will then be placed on the next available

Commissioners’Courtagendaforapproval.

Once approved by HarrisCounty Commissioners Court (“Court”), the Court

willsendtheplattotheofficeoftheHarrisCountyClerkforrecordation.The

HarrisCountyClerkshallcalculatetherequiredrecordingfeesandnotifythe

applicantorapplicant’sdesigneeofsame.Uponreceiptofsuchfees,theplat

willbefiledandrecordedintheOfficialPublicRecordsofRealPropertyand

MapRecordsofHarrisCounty,Texas.



SECTION4.06‐RECORDATIONREQUIREMENTS



The following documentation is required to be submitted along with the

original mylar of the plat that is to be reviewed by the Harris County

EngineeringDepartment, submittedto HarrisCounty Commissioners’Court

for approval, and filed with the Harris

County Clerk.Harris County will

acceptforrecordationonlythoseplatsprintedonthefrontsideofthemylar

orotherreproduciblematerial.



1. Atitlereport,oropinion,titlepolicyorcertificateorletterfromatitle

company authorized to do business in the State of Texas must be

providedindicatingownershipoftheproperty,allliensagainstsame,

and any existing easements. The title report shall not have been

executedmore thansixty (60) days priorto the time the final plat is

received by the Harris County Engineering Department and may

requireupdatingattherequestofHarrisCountypersonnel.Ownersof

propertylocatedwithintheplatmusteithersigntheplatorexecutean

Owner’s Ratification of Platdocument, as promulgated by theCounty

Engineer.Furthermore,liensagainstthepropertyshallbesubordinate

to all dedication of streets, rights‐of‐ways, easements and terms and

conditionsreferredtoontheplat.Lienholdersmusteithersigntheplat

or execute a Lienholder’s Subordination to Dedication document as

promulgated by the Harris County Engineer.See Appendix “B” for

notaryformats.



2. An original tax certificate from the tax collector of each political 

subdivision in which the property is located showing that all  taxes

owedto theCounty,School District, Utility District, and/orany other

politicalsubdivisionhavebeenpaidinfull.Iftheplatorreplatisfiled

afterSeptember1ofayear,theplatorreplatmustalsohaveattached

to it a tax receipt issued by the collector for each taxing unit with

jurisdiction of the property indicating that the taxes imposed by the

taxingunitforthecurrentyearhavebeenpaidor,ifthetaxesforthe

currentyearhave not beencalculated, a statement fromthe collector

forthetaxingunitindicatingthatthetaxestobeimposedbythattaxing

unitforthecurrentyearhavenotbeencalculated.Ifthetaxcertificate

forataxing unit

doesnotcoverthe precedingyear,theplatorreplat

must also have attached toit atax receiptissued by the collector for

thetaxingunitindicatingthatthetaxesimposedbythetaxingunitfor

theprecedingyearhavebeenpaidinfull.



This requirement does not apply

to the extent of the applicability of

exceptionsinTexasPropertyCode12.002(e)inregardtocertainreal

propertyacquiredbywillorinheritanceortocertainpropertyacquired

byeminentdomain.



3. A completed Utility Service Plan, as promulgated by the County

Engineer,shallbesubmitted.Innocaseshallaplatberecordedprior

toassurancesbeinggiventhatallapplicableStateandCountyreviews

and/orpermit(s)havebeenobtained.

4. A letter from the County Tax Assessor‐Collector certifying that the

nameofthesubdivisiontobepresentedtoCommissioners’Courtisnot

in conflict with any other previously recorded subdivision.This

requirementapplies tothe firstsection ofmulti‐sectionsubdivisions,

all re‐plats, and amending plats  and is

 not applicable to street

dedicationplatsdesignatedbyastreetname.



5. ApprovedplansaretobeonfilewiththeEngineeringDepartmentatthe

time the plat is submitted to Commissioners’ Court.However, if the

tractoflandisbeingplattedtocreatereservesforthepurposeofsale 

only and there are no immediate plans for construction of

improvementsonsaidreserves,thenanoteshallbeplacedontheface

oftheplatstating:



 “Sitedrainageplansforthefuturedevelopmentofthisreservemust

be submitted to the Harris County Flood Control District and the

HarrisCountyEngineeringDepartment.”



6. Aletter,statementorotherinstrumentfromtheownerofanyprivately

ownedeasementwithintheplatboundarieswheresucheasementisto

be crossed by streets (either public or private) or public utility or

drainageeasements,statingthattheownerofsucheasementapproves

such crossing of the private easement for the purposes intended and

depicted on the  plat, if such approval is not granted in the original

documentconveyingtheeasement.



7. AplatreviewfeeasestablishedbyCommissioners’Courtisrequired

tobesubmitted.

 



8. For plats of lots  and/or reserves requiring

 plan review and not

dedicating any public rights‐of‐way, a non‐refundable administrative

feeisassessedintheamountof$10.00perlot.Reservesareassessed

a non‐refundable administrative fee of $20.00 per 100 feet of plat

boundary adjoining road right‐of‐way rounded to the next highest

incrementof$20.00.Payment ofadministrativefeesshouldbemade

payabletoHarrisCountyandareduepriortotheplatbeingpromoted

to Commissioners’ Court for action.Payment of administrative fees

mustbesubmittedwiththeFinancialSurety/AdministrativeWorksheet

validatedbythePlanningSection.



9. Forplatsproposingthededicationofapublicstreet(s)andconstruction

ofpavingandappurtenantdrainage,aFinancialSuretyisrequiredprior 

toplatapprovalandshallbe:



A. MadepayabletoHarrisCounty,unlesscash;and

B. Inatotalamountbaseduponthefollowingschedule:



RESIDENTIALSUBDIVISIONS COMMERCIALANDSTREET

DEDICATIONSUBDIVISIONS

$50perlotwithaverageroad

frontagelessthan100feet.

$75per100feetofproposed

pavement.Thefeeshallbe

roundedtothenext100feet.

$75perlotwithaverageroad

frontage100feetorgreater.

*NOTE:

Theminimumfinancialsuretypostedinanycaseshallbe$2,500.00.

Includedisthenon‐refundableadministrativefeeof$10perlotfor

residentialsubdivisionsor$20per100ft.ofpavementincommercial

andstreetdedicationsubdivisions.



10. For properties being platted in the unincorporated areas of Harris

County,wherethereisnotExtraterritorialJurisdictionbeingexercised

forwaterandsewerfacilities,thefollowingrequirementsforwaterand

sewagefacilitiesapply:



 A. Thedrinkingwatersupplyshallmeettheminimumrequirements

establishedbyChapter341oftheHealthandSafetyCodeandany

other minimum requirements established by the Texas

Commission on Environmental Quality applicable to drinking

water.



 B. Any onsite sewerage disposal systems shall be constructed in

accordancewithChapter366oftheHealthandSafetyCodeand

the Revised Rules of Harris County for On‐Site Sewerage

Facilities.



C. Any sewerage facility other than a properly permitted onsite

sewage facility shall be constructed and operatedunder a valid

permit issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental

Quality.



11. Ifapropertylieswithinthe100‐yearfloodplainasshownonthemost

recent FIRM adopted by Harris County, the floodplain must be

delineated graphically on the final plat.Surveyor shall designate a

Floodplain Easement on that portion of all residential lots where the

buildable area of those residential lots is within the 100‐year

floodplain.Refer to Section 4.08 for floodplain easement dedicatory

language.



12. Additionalinformationmaybe

requiredby theEngineeringDepartment

to clarify or support any of the aforementioned recordation

requirements.



SECTION4.07–FLOODPLAINEASEMENTSONPLATS



Where the buildable area of a lot, parcel or reserve is intended for

single family or multi‐family residential unitsand isproposed tobe placed

withinthemapped100‐yearfloodplain,thefinalplatshallshowthatportion

of the 100‐year floodplain as a “Floodplain Easement” on the plat.The

FloodplainEasementshallbeillustratedon thefinalplatmapas congruent

withthelimitsofthe100‐yearfloodplainwithintheplatboundary fromthe

mostrecentFIRMandshallbeincludedasadedicationbythepropertyowner

usingthelanguagebelow.



1) SampleFloodplainEasement



”AFloodplainEasementisherebyestablishedoverthatportionofthe

effective100‐yearfloodplainareaasdelineatedfromFIRMPANELNo.

XXXX dated XXXXwithin the boundary of thisfinal plat, the limits of

whichimpactthebuildableareasofresidentiallots,whollyorpartially,

and within such area is prone to flooding.(*See attached sketch.)

Construction of any type of residential housing within a Floodplain

Easement is subject to additional flood hazard area regulations.A

Floodplain Easement may be abandoned by Harris County

Commissioners Court if the buildable area of a residential lot is

determinedtobeoutsidethe100‐yearfloodplainbysubmittingCounty

Engineer’s Form 1226, with the applicable documentation and fee, to

theOfficeoftheCountyEngineer.



2) AbandonmentofFloodplainEasement

A Floodplain Easement may be abandoned by using following

procedure:



a) CompleteHarrisCountyEngineerForm1226includingprovidingproof

thatthebuildableareaofaspecificresidentiallot(s)hasbeenremoved

from the mapped 100‐year floodplain by a letter of map revision

(LOMR)oraletterofmapamendment(LOMA).



b) Submittheapplicablefee,tobethesameasapermitforasinglefamily

residenceoutsidethefloodplain,currently$75.00.



c) Once received, reviewed and approved by the Office of the County

Engineer, a Court Order will be submitted to Commissioners Court,

abandoningtheFloodplainEasementontheresidentiallot(s).



d) Once approved by Commissioners Court the County Engineer will file

theabandonmentintheRealPropertyRecordsofHarrisCounty.



SECTION4.08‐ DEDICATORYLANGUAGEANDCERTIFICATESREQUIRED

ON PLATS OF PROPERTY LOCATED IN THE

UNINCORPORATEDAREAOFHARRISCOUNTY



1. Dedicatorylanguageontheplatsmustincludethefollowingparagraphs

andcanbefoundinAppendix“A”totheseregulations:



 A. “FURTHER, Owners do hereby dedicate to the public a strip of

landfifteen(15)feetwideoneachsideofthecenterlineofany

andallbayous,creeks,gullies,

ravines,draws,sloughs,orother

natural drainage courses located in said plat, as easements for

drainage purposes, giving the City of (name of city), Harris

County, or any other governmental agency, the right to enter

upon said easement at any  and all times for the purpose of

construction and maintenance of drainage facilities and

structures.”;



 B. “FURTHER,Ownersdoherebycovenantandagreethatallofthe

property within the boundaries of this plat andadjacent to any

drainageeasement,ditch, gully, creekornatural drainageways

shall hereby be restricted to keep such drainage ways and

easements clear of fences, buildings, planting and other

obstructions to the operations and maintenance ofthe drainage

facilityandthatsuchabuttingpropertyshallnotbepermittedto

draindirectlyintothiseasementexceptbymeansofanapproved

drainagestructure.”;and



C. “FURTHER,Ownerscertifyandcovenantthattheyhavecomplied

with or will comply with existing Harris County Road Law,

Section 31‐C as amended by Chapter 614, Acts of 1973, 63



Legislatureand all otherregulations heretoforeonfilewiththe

HarrisCountyEngineerandadoptedbytheCommissioners’Court

ofHarrisCounty.”



2. Additionalcertificationontheplatmustindicatethefloodplainstatus

of the buildable areas on “residential lots” on the plat, referring to the

applicableFloodInsuranceRateMappanelandeffectivedate.



A. BuildableAreasOutsidetheFloodplain:

“I, ___________________, a Registered Professional Licensed

SurveyorintheStateofTexas,doherebycertifythatthebuildable

areas for all residential lots are  outside [or, are proposed to be

outside,basedonengineeringplansandspecificationssubmittedto

theCountyEngineersOffice,]the100‐YearFloodplainasshownon

FederalInsuranceRateMapPanelNo.[insertpanelnumber]dated

[insert effective date of map]. This certification is based solely on

plotting boundaries from the FIRM Map, and no technical analysis

wasconducted.”



B. BuildableAreasintheFloodplain

“I, ____________________ a Registered Professional Licensed

SurveyorintheStateofTexas,doherebycertifythatthebuildable

areas for all or some of the residential lots are located within the

100‐yearfloodplainasplottedfromtheFederalInsuranceRateMap

PanelNo.[insertpanelnumber]dated[inserteffectivedate

ofmap]

andaresubjecttoflooding.The100‐yearfloodplainisafloodhazard

area prone to flooding, and subject to additional floodplain

managementregulations.”



3. Floodplaineasementdedicatorylanguagemustbeshownontheplatif

aFloodplainEasementisrequiredinaccordancewithSection4.07Floodplain

Easements.



”A Floodplain Easement is hereby established over that portion of

the effective 100‐year floodplain area as delineated from FIRM

PANELNo.XXXXdatedXXXXwithintheboundaryofthisfinalplat,

the limits of which impact the buildable areas of residential lots,

whollyorpartially,andwithinsuchareais

pronetoflooding.(*See

attached sketch.) Construction of any type of residential housing

within aFloodplain Easement issubject to additionalflood hazard

area regulations.A Floodplain Easement may be abandoned by

Harris County Commissioners Court if the buildable area of a

residential lot is determined to be outside the

100‐year floodplain

by submitting County Engineer’s Form 1226, with the applicable

documentationandfee,totheOfficeoftheCountyEngineer.



4. ApprovedCertificateLanguagemaybefoundinAppendix“A”tothese

regulations.



SECTION4.09–AlternativePlanningCrit eria



HarrisCountyAlternatePlanningCriteriaforSubdivisionsandPlattingshallbe

adhered to when more stringent than municipality whose extraterritorial

jurisdiction includes any part of unincorporated Harris County. Chapter 42‐

Section 3 of the City of Houston’s Ordina nc e  codifies this requirement;

however,theCountyPlanningCriteriaappliestoallcity’sETJareas.



ProjectsfollowingthebelowCountyPlanningCriteria,aredeemedtobemore

stringentandsaidcriteriasupersedescriteriaofanyCity’sETJrequirement.To

preventconfusion, anyplatusingtheCounty’smorestringentcriter ia ,willbe

reviewedbytheCountyfirst,andiffoundtomeettheCountyCriter ia ,aletter

willbeissuedbytheCountyEngineer

statingthatfactforusebytherespective

City.





CountyPlanning Criteria

(Thesepagesleftintentionallyblank)



SECTION5‐ADMINISTRATIVEPROCEDURESFORTHE

REVIEWOFCONSTRUCTIONPLANS



SECTION5.01‐SUBMITTALPROCEDURES



1. ApreliminarysetofplansshallbesubmittedtotheCountyEngineerfor

reviewalongwithaCountyissuedRoutingSlip.Uponreview,thePlans

willbereturnedtotheconsultantwithanynecessarycomments.Plans

may be reviewed electronically by submitting through the online

systemusingtheappropriateapplication.



2. Uponaddressingallthecomments,afinalreviewwillbeconductedby

submittingthemarked‐uppreliminaryset,areproducibleset,andthe

routing slip to the County Engineer.The plans will be approved or

additionalcommentswillbemadeandthesetsreturned.



SECTION5.02‐CONSTRUCTIONPLANS‐GENERAL



For all construction plans submitted to the Harris County Engineering

Departmentpursuanttotheseregulations,thefollowingrequirementsshall 

apply:



1. AProfessional Engineer,licensed inthe Stateof Texas,is requiredto

seal,dateandsigneachsheetoftheplansinaccordancewithrulesset

forthbytheTexasStateBoardforProfessionalEngineers.Thesealmust

reproduceonallsheets.



2. Acoversheetshallberequiredforallprojectsinvolvingthreeormore

planandprofilesheets.Allplansheetnumbersshouldbe

includedon

thecoversheetorareamap.Avicinitymapshouldalwaysbeincluded

toshowtheprojectlocation.



3. Plansforstreetand/orpublicimprovementsshallbestandardtwenty‐

two inch by thirty‐four inch (22” x 34”) overall dimensions for all

designinrights‐of‐wayor

easements.Siteplansmaybesubmittedon

largersheetswhenpractical.



4. Plans submitted for Harris County Engineering Department approval

shallbeonareproduciblematerial.



5. ANortharrowisrequiredonallsheetsandshouldbegenerallyoriented

eitherupwardortotheright.



6. All projects shall be tied to the datum adjustment that matches the

FIRMsorthemostcurrentdatumavailableincoastalareas.Equations

may be used to translate other datum adjustments to the required

adjustment.



7. Graphic standards for construction plans submitted shall be in

accordancewiththoseoutlinedinAppendix“C”totheseregulations.



8. Ifthe propertyliesbelow thebasefloodlevel,thefloodplain mustbe

delineatedgraphicallyonallplansheets.



SECTION5.03‐PLANLAYOUTREQUIREMENTS



Plans submitted to the Harris County Engineering Department pursuant to

theseregulationsshallhavethefo llo wingitems:



1. General construction layouts shall be submitted for all paving and

utilityprojectsinvolvingmorethanthreeplanandprofilesheets.For

thepurposeoffulfillingthisrequirement,pavinganddrainagelayouts

may be combined and water and sanitary sewer layouts may be

combined.



2. A drainage area map shall be submitted and shall  include drainage

computationswithdrainageareaandstormwaterflowlabeled.



3. A lot grading plan shall be submitted for residential lots on which

earthworkisproposedthatwillchange

thenaturaltopography.



4. Adrawingshowingexistingnaturalcontoursatone‐foot(1’)intervals

ofthelandtobedeveloped.



5. A graphical sheet index shall be included on the general construction

layoutoronaseparateindexsheetshowingtheplanandprofilesheet

locationandsheetnumber.



6. Matchlinesinappropriatelocationsandnotintheintersectionsoftwo

streetsorcul‐de‐sacknucklesshallbeprovided.



7. If a roadway exists where plans  are being prepared to improve the

roadway or construct new pavement or to construct a utility, this

roadwayshouldbelabeledastoitsexistingwidth,typeofsurfacingand

basethicknessifavailablewithoutdestructionofpavement.



8. Allimprovementsshall belabeled as “Proposed”or“Existing”in both

Planand ProfileViews.



9. Include a fire lane designed in accordance with the current Harris

CountyFireCodeforapprovalwithallcommercialsiteplans.



10. Includealandscapeplandesignedinaccordancewiththeseregulations

forapprovalwithallcommercialsiteplans.



SECTION5.04‐STANDARDDETAILSHEETS



For all construction plans submitted to the Harris County Engineering

Departmentpursuanttotheseregulations,thefollowingrequirementsshall 

apply:



1. The Harris County standard paving and detail sheets shall be

incorporated by reference in the project specifications and by

constructionnotesontheplans.



2. The details of special structures not covered by approved standard

drawings, such as stream and gully crossings, special manholes, etc.,

shouldbeincluded.Thedetailsshallbedrawnonthedetailsheetswith

thehorizontalandverticalscalesequal.



3. The Harris County Engineering “Express Review Sheet” shall be

submitted with each set of plans and be completed including Harris

CountyAppraisalDistrictaccountnumber.



SECTION5.05‐STANDARDNOTEREQUIREMENTS



Thefollowingstandardnotesshallbeincludedintheplans,whereapplicable,

asspec ified below:



1. AllprojectsshallincludethenotesinAppendix“D”totheseregulations.



2. Allprojectsinvolvingpavingorutilitieslocatedinapublicright‐of‐way

shallincludenotesinAppendix“E”totheseregulations.



3. Allprojectsinvolvingesplanade openingsandturn lanesshallinclude

thenotesinAppendix“F”totheseregulations.



4. Allprojectslocatedwithinthe10%(10‐year)floodplain,the1%(100‐

year)floodplain,orthe0.2%(500‐year)floodplainshallincludenotes

inAppendix“G”totheseregulations.



SECTION5.06–SUPPLEMENTALREQUIREMENTS



Unless otherwise directed by the County Engineer, the following  additional

requirementsshallbeincludedwiththeinitialsubmittalofpreliminaryplans

orpriorto finalplanapprovalassetforthb e lo w: 



1. HarrisCountyFloodControlDistrictapprovalisrequiredpriortofinal

planapproval.



2. Harris  County Toll Road Authority approval is required prior to final

planapprovalifprojectencroachesorimpactHCTRAright‐of‐way.



3. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)  approval is required

prior to final plan approval if project encroaches or impacts HCTRA

right‐of‐way.



4. Ifrequired,TrafficImpactAnalysisapprovalisrequiredpriortofinal

planapproval.



5. If project encroaches into a pipeline easement, approval from the

owneroftheeasementisrequiredpriortofinalplanapproval.



6. If utility connections are proposed, approval from the  utility owner

verifyingcapacityisrequiredpriortofinalplanapproval.



7. If project encroaches into jurisdictional wetlands, approval from the

U.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineersifrequiredpriortofinalplanapproval.



8. Maintenance Agreements for non‐standard items located in Harris

Countyright‐of‐wayarerequiredpriortofinalplanapproval.



9. Harris County Capital Improvement Projects Division Interpose “No

Objection”letterforprojectsadjacentoraffectingcapitalprojectsare

requiredpriortofinalplanapproval.



SECTION6‐DRAINAGEREQUIREMENTS



SECTION6.01‐DRAINAGEPOLICY



1. DesignRequirements



A. The drainage criteria administered by Harris County and

complemented bytheCityofHoustonandtheHarrisCountyFlood

ControlDistrictCriteriafornewlydesignedareasprovidesstreet

drainage design at a 2‐year event frequency, and protects from

structuralfloodingatthe100‐yeardesignfrequency.Additionally,

inareasinoradjacenttomappedfloodplains,structuralprotection

isprovid ed for the 500‐yeardesign event,using thoseelevations

derived from the effective Flood Insurance Study (FIS).This is

accomplished with the application of various drainage

enhancements such as storm sewers, roadside ditches, open

channels,detentionandoverla nd(sheet)run‐off.



B. Recognizing that each site has unique characteristics that may

enhancetheopportunitytoprovideproperdrainage,theintentof

these criteria  is to specify minimum requirements. These

minimums may be modified with prior consent of the Harris

CountyEngineeringDepartmentprovid ed thattheobjectiveforthe

minimumdrainagestandardsismaintained.



2. StreetDrainageDesign‐Streetpondingofshortdurationisanticipated

and designedto contributeto theoverall drainagecapability ofthesystem.

Storm sewers and roadside

 ditch conduits are designed as a balance of

capacityand economics.These conduits are designed to convey less

intense,morefrequentrainfalls while attempting to allow traffic movement

duringtheseevents.When rainfalleventsexceedthecapacityofthestorm

sewersystem,theadditionalrun‐ off is intended to be

stored or conveyed

overland inamannerthatreducesthe threatoffloodingtostructures.



3. Flood Control Design – Harris County is a participant in the National

Flood Insu ra nc e Program.The flood insurance program attempts to

makefloodinsurance available at low cost by providing for measures that

reducethe

 likelihoodofstructuralflooding.



4. Relationship to the Platting Process – The approval of storm drainage

systems, detention facilities, and flood channel improvements is a part of

thereview processforplanning andplattingofnewdevelopment.

SECTION6.02‐DESIGNREQUIREMENTS



Alldesignsofmajorthoroughfaredrainagefacilities,manholes,inlets,bedding

andbackfillshallmeettherequirementsofStandardSpecifications,Standard

DrawingsandHa rris County Regulations.



TheStandardSpecifications,StandardDrawings,HarrisCoun tyRegulations,as

wellasthemostrecentlyadoptedCityofHoustondesignguidelines,willapply

forallnon‐majorthoroughfareprojectslocatedwithinHarrisCountyandthe

CityofHou sto nETJ.Themoststringentdesigndetailsshallapplyintheevent

ofanydiscrepancy.



Note:With prior approval, products listed in the Harris County Special

Specif ication s8013maybeused .Alternativetypesofpipeproposed

forusein

stormsewerapplicationsmustreceivepriorapprovaloftheCountyEngineer.



1. Me thod ofDeterminingRunoff 



A. ArearunoffshallbedeterminedusingtheRationalFormulawhich

isdefinedas:



Q = CiA



Where Q = amountofrunoffincubicfeetpersecond (cfs)



C

= watershed imperviousness coefficient. See

Figure 1: Minimum  “C” Values for Land Use

Typesforsuggestedtypicalvalues.



i = rainfallintensityininches perhour



Implic it  in  the determination of “i” is when the entire

watershed under consideration is contributing runoff, a

concept known as the Time‐of Concentra t io n (T

) ra tio ,

whichareexpressed inminutes.



T

representsthetimeinminutesrequiredfortherunoffto

flowthroughthedrainageareatothepointofconsideration.

Thisisdefinedas:



T

c



10A

0.1761

+15(inmi nu t e s)



A = acres of subarea under consideration in the

watershed area



Note:SeeAppendix“H”forintensity duration



B. DesignStormEventsfortypicalstormsewerdesignwillconsist of

a2‐yearstorm.UnlessotherwisedirectedbytheCountyEngineer,

design rainfall pattern shall follow the requirements specifiedin

the most recently amended HCFCD Criteria Manual.Rainfall

intensityfor stormsewerdesignmustbedeterminedusingRegion

3 data (Append ix H) for all regions of unincorporated Harris

County.



Figure1:Minimum“C”Valuesfo r LandUseTypes



LandUseType

Runoff

Coefficient

ResidentialDistricts

Lotsmorethan¾acres 0.35

Lots¼‐¾acre 0.45

Lotless than¼acre 0.55

Multi‐FamilyAreas

Lessthan20DU/AC 0.65

20DU/ACorGreater 0.80

BusinessDistricts 0.80

IndustrialDistricts

LightAreas 0.65

HeavyAreas 0.75

RailroadYard Areas 0.30

Parks/OpenAcres 0.18



C. App lic ation ofRunof f CalculationModels



(1). The Rationa l Method shallbe used for designs onall areas

servedbystormsewerupto600acresinsize.



(2). Rainfall runoff modeling shall be applied to areas greater

than 600acres insize or any areas thatare drained by an

open channel provided the model takes into account the

storageandpondinginstreets.Mode lsmustbeacceptable

toFEMAiftheyaretosupportasubm itta l foramapchange.



D. Coefficientsfo rtheRationalMetho d.



(1). The runoff coefficient “C” values in the Ratio na l  Method

formulawillvarybasedonthelanduse.Minimumtobeused

is shown in Figure 1:Minimum “C” Values for Land Use

Types.



(2). Alternatively,whentheareaisnotoutlinedinFigure1,the

runoffcoefficient“C”intheRat io nalMethodformulacanbe

calculatedfromtheequation:



C =0.6Ia+0.2



Where C =Watershedcoefficient



Ia =percent impervious area (expressed as a

decimal)



(3). Ifthealternateformistobesubmitted,acalculationofthe

computation  of C is to be provided as part of the drainage

calculations.



2. DesignofStormSewers



1. Storm sewers shall be designed using the Manning Equation in

combinatio n with the Continuity Equation.Proper consideration

willbegivento theunitsofmeasure,whetherEnglishormetric.



2. TheManning Equatio nisdefinedas:



V = (K/n)R

2/3

S

½



Where K = 1.49forEnglishunits



n = 0.013forconcretepipesand

0.024forCMPpipes

V = velocityinfeetpersecond

R = hydraulicradiusoftheconduitinfeet

whichequalsarea/wettedperimeter

S

 = frictionslopeasheadlossperlength



3. TheContinuityEquationisdefinedas:

Q = VA



WhereQ= Discharge or runoff in cubic feet per

second(cfs)



V = velocityinfeetpersecond



A = Cross‐sectionalareaofcondu itinsquare

feet

4. DesignFrequency



(1). NewlyDevelopedAreas–

Thedesignstormeventforsizing

storm sewers in newly developing areas shall be a two (2)

yearrainfall.



(2). Redevelopment or In‐Fill Development with Increased Ra te

ofRunoff–Theexisting stormdrainservingredevelopment

or infill developmentshall beevaluatedin accordancewith

conditio ns outlinedbelow, usinga

2‐yearrainfall,assuming 

existingdevelopmentcond it ions.Afterward s thestormdrain

shallbe re‐evaluatedwith theproposed re‐development, or

in‐filldevelopment,inplace.



(a). Ifthehydraulicgradientistwelveinches(12”)orless

above the top of curb with the flow in the receiving

channelatthetopoftheoutfallpipeand nostructures

are threatened by the project, then no improvements

totheexistin gstormdrainarerequired.



(b). Iftheextremeeventanalysisindicat e s thatstructures

are threatened by flooding, the applicant has the

optionofeithermakingimprovementstotheexist in g

storm drain or providing detention or improving the

receiving stream and not impacting downstream

conditio ns.



5. VelocityConsiderations



(1). Storm sewers should be constructed to convey the design

flowinsub criticalhydrauliccondit io nsifpossible.



(2). Minimum2‐yearflowvelocitiesshouldnotbelessthanthree

feet (3’) per second with the pipe flowing full, under the

designconditions.



(3). Maximum2‐yearflowvelocitiesshouldnotexceed eightf eet

(8’)perseco nd.



6. PipeSizesandPlacement



(1). So ilboringwithlogsshallbemadealongthealignmentofall

stormsewershavingacrosssectionequaltoorgreaterthan

seventy‐two inches (72”) in diameter or equivalent cross

sectionalarea.Eachboringshallbetake natintervalsnotto

exceedfivehundred(500)linearfeetandatadepthofless

than three feet (3’) below the flow line of the sewer.The

requiredbeddingwillbedeterminedfromthesoilboring.



(2). The storm sewer and inlet lead shall be designed with a

minimum of twenty‐four inch (24”) inside diameter or

equivalent cross sectiona l  area. Box conduits shall be a

minimumoftwofeet(2’)bytwofeet(2’).Closedconduits,

eithercircular,elliptical,or box,shallbe selectedbasedon

hydraulicprinciplesandeconomyofsizeandshape.



(3). Larger pipes upstream should not flow into smaller pipes

downstreamunlessconstructionconstraintsprohibittheuse

of a larger pipe downstream, or the improvements are

outfallingintoanexistingsystem,ortheupstreamsystemis

intendedforuseindetention.



(4). Match crowns of trunk storm sewer pipe at any change in

pipe size unless severe depth constraints pro h ib it  the

matching of crowns. Severe depth constraints include any

systeminwhichtheoutfallsystemexistsandthedesigned

stormsystemcannotachieve2feetormoreofcoveratthe

pointoflowestcoverwithoutadditionalfill.Thisincludes:



 (a). Anysystemthatincludesalakeordetentionpond,and

the depthofthestormsewersisconstrainedbythatlake

or detentionpond,andthedesignedstormsewersystem

 cannot achieve 2 feet or more cover at the point of

lowestcoverwithoutadd itionalfill.



(b). Any time there is a conflict with the existing utility

system which cannot be reasonably relocated.This

includeslarge diameter water lines, underground

electricalconduits, underground telecommunication

conduits,petrochemical pipelines,orsanitarysewers.



(c). Anytimethereisaconflict withaproposedsanitary

sewer systemwhich cannotbeavoideddue todesign

criteria constraints.This includes but may not be

limitedto sanitarysewersandtheirserviceleads.



(d). Thesavingofspecimentreeswhichwouldbeharmed

by fillonlotswithaminimumlotsizeof8400sf.Atree

 survey must be provided showing location, size and

species oftreesproposedtobesaved.



(5). Locate storm sewers in public street rights‐of‐way or in

approved easements.Proposed storm sewers shall  no t be

laid parallel to and under proposed or existing pavement.

Parallelstormsewermustbelaidatleasttw0feet(2’)from

thebackofcurboredgeofpavementtotheoutsideedgeof

thepipe.Perpendicularroadwaycrossingsareacceptable.



(6). All precast, reinforced, concrete conduits must be laid in a

straightline.Deflectioninaccordancewithmanufacturer’s

specif icat io ns willbeallowedifonapprovedplans.



(7). All public side lot

or back lot drainage facilities shall be

underg round  storm sewer systems designed in accordance

with these Harris County standards.Drainage swales are

permittedfo roff‐sitesheetflowonly.Priva te, individuallot

drainage is exempt from this requirement except when

discharginginto apublic right‐of‐wa y. 



(8). Inalleasements

restrictedtostormsewers,theconduitshall

becenteredwithinthelimitsoftheeasement.Thewidthof

the easement shall  be two (2) times the depth plus the

diameterofthepiperoundeduptothenexthighestfivefoo t

(5’)increment.Theminimumshallneverbelessthantwenty

feet(20’).



(9). For storm sewers located in easements adjacent to public

streetrights‐of‐way,theminimumwidthshallbeincreased

for larger pipe or condu it by re quir in g  that a minimum

distance of five feet (5’) shall be maintain ed between the

easement line and the outside edge of the sewer, and a



minimumdistanceoftwofeet(2’)shallbemaintainedfrom

theright‐of‐waylinetotheoutsideedgeofthesewerpipeor

conduit.



(10). DonotplacethebelloftheRCPwithinaninlet,junctionbox,

or manholestructure.The bell mu stbe cleanly sawed and

removedpriortoplacement.



7. StartingWaterSurfaceandHydraulicGradient



(1). The hydraulic gradient shall be calculated using the top of

theoutfallpipeasthestartingwa t ersurfaceelevation .



(2). Shouldtheupstreampipebehigherthanthehydraulicgrade

lineatdropinpipesinvert,thenthehydraulic

gradelineshall

berecalculatedassumingthestartingwatersurfacetobeat

thetopofthepipeattha tpoint.



(3). For thedesign storm(a two yearfrequency), thehydraulic

gradientsha ll atalltimesbebelowthegutterline.



8. Manholes



(1). Usemanholesforprecast

conduitsatthefollowinglocations:



(a). Sizeorcrosssectionchanges.



(b). Inletleadandcond uit intersections.



(c). Changesin pipegrade.



(d). At a maximum space of seven hundred feet (700’)

alongaconduitrun.



(2). Use manholes for monolithic concrete storm sewers at the

same lo ca tio ns  as precast

 cond u its, except they are not

required at the intersection of inlet leads unless needed  to

providemaintenanceaccess.



(3). All manho les constructed on proposed or existing  major

thoroughfaresshal lbeconstructedinaccordancewithHarris

CountySpecifications.



(4). All precast manholes must conform to ASTM C 913.

Cored or blocked out pipe openings must be designed to

closelyfittheoutsidediameter oftheproposedtiein.Precast

manholeswiththin‐wallknockoutstoaccommodatearange

ofpipesizeswillnotbea llo wed intheright‐of‐way.



(5) Incoming and outgoingreinforced concrete pipe must be at

leastthreeinches(3”)awayfromthecornerofthejunction

boxstructureasmeasuredfromtheoutsideedgeof

thepipe

to the inside corner of the structure.If the junction box

structure is pre‐cast to accept the corner tie in or the

structurewas otherwise designedto acceptthis,the design

engineershallsubmitthedesignplansandspecificationsto

HarrisCoun typriortost re et acceptance.

Inlets



(1). Locate inlets at all low points in gutter or at intermediate

pointsintheprofilegradetoprovide properdrainage.



(2). Inletsshouldnotbeplacedwithindrivewaylocations/ limi ts

butsho uld beplacedinthecenterofthelot.



(3). Valleyguttersacross intersectionsarenotpermitted.



(4).

Inlet spacing is a function of gutter slope and should be

designed to conform with the Pavement Design

Requirements and Drainage Design Requirements of these

designguidelines.



(a). Localandcollectorstreetsection:For minimumgutter

slopes,themaximuminletspacingshallbeagutterrun

ofsevenhundredfeet

(700’)athighpointinpavement

ortheadjacentinlet,withamaximumofonethousand

four hundred feet (1400’) of pavement draining

towardsanyoneinletlocation.



(b). Oncul‐de‐sac orpartialcul‐de‐sacsections,gutterruns

shallbelimitedto fourhund red feet(400’).



(c). Onmajorthoroughfares,gutterrunsshallbelimitedto

threehund red feet(300’).



(5). UseonlyHarrisCountyandCityofHoustonStandardInlets

shown in Figure 3, “City of Houston  Standard Inlets

AcceptabletoHarrisCounty.”



(6). Stormsewerleadsmustbetieddirectlyintothefaceorback

of“B‐B”or“H‐2”inletboxandshallnotbetiedinto theshort

sideof“B‐B”or“H‐2”inlets.



(7). Donotuse“Beehive”grateinletsorother“specialty”inlets.



(8). Donotuseunprotectedgrate‐topinletsinunlinedroadside

ditch.



(9). Do  not place inlets in circular portion of cul‐de‐sac streets

unlessspecialconditionswarrantotherwiseandareincluded

onapprovedplansandareapprovedpriortoplacement.



(10). Ifdrainagewillenterorleaveproposedpavementtheninlets

mustbelocatedattheendofproposedpavement.



(11). Donotlocat einletsadjacentto medianopenings.



(12). Placeinletsonsidestreetsintersectingmajorstreets, unless

special conditions warrant otherwise and are included on

approvedplans.



(13). AllprecastinletboxesmustconformtoASTMC913.Coredor

blockedoutpipeopeningsmustbedesignedtocloselyfitthe

outside diameter of the proposed tie in.Precast inlets or

catch basins with thin‐wall knockouts to accommodate a

rangeofpipesizeswillnotbeallowedintheright‐of‐wa y. 



(14) Incoming and outgoingreinforcedconcrete pipe must be at

least three inches (3”) away from the corner of the inlet

structure as measured from

 the outside edg eof the pipe to

the inside corner of the structure.If the inlet structu re  is

pre‐cast to accept the corner tie in or the structu re  was

otherwisedesignedtoacceptthis,thedesignengineershall

submitthedesignplansandspecificatio nstoHarrisCounty

priortostreetacceptance.



(15).Type“E”inletsshallnotbeusedintheright‐of‐way,with

exception for temporary locations for interim drainage in

areasoffuturehalfboulevard.UseofType“E”inletsinthis

applicationshallbeconfirmedbytheCountyEngineer.



FIGURE2:CityofHoustonStandardIn letsAcceptabletoHarri sCounty

Inlet

Type

pplication Capacity CityofHoust on

DrawingNumber

 ParkingLots/SmallAreas



2.5cfs 02632‐01

B‐B Residential/Commercial



5.0cfs 02632‐04

C Residential/Commercial



5.0cfs 02632‐06

C‐1 Commercial



10.0cfs 02632‐06

C‐2 Commercial



15.0cfs 02632‐06

C‐2

 Commercial



20.0cfs 02632‐06

D ParkingLots



2.0cfs 02632‐07

D‐1 SmallAreas



2.5cfs 02632‐08

E TemporaryDrainageSwales 20.0cfs 02632‐09

&02632‐10

H‐2 Residential/Commercial



5.0cfs 02633‐01

&02633‐02



3.

ConsiderationofOverlandFlow



A. ExtremeEvent Analysis– Thedesign freque ncy for consideration

ofoverlandsheetflowwillconsiderextremestormevents.These

events,whichexceed thecapacityoftheunderground stormsewer

system and result in ponding and overland sheet flow, shall be

routed to drain along street rights‐of‐wa y or open areas and

throughthedevelopmenttoaprimaryoutlet.



B. RelationshipofStructuresto Street



(1). Allstructuresshallbehigherthanthepond inganticipatedin

areasimmediatelyadjacenttothestructureasanticipatedby

theextr em e eventanalysis.



(2). Theengineershallshowtheproposedstructure’sminimum

slab elevation at eighteen inches (18”) above the 1% 100‐

yearfloodplain,one‐foo t(1’)abovethepondingdepthwithin

atenfoot(10’) radiusoftheproposedbuildablearea,orat

orabovethe500‐yearfloodplainelevationasdeterminedby



theFloodplainInsuranc e Study,whicheverisapplicableand

greater.



(3). Slabanddrainageelevations,conduitlocations,andgrading

for the extreme  ev ent  sha ll be shown on a specifically

designatedpageofconstructionplans.



(4). An engineer’s cert ific at ion stating that the grading,

elevations, and drainage are within engineering tolerances

of the

 approved subdivision plan set without publicly

dedicated streets shall be submitted prior to issuance of

single family residential structure permits associated with

thatapprovedplanset.



C. CalculationofFlow



(1). Streetswillbedesignedsothatconsecutivehighpointsinthe

street will provide for a gravity flow of drainage to the

ultimateoutlet.



(2). The maximum depth of ponding at high points will be six

inches (6”) abo ve top of cu rb during an extrem e event

conditio n.



(3). The maximum depth of ponding at low points will be

eighteen inches (18”) above the top of curb during an

extremeeventcondition.



(4). Alongmajorthoroughfaresandprincipalarterialstreets,the

depth of water along the median gutter section shall not

exceed three inches (3”) in depth under the extreme even t

conditio n.



(5). Sheetflowbetweenlotsmaybeprovidedonlyinconnection

withadefineddrainageeasement.



(6). Amapshallbeprovidedwhich delineatesextremeeventflow

direction for both offsite, and through a proposed

development.The map shall also show the method of

dischargetotheprimarydrainageoutlet.Positivedrainage

mustbeprov id ed tointerceptoffsitesheetflow.



(7). Inareaswherepond ingoccursandwherenosheetflowpath

exists, a calculation must be provid ed  which demonstrates

howtherunofffroma100‐yeareventwillbeconveyedand

remaininco mplia ncewiththeothertermsofthisSection.



D. Interim off‐site sheet flow:Drainage swales may be used for

interim offsite sheet flow in lieu of closed conduits in phased

projectsand forprojectsadjacenttoexistingdevelopment.Thisis

requiredanytimetheproposed developmentwillcausepondingon

anadjacentowner’sproperty.



Inareaswheretheprojectdesignincorporatesfilladjacentto

theadjacentproperty,theContractorshallimplementgrading

and/orperimeterrunoffcatchmentdevices(e.g.‐perimeter

ditches)duringconstructiontoensurethatadjacentparcels

borderingtheprojectsitedonotexperienceincreasedinterim

drainageflowsorcarrysedimentgeneratedaspartof

constructionactivities.Theinterimdrainageallowedtoleave

thepropertyshallnotexceedthepre‐developedconditions.

Whereapplicable,thesepracticesareinadditiontothestandard

StormWaterPollutionPreventiondesignandshallinclude

additionalditchesredirectingsitedrainageortemporarypiping.

Thisnoteisnotintendedtoreplaceoraddressanyliabilityor

responsibilityunderTexasWaterCode11.086.



4. DesignofOpenChannels



A. DesignFrequency



(1). Unless otherwise directed by the County Engineer, open

channel design and constru ction standard s shall follow the

requirementsspecifiedinthemostrecentlyamendedHCFCD

CriteriaMa nual. 



(2). Unless otherwise directed by the County Engineer, design

standards for outfalls into channels shall conform to those

standards delineated in the most recently amended HCFCD

CriteriaMa nual.



B. DeterminationofWaterSu rfaceElevation



(1). Watersu rf ace elevationsshallbecalculatedusingManning’s

EquationandtheCo ntinuity Equation. 



(2). For the design sto rm  event, the water surfac e must be

calculatedto remainwithinbanks.



C. DesignofCulverts



(1). Headlosses inculvertsshallconformtoTexasDepartmentof

TransportationHydraulicManual,Chapter4–Culverts.



(2). Corrugated metal pipe will not be approved for permanent

culverts in Harris County rights‐of‐wa y  except at railroad

crossings,andifusedunderneaththerailroadcrossing,the

culvertshallbedesignedtorailroadloading s.



 D. DesignofOutfalls



(1). UnlessotherwisedirectedbytheCountyEngineer,alloutfall

designssha llconformtotheHCFCDCriteriaManual.



5. DesignofRoadsideDitches



A. DesignFrequency



(1). Roadside ditch design is permissible only for commercial

areasequaltoorlessthanone(1)acreorforsingle‐family

residential lots.Detentio n is required in accordance with

Section6.03forallotherconditio ns.



(2). The design storm event for the roadside ditches shall be a

two(2)yearrainfall.



(3). Design capacity under the two (2) year storm event for a

roadsideditchshallbenolessthan0.5feetbelowtheedge

ofpavementorthenaturalgroundattheright‐of‐wayline,

whicheverislo wer.



(4). The design shall include an extreme event analysis to

indicatethattheproposedstructureswillnotbeflooded.



(5). Outfalldrainagetoexisting roadsideditchesshallbelimited

to tracts with frontage along the roadsid e ditch.If no

frontage to the roadside ditch exists, but it can be shown

with detail topographic surveys that the tract ultimately

drains to the roadside ditch, then outfall will only be

consideredwithfu llretentionofthestorm waterduring the

designrainfallevent.



B. VelocityConsiderations



(1). Forgrass‐linedsections,themaximumdesignvelocityshall

befourfeet(4’)persecond during thedesignevent.



(2). A grass‐lined or unimproved roadside ditch shall have side

slopesnosteeperthanthree(3)horizontaltoone(1)vertical

(3:1)orassoilco nditionswillpermit.Steeperslopeswillbe

allowed when the existing right‐of‐way is

limited or other

constructionfeaturesdictatethedesign.Thesteepestslope

shallno texceedtwo(2)horizonta ltoone(1)vertical(2:1).



(3). Theminimumgradeforroadsideditchesshallbe0.1footper

100feet.



(4). Calculation of velocity shall use a Manning’s roughness

coefficientof0.04forearthen

sectionsand0.025forditc hes

forpavedinverts.



(5). Erosioncontrolmethodsshallbeusedwhendesignvelocities

areexpectedtobegreaterthanfourfeet(4’)persecondor

where erodible soil conditions are indicated in the

geotec h n ical report.

C. Culverts



(1). Culvertlengthshallbedeterminedbymeasuringthewidthof

thecrossingandaddingaone‐foot(1’)shouldertoeachedge

ofradiusofthecrossingandtheintersectionlength fromthe

edgeoftheshouldertotheflowlineoftheditch.Theslope

will not be steeper than a three (3) horizontal to one (1)

vertical(3:1)ateachend.



(2). Culverts shall be placed at all driveway and roadway

crossingsandotherlocationswheredeemednecessary.The

sizeandgradeoftheculvert(s)shallbeprovidedforeachlot.



(3). Pipe culverts shall conform

 to ASTM C‐76,  Class III, for

reinforced concretepipe.



(4). The size of roadside culverts is to be based upon drainage

area.Notwithstanding this requirement, the minimum

culvertsizeshallbeeighteeninches(18”)forresidentialand

commercialdriveways.



(5). Allproposedandreasonablyexpected futureculvertsshallbe

includedinthehydraulicprofile.Theculvertusedshallnot

create a headloss of more than 0.20 feet greater than the

normalwat er surfaceprofilewithouttheculvert.



(6). Storm water discharging from a ditch into a storm sewer

system must be intercepted by use of an appropriate

structure(i.e.,

stubswithringgratesortype“E ”manholes).



D. InvertProtection



(1). Ditchinvertprotectionshallbeusedwhenvelocitiesexceed

fourfeet(4’)persecond.

(2). Ditch invert protection will be used at the upstream and

downstreamendsofallculverts.



E. DepthandSizeLimitationsforRoadside

Ditches



(1). The maximum depth for a roadside ditch shall not exceed 

four feet (4’) below the adjacent road centerline top of

pavement.There may be instances where extreme

conditio ns  may warrant a deeper ditch.In those cases,

specif ic written prior approval must be obtained from the

HarrisCoun tyEngineeringDepartment .



(2). Roadsideditchbottomsshallbe atleast twofeet(2’) wide,

unlessdesignanalysissupportsanarrowerwidthandprior

written approval is obtained from the Harris County

EngineeringDepartment.



(3). Aminimumdistanceoftwofeet(2’)shallbeestablishedand

mainta ined between the right‐of‐way lineand the adjacent

edgeofthebankofaditch.

SECTION6.03‐ STORMWATERDETENTION



1. App l icat ionofDetention



A. Ifnewdevelopmentorredevelopmenthasthe opportunitytodrain

directlyintoachannelmaintainedbyHCFCD,thenHCFCDcriteria

shallprevailunlessotherwisedirectedbytheCountyEngineer.



(1). If the drainage system for a development project outfalls

directly into a channel maintained by the HCFCD, and the

requirements of the HCFCD include payment of an impact

fee,thennofurtherimpactfeesordetentionwillberequired

byHarrisCountyEngineeringDepartment.



(2). If redevelopment occurs without increasing the overall

impervious character of the site, or without increasing the

drainageoutfallcapacityfromthesite,thennodetentionwill

berequired.



(3). Ifthedevelopmentinvolvesonlyonesinglefa m ilyresidence

where no major changes in existing drainage are proposed

andthetractisnotpartofalargerdevelopmentproject,then

nodetentionwillberequired.



(4). IfdevelopmentinvolvesonlylotsfrontingonCountyroads,

no detention is required if the developed area is contained

within the150 foot lot depth fronting the road or the to tal

impervious area does not exceed  the area calculated by

multiplyingthe150footlotdepthbythelotwidthadjacent

to the County road.This provision is only applicable for

single‐family residential lots where no changes in exist i ng

drainagepatternsareproposedfortheremainderofthelot.



 B. Use of on‐site detention to mitigate impacts on Harris County

mainta ined drainagesystemsisrequiredundertheseregulations

when

either:



(1) It is proposed that commercial development outfall into a

HarrisCoun tyroadsideditch;or



(2) It is proposed that the tract or development outfall to a

HarrisCountystormsewersystemandthecapacityallocated

to the tract in the original design calculations is less than

projected for the proposed development. This shall be

evaluatedusing eitherthe methodology documented inthe

original design calculations or that outlined in these

regulations.



C. Separate from the requirements of 6.03.1.B. above, use of on‐site

detentiontomitigateimpactsondefinedchannelsatordownstream

of the site may be required under Harris County’s Floodplain

Regulations.Unless otherwise directed by the County Engineer,

Harris County will rely on the technical review in accordance with

the most recently amended HCFCD Policy  Criteria and Procedures

Manual in determining detention requirements under the most

recentlyamendedHarrisCountyFloodplainRegulation s.



D. Whereon‐sitedetentionisrequiredunderbothcriteria(BandC),the

largest detention storage rate determined under each criteria  shall

apply.



2. CalculationsofDetentionVolume



A. UnlessotherwisedirectedbytheCountyEngineer,designrainfall

shall follo w the requirement specified in the most recently

amendedHCFCDCriteriaManual.



B. Detention volume for new development areas is to be calculated 

basedonthegrossareaofthetractbeingdeveloped.However,the

County Engineer may grant phased detention for phased

commercial projects based on the portion of the tract being

developed at the time.All future development will

require

approvalfromtheCountyEngineer.



C. Detention volume for redevelopment areas is to be calculated on

thebasisoftheamountofareaofincreasedimperv iou scover.



D. Detentionvolumeforareasproposedforgravityoutfallshallbe:



(1). Roadside ditch outfall – Unless otherwise directed by the

County

Engineer,minimumstoragerateof1.0acrefeetper

acreunlessaMethod2hydrologic andhydraulicanalysis, as

defined by themost recently amendedHarris County Flood

ControlDistrictDesignCriteriaManual,showsalowerrate

andvolumeisacceptable.Thedischargerateshallbelimited

tothecapacityofasoutlinedinSection6.03(4)(A).

 NOTE:If a method 2 analysis is perform ed , the minimum

detention volume shall no t  be less than 0.75 acre‐feet per

acre.



(2). Storm sewer outfall – Unless otherwise directed by the

CountyEngineer,minimumstoragerateof0.75acre‐feetper

acre unless a formal Method 2 hydrologic and hydraulic

analysis, as defined by the most recently amended Harris

CountyFloodCont ro l DistrictDesignCriteriaManual,shows

a lower rate and volumeis acceptable.The discharge rate

shall be limited to the existing storm sewer capacity

allocatedtothetract.



E. Fortheareasproposedforpumped/gravitycombinationoutfall,

the

followingcriteriashallapply:



(1). The detention volume shal l be the same as D(1) and D(2),

EXCEPTTHAT thevolume ofpumped flowshallbe limited

to50%oftotalbasincapacity.



 NOTE:Theminimumdetentionvolumeshallnot belessthan

1.0 acre‐feet per acre for

a pumped/gravity combination

systemthatoutfallsintoaroadsideditchand0.75acre‐feet

per acre for a pumped/gravity combination system that

outfallsintoastormsewer.



(2). Automatic controls shall be incorporated  to shut  off all

pumping when outfall system capacity is reached.

Additionally, a gravity return line to the

 detention facility

mustbeprovided foradditionalheadcontrolintheeventof

failure of automatic level controls. Pumping cannot be

resumed until the outfall has receded to one‐half (½) the

depthoftheroadsid editch.



(3). DrainTime–Maximumdraintimeisfour(4)days.Ifdrain

timeislongerthanfourdays,usetheincrea se indetention

volumethatapproximatesthedraintimeassho wninFigure

3.Ifthemaximumdischargeratefromthedetentionfacility

toaroadsideditchisinsufficienttoallowthefacilitytodrain

within seven days, this is likely an indication that the

proposed area to be developed is too large to be

accommodated within the existing roadside ditch.In this

case,analternativedrainagesolu t ionmayberequiredwhich

couldincludeacquisitio nofoff‐sitedrainageeaseme nts and

construction of open channel ditches to  serve the

development.If the calculated drain time exceeds seven

days,consu ltwiththeCou nt yEngineer.



FIGURE3:IncreaseinDetentionVolume

Duration

IncreaseinDetention

Volume

4Days 0%

5Days 5%

6Days 15%

7Days 25%



 F. Whenparkingareasareusedfo r detention,themaximumdepthof

pondinginparkingareasshallbenineinches(9”)directlyoverthe

inletgrate.



G. Outfall drainage to existing roadside ditches shall be limited to

thosetractswithfrontagealongtheroadsideditch.Incaseswhere

no

frontage on roadside ditch exists, but where it can be shown

withdetailtopographicsurveysthatthetractultimatelydrainsto

theroad sid editch,theminimumdetentionvolumeshallnotbeless

than 1.0 acre‐feet per acre.The allowab le discharge rate to a

roadsideditchsha llbelimitedto thepro‐ra tashareoftheexisting

capacityoftheroadsideditchatthepointofoutfalloranylocation

downstream,wh ich ev er islessasoutlinedinSection 6.03(4)(A).



3. DesignofBasin



The following requirements shall apply for basins designed under these

Regulations:



A. Thesidesloperatioshallbe 3:1orflatterdependingonlocalsoil

conditio ns.

B. The design must either prevent sheet flow down the basin side

slopes or provide for adequate erosion control through  the ba ck

slopedrains,concreteslopes,orotheracceptablemetho ds.



C. Dry bottom basins shall be sloped to drain and dry out between

stormeventsinordertoaccommodatemaintenance.Theminimum

bottom traverse slope shall be three‐four ths of one percent

(0.75%),andtheminimumpilotchannelslopeshallbeone‐tenth

ofonepercent(0.1%).



D. Wetbottom basinsshallmeetthefo llowing criteria:



(1). A minimum of six feet (6’) of permanent water depth is

requiredunlessthe

wetbottomisforpurposesofwetlands.



(2). A six‐foot (6’) width minimum shelf, one‐foot (1’) above

staticwater’ ssurfaceelevat io nisrequired.



(3). Sideslopesmustmeetthefollowingcriteria:



(a). Aratioof3:1fromshelfto bottomofbasin;or



(b). A ratio of 3:1

 or flatter depending on local soil

conditio ns fromaboveshelf tonatura lground.



(4). AlternativestoitemsD(2)andD(3)abovemaybeapproved

providedthefacilitydesigndemonstratesthatitcanbeeasily

mainta ined withdueconsiderationofpublicsafety.



4.

DetentionOutfallFacilities



A. The maximum discharge rate for detention facilities shall be

limitedtothecapacityallowed tothesu bj ecttractofthereceiving

storm sewer.In the case of a road side ditch outfall, the rat e of

runoff from the front one hundred‐fifty feet (150’) of the tract

calculated is defined in Section 6.02 (1) of these regulations,

assuming a runoff coefficient “C” of 0.2.Alternatively, the

allowa ble dischargeratetoaroadside ditchcanbecalculatedbased

upon the pro‐ra ta share of the existing capacity of the roadside

ditchatthepointofoutfalloranylocationdownstream,whichever

is less.Capacity of the roadside ditch shall be computed using

detailedtopographicsurveyoftheditchandManning’sEquationas

outlinedinSection6.02(2)(B).Pro‐ratashareofcapacityshallbe

computed astheratioofthedetentionpondservicearea(including

the detention pond) that naturally drains to the roadside ditch

dividedbythetotaldrainageareaoftheroadsideditchupstream

oftheoutfalllocatio n. 



B. Theoutfallorificeshallbedesignedusingthefollowing equation:



 _________________

Q = CA2gh



D = Q

/2.25h



 Where Q = outflow discharge in cubic feet per

second(cfs)



C = 0.8



A = orificearea



h = head – water surface differential –

typicallytwofeet(2’),butnolessthan0.5feet



g = gravity–32.2feet/sec

2



D = diameteroforifice(inches)





C. RestrictorCrit eria 



(1). Anappropriate sizedrestrictor systemmust beinstalled to

ensuredetentionvolumeisutilized.Ifcircularpipeofless

thansixinches(6”)istobeused,appropriatemeasuresmust

be incorporated to ensure clogging of the outfall pipe does

notoccur.



(2). Theoutfallpipecontainingtherestrictorshallbeaminimum

ofeighteeninches (18”) orsix inches(6”) greaterthanthe

restrictorpipesize,whicheverisla rger. 



(3). The restrictor shall be located in the upstream end of the

outfallpipe.



D. OutfallMethod



(1). The outfall pipe shall be ASTM C76, Class III Reinforced

Concrete.



(2). The restrictor shall be PVC or other material acceptable to

theHarrisCountyEngineeringDepartment.



(3). Allgravitydischargesshallbedesignedtopreventerosionof

theroadsid editch.



(4). Pumpsystems:



(a). An

outfallfromapumpeddischargedsystemshallnot

discharge directly into the roadside ditch but shall

provide a stilling manhole or basin for pump system

energydissipationpriortoagravitydischarge.



(b). Theentrancevelocityintotheroadsideditchshallnot

exceedthreefeet(3’)persecond.



(c). A maximum level control and return line to the

detentionbasinshallbeprovided tolimitheadbuildup

and control outflow into the roadside ditch during a

floodingev ent.



 E. Agravityspillwaymustbeprovidedinadditiontothepipeoutlet

toprotectstructuresfromfloodingintheeventthecapacityofthe

basinisexceed ed.



SECTION6.04‐OWNERSHIPANDEASEMENTS



1. PrivateFaci liti es



A. Submission of pump system specifications and a written

operating plan that defines how the pump(s) will be

controlled to avoid overloading the existing system is

requiredwhenpumpdischargeoutfallsintoaroadsideditch.

Thisinformat io nshallbeincludedintheplandetailsheets.



B. A maintenance work area of twenty feet (20’) in width

surrounding the exte nt  of the detention area shall be

provided.Permanentaccesseasementsandnecessaryutility

easementsandparkinglotsmaybeincludedasaportionof

this twenty‐foot (20’) width as determined by the County

Engineer.



C. NoticeofDetentionRequirementsForm



(1). Blankformsareavailableuponrequest.



(2). The “Notice of Detention Requirements” forms shall

indicate theparty responsiblefor maintenanceof the

detentionfacility.



(3). A signed and notarized “Notice of Detention

Requirements” shall be filed in the Harris County

Clerk’sOffice,RealPropertyRecords.



(4). Once filed, the form becomes a legal document

attached tothepropertyinperpetuity.



(5). If conditions change and the detention system is no

longer required, the Harris County Engineering

Department will notify,inwriting, theHarrisCounty

Clerk’sOffice,RealPropertyRecords.Suchnoticeshall

unencumberthepropertyfromtheprevio uslyrecorded

“NoticeofDetentionRequirements”fo rm .



D. Anyfacilityservingasingle‐familyresidentialsubdivision

with14ormorelotsandprivatestreets,shallhavethe

detentionfacilitymaintainedbyapoliticalsubdivisionof

thestate.



2. PublicFacilities.



A. DetentionfacilitieswillbeacceptedformaintenancebytheHarris

County Flood Control District in cases where public drainage is

beingprovidedandthefacilitiesmeetminimumrequirementsfor

acceptance.



B. Amaintenanc eworkareaofthirtyfeet(30’)inwidthsurrounding

thedetentionareamustbeprovided.Upto10feetofpublicright‐

of‐waymaybeincludedasaportionofthe30‐footwidth.



C. Adedicationofeasementshallbeprovided byplatorby

separate

instrument.



D. Forwetbotto mbasins,theminimumwetsur faceareashallbeone

(1)acreunlessitincorpora t esstormwater qualityfeaturessuchas

wetlandareas.



E. Anyfacilitydrainingwaterfrompublicstreetsshallbe

maintainedbyagovernmentalbodysuchasamunicipalutility

districtorHCFCD.



SECTION6.05–SUBMERGEDSTORMSEWERS



Theuseofsubmergedstormsewersshouldbeavoidedunlessitispartofa

stormwater qualityfeature/amenitylake system.For thepurpose ofthese

regulations,stormsewersystemsarenotconsideredsubmergedwhereonly

theoutletpipefromthelastmanhole

enteringastormwaterquality/amenity

lake system is below staticwater surface.In this case,storm sewersshall

meetthefollowingconditions:



PermanentAccessEasements/PrivateStreets/StormSewers



1. Incorporate methodsto drain  the system incase ofrepairs.Methods

include specifying locations of cofferdams, specifying portable pump

equipment,andproviding

asequencethatwouldresultinbeingableto

drain any portion of the storm sewer within 3 days with the longest

allowabletimebeing5days.



2. Inordertoreducethepossibilityofmosquitobreeding,asystemshall

be designed such that sections of storm sewer are dry

or hold a

minimum of 3 inches of water and are continuously connected to the

lakefeature.



PublicStreets/StormSewers



1. Incorporate a sluice gate system into design so that the lake can be

drainedbygravity.Ifdesired,anadditionalsluicegatemaybeadded

toisolatethestormsewersystemfromthelake.



2. Design the sluice gate system such  that upon opening, the lowest

portionofthestormsewerwilldraindrybygravitywithin3dayswith

thelongestallowabletimebeing5days.



3. Ifequippedwithasluicegatedesignedtoisolatethestormsewer,the

manholeadjacentandupstreamofthesluicegatemusthaveasumpof

sufficientdepthtoallowforpumpingthesystemdry.



4. Provide an Interlocal Agreement, in a form acceptable to the County

Attorney, between the utility district or other political subdivision of

theStateandtheCountyindicatingthefollowing:



a) The entire system shall be covered by a drainage easement

dedicatedtothepublic.



b) The  utility district will accept the dedication of the sluice gate

systemformaintenance.



c) The utility district will make available to the County all

complaints regarding the storm sewer system and the utility

district’srepairandmaintenancerecords.



d) Theutilitydistrictagreesnottodamageanypavementorstorm

sewerinitsmaintenanceofthesewersystem.



5. In order to reduce the possibility of mosquito breeding, a system

shallbedesignedsuchthatsectionsofstormseweraredryorhold

aminimumof3inchesofwaterandarecontinuouslyconnectedto

thelakefeature.



Thefollowingadditionaldesignrequirementsapplytosubmergedstormsewer

systems.



a) The hydraulic gradient shall be calculated using the  static lake

levelasthestartingwatersurfaceelevation.



b) AllstormsewerpipeshallbereinforcedconcretepipeASTM,C‐

76, Class III with joint conforming to ASTM C443 with rubber

gasketsconformingtoASTM,C1619.



c) All storm sewers shall be encased in cement stabilized sand in

conformitywithCityofHoustondrawings,02317‐02,02317‐03,

02317‐05,02317‐06,and02317‐07,asappropriate.



d) Submerged storm sewer systems are not allowed within the

rights‐of‐wayofmajorthoroughfares.

SECTION6.06–LOWIMPACTDEVELOPMENTANDGREEN

INFRASTRUCTURE



ALowImpactDevelopment(LID)orGreenInfrastructure(GI)technique

maybeutilizedtoaddressdrainageandstormwaterqualityrequirements

provided:



1. TheproposedLIDorGItechniqueconformstothe HarrisCountyLow

ImpactDevelopment&GreenInfrastructure DesignCriteriaforStorm

WaterManagement(DesignCriteria)asadoptedbyCommissioners’

Court;and



2. Priortosubmittingplansforacceptance,theproposedLIDorGI

techniquemustbereviewedinapre‐projectmeetinginaccordance

withtheDesignCriteria.





SECTION7‐PAVING



SECTION7.01–PAVINGDESIGNREQUIREMENTS

The following design requirements are applicable to all pavement that is

designedandconstructedunde rHarrisCountyjurisdictionbythedevelopment

community.



SECTION7.02‐ DESIGNREQUIREMENTS



The following design requirements are applicable to pavement within the

HarrisCoun tystreetright‐of‐way:



1. PAVEMENT WIDTH– The width shal l be in accordance with the

following Table 7.1, “Roadway Classifications and Section

Requirements”andthe“GeometricDesignGuidelinesforSubdivision

Streets” as most  recently adopted by Harris County Commissioners’

Court.



2. All proposed major thoroughfares within unincorporated Harris

Countyshall meetthe current designcriteria aspromulgatedby the

CountyEngineer.The Cityof HoustonMajorThoroughfarePlan, all

othermunicipalities’MajorThoroughfa rePlans,andtheThoroughfare

Amendment Study for Unincorporated and Non‐ETJ Areas of Harris

County,TexasasadoptedbyHarrisCountyCommissionersCourtwill

be used to determine when a roadwa y is classified as a ma jo r

thoroughfare.

3. Major thoroughfare intersections, including intersection s between

local/collectorstreetswithmajorthoroughfares,shallnotexceed1%

algebraicgradedifference.Transitionstoachievethatgrademustbe

made in advance of the intersection and beyond the intersection. 

Proposed top of pavement elevations shall be provided along the

gutter lines and pavement centerlines to show conformance with

grade requirements.An “As‐Built” recorddrawing sha ll be provided

toHarrisCountypriorto schedulinganinspection.

4. The engineer shall design and prepare plans for the full boulevard

within the limits of all proposed major thoroughfares.Developer’s

requirements is to only build one half of the boulevard and entire

drainage system including any required detention for the full

boulevard unless location specific needs dictate an alternate

considerationapprovedbytheCountyEngineer.

5. Centerline of swales used to drain the unimprov ed  half boulevard

section sh a ll be placed to drain to future inlets wh ic h must be

constructedto stageonewithtypeEinlets.



Table7.1 RoadwayClassificationsandSectionRequirements

*Awaivertothisrequirementmayberequestedifonsiteparkingisproposed.

A site plan for the reserve development indica ting the type of facilities and

number of parking spaces proposed is required  to be submitted with the

preliminary infrastructure plan submittal.Harris County will make a

determination if the proposal is satisfactory.If acceptable, a letter of

certific at ionfrom the developer stat ingthat the required number of parking

spaceswill beprovidedin connection withthe developmentofthe reserveis

requiredasaconditionofsignatureandapprovalof theinfrastructureplans



Notes:

1. 4x12curbsectionshallonlybeapprovedonstreetswheresinglefamily

structuresaretak ing directprimaryaccess.

2. Alternative paving sections may be considered and approved by the

CountyEngineerformaster planned,mixed‐usedevelopments.



Land Use on Both Sides of

Right-of-Way (R.O.W.)

Roadway

Classification

Portland Cement Concrete

Single

Paving

Section

Double Paving Section Major Thoroughfare

Width Curb Width Curb Width Curb

Single family Residential on

both sides of R.O.W.

Local 28’ (B-B) 6” or 4” x 12

2/25’ 6” or 4” x 12

Single Family Residential

Reserve Restricted to

Landscape or pocket parks

less than one acre

Local 28’ (B-B) 6” or 4” x 12

6”

2/25’ 6” or 4” x 12

6”

Single Family Residential

Detention Pond or Amenity

Lake

Local 28’ (B-B) 6” or 4” x 12

6”

2/25’ 6” or 4” x 12

6”

Single Family Residential

Reserve Restricted to

Recreation/Open

Collector 41’ (B-B)* 6” or 4” x 12

6”

2/25’ 6” or 4” x 12

6”

Single Family Residential

Unrestricted or Restricted to

Commercial or Industrial

Collector 41’ (B-B) 6” or 4” x 12”

6”

2/25’ 6” or 4 ”x 12”

6”

25’ (B-B) 6” only

Restricted Reserve to

Commercial or Industrial on

both sides of R.O.W.

Collector 41’(B-B) 6” 2/25’ 6” 25’ (B-B) 6” only

Table7.1Continuedbelow:





Land Use on Both Sides of right-of

Way (R.O.W.)

Roadway

Classification

Single Paving

Section with

Roadside Ditches

Double Paving Section

with Roadside Ditches

Asphaltic Concrete

__________________

Single Paving Section

with Roadside

Ditches

Width Width Width

Single family Residential on both

sides of R.O.W.

Local 22’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

2/24’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

22’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

Single Family Residential

Reserve Restricted to Landscape or

pocket parks less than one acre

Local 22’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

2/24’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

22’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

Single Family Residential

Detention Pond or Amenity Lake

Local 22’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

2/24’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

22’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

Single Family Residential

Reserve Restricted to

Recreation/Open

Collector 41’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

2/24’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

41’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

Single Family Residential

Unrestricted or Restricted to

Commercial or Industrial

Collector 41’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

2/24’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

41’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

Restricted Reserve to Commercial

or Industrial on both sides of

R.O.W.

Collector 41’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

2/24’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

41’ (E-E) with 6’

shoulders

PAVEMENTTHICKNESS



A. Local,Collector,MajorThoroughfare

(1). Concrete‐The  requirementspresentedinTable7.2 below

shall be the minimum allowable local, collector,

thoroughfare thicknesses utilizing Portland cement

concrete.These thicknesses were developed considering

boththePortlandCementAssociation(PCA)designmethod

(“DesignofConcretePavementforCityStreets”,1974)and

the American Association of State Highway and

Transportation Officials (AASHTO) method (“AASHTO

GuideforDesignofPavementStructures”,1993).



Table7‐2.ConcreteThicknessfor30‐YearDesignLife



Roadway

Classification

Concrete Pavement

Thickness, in.

28-day

Compressive

Strength, fc’, psi

Minimum Required Depth

of Stabilization, in.

Local

6 3000 6

Collector

7 3000 8

Major

Thoroughfare

4500

3000



Notes:

 1. Formajorthoroughfaresinexcessof30,000VPD(see

criteriabelow).

 2. Forpavingdesignpurposes,seedefinitionsfor

local,collector,andmajorthoroughfareas

describedin“Section12–Traffic”ofthese

regulations.



(2). Asphalt,FlexibleBase–roadsshalluseaminimumofasix‐

inch (6”) stabilized subgrade, eight inches (8”) of base

course, one and one‐half inches (1½) hot mixed, hot laid

asphalt.Alternative pavement design may be considered

provided the equivalent structural number is met or

exceeded.Flexible base pavement for all developments,

otherthan lowdensity, single‐family,shall  bedesignedin

accordancewiththedesignparametersinSection2,below.



B. MajorThoroughfareswithanexcessof30,000VPDonyear15of

designlife,alicensedengineershalldesignthepavementthickness

and reinforcement using the AASHTO method and Harris County

Engineering Department specified design parameters.The

pavementthicknessandreinforcementdesignshallbebasedona

currentsoilanalysis,stabilized subgrade,roadwayuse(including

the design lane traffic volume) and life span of the proposed

pavement.



Harris County Engineering Department specified design parameters for

reinforced concretedesignsforMajo rThoroughfaresare:



ASHTODesign

Parameter

Design

alue Comments

DrainageCoefficient,C

 1.2 Goodtoexcellent,1%

Excellent,1%to5%

LoadTransferCoefficient,

J

3.2

Jointed, reinforced pavement with

load transfer such as dowels,

specified by detail

LossofSupport,LS 1

ModulusofRupture,S’

 Seecomment Dependentonrequired

concretecompressive

strength

=570psiforf’

=3000psi

=620psiforf’

=3500psi

=660psiforf’

=4000psi

=710psiforf’

=4500psi

Reliability,

 95%

InitialServiceability

Index,p



4.5

TerminalServiceability

Index,p



2.5

ElasticModulus,E



See comment

Dependent upon required

concretestren gth

=3.6x10

psiforf’

=3000

psi

=3.8x10

psiforf’

=3500

psi

=4.0x10

psiforf’

=4000

psi

ASHTODesign

Parameter

Design

alue Comments

=4.2x10

psiforf’

=4500

psi

FrictionFactor,F

1.8

Lime,lime‐flyash,asphalt

orcementstabilized

subgrade



HarrisCountyEngineeringDepartmentspecifieddesignparametersforflexible 

pavingdesignsbased onavailabletrafficdataare:



ASHTODesign

Parameter

DesignValue Comments

Reliability,

 95%

StandardDeviation,S

0.45

SoilResilientModulus,M

r

30,000psi Mr = 1500 X CBR; CBR

estimated as 20 for

stabilizedsubgrade

DrainageCoefficient,m



1.25 AASHTOTable.24–good

qualitydrainage(1%‐5%)

– drainswithin1day

Initialserviceabilityindex,

o

4.2



Terminalserviceability

index,p

t

2.5



Structurallay er 

Coefficients

Hot‐mixedhot‐laid

asphaltsurface

material

0.44

Blackbase 0.34

Cement‐stabilized

limestone 0.23

Lime‐stabilized

limestone

0.17

Crushedrec y cl ed 

concrete

0.14

Rawlimestone 0.14

Cement‐stabilizedea rth 0.15

Lime‐stabilizedorlime‐

flyashstabilizedearth

0.11



ASHTODesign

Parameter

DesignValue Comments

Minimumacceptable

recommendedthick ne ss 

Surfacecourse 2in.

Basecourse 4in.

Sub‐base course 4in.



SECTION7.03–MATERIALSREQUIREMENTS



Thefollowingrequirementsshallapplytopavingsubjec ttothejurisdictionof

theHarrisCountyEngineeringDepartment:



1. Theconcretemixdesignshallbeeitherofthefollowing options:



A. A mix design containing five (5) sacks of cement per cubic yard

withnoFly

Ashallowed;or

B. AmixdesigncontainingFlyAshandcementthathascementitious

contentofnotlessthanfiveandonehalf(5½)sackspercubicyard.

TheFlyAshco ntentshallno texceedtwenty‐fivepercent(25%)by

weight.



2. All concrete pavement shall have a minimum design and in place

compressivestrength of3000psiattwenty‐eight(28)days.



3. Concrete for major thoroughfares shall meet the design det er m in ed by

theAASHTOdesignrequiredinSection7.02B,above.



4. MinimumreinforcingforLocal,Collector,andMajorThoroughfaresshall

meetthesize,st r eng th , and

spacingshowninTable7.3 following:



TABLE7.3



REINFORCINGSTEELBARSIZESANDSPACING

FORVARIO US PAVEMENTTHICKNESS(D)ANDWIDTH(W) WITH:

EXPANSIONJOI NTSPACING=80FT(MAXIMUM)

fc=3,000 PSI ANDfy=60,000PSI



 LONGITUDINALSTEEL TRANSVERSESTEEL

PAVEMENT #4BARS #4BARS

THICKNESS

D

(IN)

PAVEMENT

WIDTH

(FT)

NUMBER

OF

BARS

SPACING

(IN)

ENDBAR

SPACING

(IN)

SPACING

(IN)

6 28 17 20.50 4 36

7 25 17 18.25 4 36

7 35 24 18.00 3 36

7 36 25 17.75 3 36

7 37 25 18.25 3 36

7 41 28 18.00 3 36

7 45 31 17.75 3 36



MAJORTHOROUGHFARE

 LONGITUDINALSTEEL TRANSVERSESTEEL

 #5BARS #5BARS

PAVEMENT

THICKNESS

D(IN)

PAVEMENT

WIDTH(FT)

NUMBEROF

BARS

SPACING(IN)

ENDBAR

SPACING(IN)

SPACING(IN)

10 25 44 18 3 36

10* 25 86 9 3 36

 *Appliestomajor thorough farepavingwithonehundred sixtyfeet(160’)

expansionjointspacingonly.

 **Reinforcingsteelbarsizeandspacingforeightinch(8”)pavementthickness

tobede signed bytheengineer.



A.

Minimum laplength fo r#4 reinforcing steelshall be twenty‐two

inches(22”). Minimumlaplengthfor#5reinforcingsteelshallbe

twenty‐fourinches(26”).Forallcold constructionjoints,usefour‐

foot (4’), Grade 40 L‐bars spaced at 24‐inch centers through the

deform edmetalstrip.



B. Expansion

 joints in cul‐de‐sacs and knuckles shall be placed as

showninAppendix“I”.



5. Asphalt



Hot mix asphalt shall  meet the requirements of “Harris County

Standard Sp ecif icatio n, ItemNo. 250and340”. (Complete Harris

County Standard Specifications are available online at

www.eng.hctx.net).



6. BaseCourseRequirements



A. Cement stabilized crushed aggregate base course shall meet the

requirements in “Harris County  Standard  Specification, Item No.

231”exceptthatSection231.4ismodifiedsothatthebasecourse

shallbecompactedto95%StandardProctorDensity,ASTM D‐698.



B. Hotmixasphalticconcretebasecourse(blackbase)shallmeetthe

requirements in “Harris County  Standard  Specification, Item No.

250.”



C. Untreated aggregate base shall meet the requirements in Harris

County Standard Sp ec ifica t io n Item No. 230.Placement

requirementsshallbeincludedintheconstructionplans,maximum

eight‐in ch(8”)lifts,compactedto95%StandardProctorDensity,

ASTMD‐698.



7. StabilizedSubgrad eRequirements



Thegeot ec h nica l engineershallprovidesubgradetreatm en t recommendations

includingtypeofstabilizerandanticipatedapplicationrate(lb/yd

)todevelop

therequiredsub grad edensitydesignrequirements.



A. Lime‐stabilizedsubgradeshallmeettherequirements outlinedin

“HarrisCountyStandardSpec if icat io ns, ItemNos.220and221”.



B. Portla nd Cement‐sta b iliz edsubgradeshallmeettherequirements

outlinedin “HarrisCountyStandardSpecification,ItemNo.222”.



C. Lime fly ash or fly ash stabilized subgrade shall meet the

requirements outlined in “Harris County Standard Spec ifica t io n, 

ItemNo.223”.



D. Commercially available products shall meet the requirements of

the manufacturer  and the geo t ec hn ic al engineer and shall be

approvedbyHarrisCountyEngineeringDepartment.



SECTION7.04–SPECIFICATIONREQUI REM ENTS



1. Pavement shall be constructed in accordance with “Harris County

Standard Specification, Item No. 360”, as modified below, for all

privatelyfundedloc alandcollectorroadway projects.

A. Section360.13,isherebymodifiedtoallowtheuseofametal

centerstripinlieuofsawcuttingthecenterlongitudinal

contractionjoint.

B. Section360.8,isherebymodifiedtoallowtheuseofwoodforms

for six‐inch (6) and seven‐inch (7) pavement sections.The

bottomflangeofsteelformsshallbetwoinches(2”)ormore.If

other commercially  available types of forms are used they shall

be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s suggested

methodandmeettheapprovalofthedesignengineerandHarris

CountyEngineeringDepartment.

C. Section360.10,11,and12,

isherebymodifiedtoallowplacement

atcontractor’sresponsibilitybaseduponequipmentsequence

utilizedinaccordancewithrecommendationsandpracticesof

ACI304.

D. Section360.19DeficientPavementThickness,ishereby

modifiedasfollows:

ItistheintentofHarrisCountytoreceiveandacceptstreetsandroadsinto

the County’s

 System of Maintained Roads that are constructed in strict

conformity with the paving thickness shown on the approved construction

plans.

Pavementthatisconstructedandcoredinaccordancewiththisspecification

shallbeacceptableifthemeasurementofanycoreisnotdeficientbymore

than0.30inchesfromthethicknessshownonapprovedconstructionplans.

Ifacoreshowsthepavementtobedeficientinthicknessbymorethan0.30

inchesbutlessthan0.5inches,thefollowingproceduremaybefollowed:

1. Additionalcoresfordeficientpavementthicknesswillbetakenat

ten‐foot (10’) longitudinal intervals and at random locations

transverselyoneachsideofthedeficientcoreuntilacoreistakenthat

isacceptable.Ifthenewcoresoneitherside ofthedeficientcoreare

acceptable and the average of the three cores is not more than 0.30

incheslessthantheoriginalplanthickness,the pavementisacceptable.

2. Ifthe average of the coresin (1),above, isnot acceptable,then

additionalcoresshallbetakenuntilanacceptablecore isfoundoneach

side of the original deficient core.All concrete between the two

acceptablecoresshallberemovedandreplacedtothecenterlinejoint.

3. Allcoresshallbefromthesamepavementpour.

Anycorethatisdeficientby0.5ormoreinchesisunacceptable.Ifacoreis

unacceptablethentakeadditionalcoresoutofthesamepouroneachsideof

thedeficientcoreatten‐foot(10’)intervalsuntilthepavementthicknessis

found to be acceptable as stated above.All

 concrete between the two

acceptablecoresshallberemovedandreplacedtothecenterlinejoint.



A. All references to Harris County Specification requirements

containedinthisdocumentpertaintothetechnicalprovisionsof

the specifications and not to the measurement and payment

provisionstherein.

B. Section360.12is herebymodified

toallowuseof fly ashinlieu

ofretarderuptoatemperatureof97ifapproved.



MajorthoroughfaresshallbeconstructedinaccordancewithHarrisCounty

StandardSpecification360.12.



SECTION7.05–GEOMETRICREQUIREMENTS



1. CurbandGutterSections

A. Theminimumgradientonguttersshallbe0.30percent.

B. Themaximumdropofgradetangentsfromoppositedirectionsto

acommoninletshallbe1.5feet.

C. The  maximum allowable curb run to an inlet shall be seven

hundred feet (700) in one direction for residential streets and

three hundred feet (300) in one direction

for major

thoroughfaresorstreetswithincommercialdevelopments.

D. There shall be a minimum one percent (1%) fall around

intersection turnout for a minimum radius of twenty ‐five feet

(25).The grade for larger radius shall be determined on an

individualbasis.

E. Vertical curves shall be installed when algebraic

 difference in

grades exceeds one percent (1%).Elevations shallbe shownat

ten‐foot (10) intervals through vertical curves.A minimum

differentialof0.03feet(0.03’)ontenfoot(10’)intervalsshallbe

maintainedbyalteringthecalculatedelevations.

F. Therequiredradiusofcul‐de‐sacpavementisasfollows:

(1). Residential radius shall be a minimum of forty‐two feet

(42)tofaceofcurb,and

(2). Commercialradiusshallbeaminimumoffiftyfeet(50)to

faceofcurb.

G. Unless otherwisedirected bythe CountyEngineer,whena curb

and gutter intersects a drainage ditch, the  grade of the gutter

must be above the designed water surface of the ditch in

accordancewithrequirementsoftheHarrisCountyFloodControl

District.

H. The minimum grade for cul‐de‐sac shall be 0.60 percent along

gutter.

I. All major thoroughfares with a center line  radius of lanes or

rights‐of‐wayslessthantwo‐thousandfeet(2000’)willrequirea

variance that shall be reviewed and approved by the County

Engineer.

J. Super‐elevationshouldnotbeusedexceptwithpriorapprovalby

theCountyEngineer.Wheresuper‐elevationisused,itshouldbe

basedonsoundengineeringpracticeandinaccordancewiththe

latest edition of AASHTO’s, “A Policy on Geometric Design of

HighwaysandStreets.”

K. For boulevard sections, the amount of cross slope over the

pavement section shall beshown onthe plans.Theusual cross

slopeisone‐fourthinch(1/4)perfootfromcurblinetocurbline,

andone‐eighthinch(1/8)perfootfor turnlanesandesplanade

crossovers.

L. Forstreetswithsinglepavingsections,theamountofcrossslope

over the  pavement section shall be in accordance with Harris

CountyDrawingS/D‐1,“SubdivisionPavementStandards.”

M. Aminimumgradientof0.40percentaroundthelongestradiusis

requiredonanL‐typestreetintersection.

N. Allgradesshallbelaidtomatchthetopofthecurbofanexisting

inlet.

O. Whenthecurbgradesarenotlaidbelowthenaturalground,fill

lines shall be shown on the plans and shall be of a sufficient

heighttoensureaminimumofthree‐eighthsinch(3/8)perfoot

transverseslopetowardthecurbfromthepropertylinebetween

apoint twofeet (2)outside theright‐of‐way and thetop ofthe

curb.Ifthistypefillisrequiredandthepavementisadjacentto

a non‐participating property owner, fill easements from this

property owner must be  obtained and filed.A copy of the

recordedeasement

documentshallaccompanythefinalplans.

P. Allgradesshallbelabeledforalltopofcurbsexceptatrailroad

crossings.Centerline grades are only acceptable for approved

streetswithditchsections.

Q. Gutter elevations are required for vertical curves where a

railroadtrackisbeingcrossed.

R. Thegradientfortangentstoverticalcurvesatrailroadcrossings

shallbeamaximumofthreeandone‐halfpercent(3.5%) andfour

percent(4%)atbridges,boxculverts,andpedestriantunnels.

S. Whererailroadcrossingsarenotatrightanglestothepavement

slab,vertical curvesshould becalculated foreach curb

line and

shouldbepostedatten‐foot(10)intervalsintheprofile.

T. ValleyGuttersarenotpermitted.



2. RoadwaySectionswithDitches



A. The minimum grade on ditches shallbe one percent (1.0%).If

ditchesexceed4feetindepth,withsideslopessteeperthan5to

1, guard rails shall be required or ditches piped unless an

alternativedesignmeetingtheintentofthissectionissubmitted

andapproved.



B. The ditch shall be designed to handle runoff as determined in

Section6.02“DesignRequirements”,above.



C. Thesideslopesofditchesshallnotbesteeperthanaratioof3:1

for unimproved ditches.Steeper slopes may be allowed when

existing right‐of‐way is limited or other construction features

dictatethedesign.PriorwrittenapprovalbytheHarrisCounty

EngineeringDepartmentshallbeobtainedforsteeperslopes.



D. All culverts shall be designed to carry ditch discharge. The

minimum culvert size shall be eighteen inches (18”).All

drivewaysshallhaveculvertsorbridges.



3. Curbs

 A. The standard curb height for residential streets is either the

standardsix‐inch(6”)curborafour‐inchbytwelve‐inch(4”x12”)

roll‐over curb configuration.Islands shall be constructed only

with a six‐inch (6”) standard curb height in accordance with

HarrisCountyDrawingS/D‐1,“SubdivisionPavementStandards.”

B. Curbsaretobedecreasedfromsixinches(6)totwoinches(2)

in ten feet (10) when approaching railroad tracks,an existing

roadwaywithoutcurbs,orchannelizedturnlanes.



4. SidewalksandDriveways

A. Allsidewalksanddrivewaysshallconformtothelatestrevision

of the“Regulations of Harris County for the Construction of

DrivewaysandCulvertsonCountyEasementsandRights‐of‐Way”

andinaccordancewiththerequirementsoftheTexasDepartment

ofLicensingandRegulation(TDLR).

B. Paved median noses shall be six inches (6”) thick with surface

colored black for concrete pavement and uncolored for asphalt

pavement,aminimumofsixfeet(6’)deepmeasuredfromtheend

of the median nose and the curbs are at least four feet (4’) in

widthfacetoface.Thisrequirementisimperativeforallmedian

noses.

C. If sidewalks are proposed,

 curb ramps shall  be provided to

connecttoadjacentsidewalksandshallbedesignedinaccordance

withtherequirementsoftheTexasDepartmentoflicensingand

Regulations (TDLR) and standard details as promulgated by the

CountyEngineer.



5. RequirementsforIntersections,Turnouts,Transitions,and

Thoroughfares



A. Ata“T”

intersectionwithastreetthathasnotbeenimprovedto

its ultimate width, concrete pavement should be stopped either

attheright‐of‐waylineortheendofthecurbreturn,whichever

wouldrequirelessconcreteremovalatafuturedate.



B. Whenroadwayturnoutsareplacedwhereanexistingcrossstreet

intersects, the turnout should be sized to fit the ultimate

pavement width and then transitioned to the existing roadway

utilizingthesamematerialsasexistontheexistingroad/street.

Thelengthof transitionshallconform to “GeometricGuidelines

forSubdivisionStreets,HarrisCounty,andCityofHouston,”(and

anysubsequentrevisionsthereto)asadoptedbyCommissioners’

Court on July 28, 2009, and the latest edition of the “Texas

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices” (TMUTCD) with

Revisions.



C. When paving only one (1) side of a proposed divided

thoroughfare, all left turn lanes and median crossovers in the

one‐half (1/2) of the right‐of‐way where the roadway is being

pavedshallbepavedtothecenterlineofthestreetright‐of‐way

except at street intersections where turnouts should be

constructedforbothhalvesoftheboulevard.



D. When meeting an existing concrete street at right angles, the

existingstreetshall besawcutinaV‐shapeextendingfromthe

curb returns to a point where the center line of the proposed

pavement intersects the quarter point of the existing street in

order to create a crowned intersection.In the event that this

construction would cause an excessively rough riding condition

which would make adequate control of the vehicle difficult, a

specialdesignwill

beconsideredtoeliminatethiscondition.



E. All traffic signs, striping, channelization devices, etc., must

complywiththelatesteditionofthe“TexasManualonUniform

TrafficControlDevices”(TMUTCD)withRevisions.



F. Prefabricated pavement markings on major thoroughfares and

major thoroughfaremodifications shall be placed in accordance

with Harris County

 Standard Specifications, Item Nos. 666 and

669.



6. MiscellaneousPavingRequirements



A. Ifdrivewaysaretobeconstructedwiththepavingproject,show

thedrivewaysontheplansandpostacenterlineforthedriveway

atthepropertylinewithelevationforeachdrive.



B. Privatestreetsshallbetreatedasiftheyweredriveways,andthe

sidewalkareashouldbehonoredwithnocurbextendingthrough

thisareaunlesstheprivatestreetisconstructedtopublicstreet

standards,includingcurbramps.



C. Load transfer devices shall be placed at the end of all concrete

streetsandprotectedfromcorrosion.



D. Allconcretethatmustberemovedshallberemovedeithertoan

existingexpansionjointorasawedjoint.



E. Crest vertical curves shall provide sightdistance inaccordance

withthedesignspeed;however,aminimumforty‐five(45)MPH

sight distance must be maintained forall major thoroughfares,

andforty (40) MPH sight distance must be maintained for all

othercrestverticalcurves



F. BarricadeswhichmeettheHarrisCountyrequirements(TypeIII)

must be placed at the  end of all dead‐end streets that do not 

terminateinacul‐de‐sac.



G. PriortofinalacceptanceoftheimprovementsbyHarrisCounty,

theownerofthe

developmentmustfurnishandinstallthestreet

namesignsforallintersections.Thestreetnamesignsshallbe

standard Harris County type signs having a green background

with white lettering and complies with the “Texas Manual on

Uniform Traffic Control Devices” (TMUTCD) with revisions

required.



H. Aletterofagreement

fromtheentityapprovingtheconstruction

plan crossing is required when paving is placed over a

transmissionpipeline.



I. Horizontaltiebarsarerequiredwhenmeetingconcretepavement

thathasnoexposedsteelandfurther:

(1). Thetiebarsshallbe#6bars,twenty‐fourinches(24)long,

twenty‐fourinches(24)centertocenter,embeddedtwelve

inches(12),andepoxied;and

(2). Asanalternateto(1)above,theexistingpavementmaybe

sawcutandremovedtoexposeaminimumoftwelveinches

(12)ofsteel(longitudinal)tothenewconstructionwithan

equivalentcrosssectionareaofsteelequaltotheproposed

pavementsteel.



J. Allguidelinessetforthinthelatesteditionof“TexasManualon

UniformTrafficControlDevices”(TMUTCD)withRevisionsshall

bestrictlyfollowed.



K. “Cold”jointsinpavementareprohibited.



L. Pavementmarkingandsignplacementdetailsshallbeshownon

theplanandprofilesheetsoronseparateplansheets.



SECTION8.0–STRUCTURESANDBENCHMARKS



1. Theinclusionofbridgesorotherditchtype crossingsmaybe required

as part of a project in order to maintain a smooth flow of vehicular

traffic through any given area.In the event uncertainty exists

concerningwhetherornotabridgewillberequired,itisadvisableto

contactthe HarrisCounty Engineeringas soonaspossibleso that the

issuecanberesolvedwhiletheprojectisintheplanningstage.



 Forallbridgesandsimilarcrossingsthataretobeconstructedwithin

the jurisdiction of Harris County, the following requirements shall

apply:



A. All bridges and box culverts to be designed to minimum HL‐93

loading or AASHTO “LRFD Bridge Design Specifications” as

applicableloaddesign.



B. BridgeWidths



(1) Wheretherearenocurbsontheapproachpavementtothe

bridge,thewidthofthebridge(facetofaceofcurbs)shall

beouttooutdistanceoftheapproachroadpavementedges

plus two feet (2’) each side, plus the walk or walks.The

sidewalksshallbefour‐foot(4’)clearwidthtype.



(2.) Where there are curbs on the approach pavement to the

bridge,thewidthofthebridge(facetofaceofcurbs)shall

be the  same as the distance between curb faces on the

approach road. The sidewalks shall be six‐foot (6’) clear‐

widthtype.



C. Individual one way traffic bridges on median boulevards shall

haveonewalkontheoutsideofeithersideofthebridgeandtwo

waytrafficbridgesshallhaveawalkoneachsideofthebridge.



D. Allbridgesshallbeofreinforcedconcretedesignunlessspecific

application require other materials and then only with prior

approvaloftheHarrisCountyEngineeringDepartment.



E. All bridge railings shall be galvanized or stainless steel on

reinforcedconcreteparapetwalls.



F. All galvanized Flex Beam Guard Rails shall be designed and

constructed in accordance with the Harris County Engineering

Departmentdrawingtitled“FlexBeamGuardRailDetail”.



G. Alldesignandconstructionshallbeinconformancewith“Harris

CountyStandardSpecificationItemNo.420,ConcreteStructures”

andallotherapplicableHarrisCountyspecificationitems.



H. Where culverts are used as a bridge, the headwall shall be of a

sufficientheighttoallowconstructionoftheguardrailandsidewalk

attheelevationoftheroadway.



2. Theinclusionofanewpermanentbenchmarkisrequiredforthe

followingprojectsand

shallbeclearlyindicatedontheconstruction

plansfortheproposedlocation:



A. Allneworsubstantiallyrepairedbridgesthataredesignedfor

publicvehiculartraffic.Thebenchmarkshallbelocatedatthe

midwaypointonthedownstreamsideofthebridge.



B. Newresidentialsubdivisionswiththefollowingexceptions:



(1) Wheretheentiresubdivisionislocatedfurtherthan

onemileoutsideofthecurrentFloodInsuranceRateMap

1%(100–year)floodplainboundary.

(2) Wherethesubdivisionislocatedwithinonemileof

anexistingHarrisCountyreferencemarkandthatmark

hasbeenrecoveredwithinthepast365days.Station

recoverydataformsareavailablethroughtheHarris

Countywebsite:http://www.harriscountyfrm.org.

(3) Permanentphysicalmarkersshallbeprovidedso

eachlotownerhasaccessto,orvisibilityof,the

FloodplainEasement,ifany,onalot.



Newbenchmarksshallbelocatedontopoftheconcreteovera

BBinlet,orontheconcreteatthenoseofamedianin

thecenter

oftheroad.



Thebenchmarkshallbeestablisheduponapermanentstructure,

ormaybesetasamonument,andshallbereadilyaccessible

andidentifiableontheground.



Allrequiredmonuments,markersandbenchmarksshallbein

placepriortotheCounty’sacceptanceofanystreet

improvements.



C. RefertoAppendixJforrequirementsforsettingnew

benchmarks,submittalandacceptanceprocedures.



SECTION9.0‐TESTINGREQUIREMENTS



SECTION9.01 GENERAL

1. Allconstructionmaterialsshallbe testedandmonitoredbyan A2LA or

AASHTOac cred ited laboratory.



2. All construction materials shallbe tested and monitoredin accordance

withprovisionsreferencedinSection7.04.



3. Anyengineeringtechnicianperformingtestinginaccordancewiththese

rulesshallbeproficientforthetypeoftestingrequiredasdeemedbythe

engineer‐in‐chargeofthea ccr edit ed laboratory.



4. UponcompletionbutpriortotheacceptanceoftheworkbyHarrisCounty

Engineering Department, the accredited materials engineering

laboratoryshallsubmittotheHarrisCountyEngineeringDepartmenta

written statement of substantial compliance sealed by a professional

engineer licensed in the State of Texas.The written statement of

substantialcompliancemustacknowledgethatallconstructionmaterials

and operatio ns used in the project were tested and inspected by

accr edited laborato ry and that they comply with all the specif icat io ns

applicabletotheproject.



SECTION9.02‐BEDDINGANDBACKFILL



1. Thetestingofmaterialsusedforbeddingandbackfillofstormsewers

as well as other utility located underneath or within one‐foot (1’) of

subgradeshallbeconductedtoensurecompliancewith“HarrisCounty

StandardSpecificationNo.430”andtheprojectspecifications.



2. In construction applications where utilities under the pavement on

knucklesand/or cul‐de‐sacsexist,aspecialgeotechnicalnoteshallbe

placed on the geotechnical certification page detailing the method of

stabilization and backfill used to meet Harris County Standard

Specificationsfortheseapplications.



SECTION9.03‐SUBGRADETESTING



1. Allpavingsubgradeshallbeproof‐rolledaftertheroadwayhasbeencut

to grade.The Design Engineer, Accredited Laboratory, or their

designated representative shall monitor proof‐rolling operations and

shalldeterminewhetherremediationofweakareasisrequiredbefore

subgradetreatment.Ifremediationisrequired,theDesignEngineeror

AccreditedLaboratoryshallproviderecommendationsforremediation.

TheDesignEngineershalldetermineequipmentthatissuitableforuse

duringproof‐rolling.



2. Samplesofthepavingsubgradeshallbetakentoverifytheapplicability

oftherecommendedstabilizationtypeandquantities.TheAccredited

Laboratoryshalldeterminethefrequencyofsampling.TheAccredited

Laboratory shall confirm that the stabilizer type and application rate 

providedintheplansandspecificationsisappropriateorshallprovide

theappropriatestabilizertypeandapplicationratebasedonlaboratory

testingofthepavingsubgrade.



3. Density tests shall be performed every 300 linear feet of chemically

treatedsubgrade.Closerspacingfordensitytestingmayberequiredto

verifyconformancewithprojectspecifications.



4. Intheeventofrainwaterstandingonthesubgradeafterdensitiesare

made or other conditions beyond the contractor’s control, and if the

DesignEngineerdeemsthatthesubgradeconditionhasbeenadversely

affected, proof rolling of the subgrade will be required if reinforcing

steelhasnotbeenplaced.Intheeventthatreinforcingsteelispresent,

in‐placedensitieswillbeperformed;however,theDesignEngineermay 

requestthatthesteelberemovedandthesubgradesubjectedtoproof‐

rolling.



5. Aminimumofthree(3)in‐placedensitytestsperstreetarerequired.



6. The contractor is required to have copies of treated subgrade density

testreportsinhis/herpossessionattheconstructionsiteatthetimeof

placement ofbase material.The testdate shall beclearly marked on

thetestreports.



SECTION9.04‐FLEXIBLEBASE



1. All base material shall be from an approved Texas Department  of

Transportation (TxDOT) supplier or supplier approved by the Design

Engineer.



2. Aminimumofthree(3)densitytestsperstreetarerequiredtoverify

conformanceofcompactiontotheprojectspecifications.



SECTION9.05‐SURFACECOURSE



1. All surfacecourse material shall be provided from an approved TxDOT

supplierorsupplierappro vedbytheDesignEngineer.



2. Testingshallbeperformedthroughasphaltcorestoverifycompaction

criteriaoutlinedintheprojectspecificationsismet.

SECTION9.06‐CONCRETEPAVEMENT



1. All concrete shall be provided from an approved TxDOT supplier or

supplierapprovedbytheDesignEngineer.



2. The testing Laboratory shall review the submitted concrete mixture

proportionstoensuretherequirementsoftheprojectspecificationsare

met.



3. Aminimum of four(4) test cylinders shall be made for each 125 cubic

yard, or portion

 thereof, placed each day.Samples shall be taken in

accordancewithASTMC172andmoldedand curedinaccordancewith

ASTMC31.Fieldtestsincludingmeasurementofambienttemperature,

concretetemperature,slump,andaircontentsha llbemadeinaccordance

withtheappro priateASTMtestmetho ds,whereapplicable.



4. AlltestspecimensshallbepreparedinaccordancewithASTMC617and

testedinaccordancewithASTMC39.Two(2)specimensshallbetested

at seven (7) days and two specimens shall be tested at twenty‐eight

(28)days.Theacceptancetestresultsshallbetheaverage

ofthetwo

specimens tested foreach age interval.Ifone specimenin a test age

indicatesevidenceofimpropersampling,handling,moldingortesting,

itshallbediscardedandthestrengthoftheremainingspecimenshall

beconsideredthetestresult.Shouldbothspecimensinatestinterval

show any of the aforementioned defects, Harris County may request

thatcoresofthepavementplacedintheaffectedareabere‐taken.



5. Additional test specimens may be required due to concrete placing

conditionsorforadequatelydeterminingthestrengthofconcretewhen

earlyopeningofthepavingtotrafficisnecessaryand/ordesirable.



SECTION9.07‐CONCRETECORES



1. Once the pavementhas beenin placefor aminimum offourteen (14)

days,onecoreshallbetakenforeach1,000squareyardsofpavement

orportionsthereofwithaminimumofonecoreoneachstreet.Cores

shallbe

takenalternately ineachone‐halfsectionofthepavement.The

Design Engineer or the Testing Laboratory Engineer shall select

locationsofthecores.



2. Allcoresshallbebrokenattwenty‐eight(28)daysinaccordancewith

ASTMC42.Eachcoreshallmeettheminimumcompressive strength

requirement outlined

 in the project specifications.If a core fails to

meettheminimumstrengthrequirement,additionalcoresmayrequire

testingtomeettheaforementionedtestingrequirements.



3. SeeSection7.04(1)(K), abovefor a discussionofpavement thickness

verificationbyconcretecores.



SECTION9.08‐STRUCTURES



1. Testingforbridgesandstructures

shallbeinaccordancewiththeproject

specif icat io ns.



SECTION10‐INSPECTIONS



SECTION10.01‐CONSTRUCTIONINSPECTION



Theconstructionofimprovementsshallbeconductedunderthesupervisionof

alicensedengineerwhoshallensurethatworkisperformedinaccordancewith

theapprovedplans.Monitoringshal lbeperfo rmedbythefollowing:



1. TheDesignEngineershallprovideaqualifiedonsiteinspectorthroughout

theconstructionprojectforalls ig n ific an t operations.



2. Aconstructionmaterialstechnicianproficientinthetypeoftestingbeing

performed as deemed by the engineer‐in‐charge of the accredited

laboratory.



3. AninspectorfromHarrisCounty.



SECTION10.02‐NOTICEOFSTART



The contra ctor shall notify the Harris County Engineering Department in

writing(emailsandfacsimileacceptable)aminimumoftwenty‐four(24)hours

inadvanceoftheworkcommencingontheproject.Thenotice shallinclud ethe

development permitnumberissued underthe “Regulationsof Ha rrisCounty,

Texas,forFloodplainManagement.”Failuretofollowtheserequirementsmay

result in the County  not accepting the paving and drainage facilities for

maintenanceuponcompletion.





SECTION11‐ACCEPTANCEOFIMPROVEMENTSWITHIN

SUBDIVISIONS



SECTION11.01–ACCEPTANCEPROCEDURES



A project iseligible forinitialinspection atsuch timeas thepavement and

drainagefacilitieshavebeencompletedandthesubdivisionplatandrequired

right‐of‐way or easement instruments have been recorded in the Official

PublicRecordsofHarrisCounty.



To schedule an initial inspection and allow homebuilders to obtain

development permits in accordance with the Regulations of Harris County,

Texas for Floodplain Management, the Engineer of Record shall submit the

following:



1. A completed “Request for Initial InspectionForm” as promulgated by

the County Engineer.An engineer may submit the request

electronicallyviatheon‐linesubmittalprocess.Theformshallinclude

theengineer’s,contractor’s,anddeveloper’se‐mailaddressforcontact

purposes.



2.  Aphysicalcopyoftheapprovedplansfortheproject.Theseplans

shall be  stamped record drawings, sealed by a licensed engineer and

shall have the following statement. “This project is constructed in

general conformance with these plans and elevations on these plans

representwhatwasconstructedwithinengineeringtolerances.”Incases

where Developer builds both halves of a major thoroughfare, the

stampedrecorddrawingsshallcoverbothhalves.



3. A

“StatementofSubstantialCompliance Form”as promulgatedby the

County Engineer demonstrating the project met all testing and

performance requirements.An engineer may submit the request

electronicallyviatheon‐linesubmittalprocess.

4. Twophysicalcopiesoftherecordedplattoscale.



5. Acopyofthedevelopmentpermit.



6. AcopyoftheFinancialSuretyWorksheetandreceipt.



Eachhomebuildermayobtainone(1)permitfor a modelhome prior tothe

initial inspection being scheduled and the requirements above being

submitted.



Whenreceivingthe packageand requestforinitialinspection, HarrisCounty

shallissueareceiptindicating whatitemswerereceivedandthedatetheywere

rece iv ed.The online system will be updated by the next business day after

receivingtheitems.Onceallitemsarereceived,theonlinesystemwill

indicate

the date of package completion beginning the 10 day review process.Then

HarrisCoun tyshallrespondbyoneofthefollo wing:



1. Determining the package is complete, scheduling theinitial inspection,

and releasing development permits.No provision in the regulations

releases the project parties from meeting Harris County’s minimum

criter iaasadoptedin saidregulat io ns.



2. Rejectingthepackageandnotif ying allpartiesofrequiredcorrections.



Upon the earlier of (1) verification that the submitta l documents meet all of

Harris County’s minimum criteria (2) the passage of 10 business days from

packagereceiptwithoutarejectionorreturnof

thepackage,homebuildersmay

obtain development permits, provided that such permits are otherwise

authoriz ed  in accordance with the Regulations of Harris County ,  Texas for

Floodplain Management.Upon completion of the inspection, the County

Engineershallissueapunchlistindicatinganyitemsthatmustbeaddressed

priortothestartoftheone‐yea r performance period.Theengineermustapply

forre‐inspectionandpasstheinitialinspectionwithin90daysoftheorig in a l

inspection date.If the engineer has not requested and passed the initial

inspectionwithin90daysoftheorigina l inspectiondate,theCountyEngineer

may, in the interest of the safe, orderly, and healthful development of the

unincorporated area of the county and the promotion of the health, safet y ,

moralsandgeneralwelfareofthecounty’sresidents,suspendtheissuanceof

anyorallCountypermitsinregardtothesubdivis io nuntiltheinitialinspection

hasbeen

requestedandpassed.Anyinspectionrequestsafter90daysofthe

previo us inspectionshallbesubjecttoacompletere‐inspectionofallfacilities.

The County will schedule re‐inspections within two weeks after receiving a

request.ShouldtheCountyfa iltomeetanyofthetimeframesoutlinedinthis



section,anadditionaldaywillbeaddedtothe90daytimeframeforeveryday

the County missed the deadline.Once all paving and drainage items are

correctedaswellasanysa f et yrelateditems,theCountyEngineer shallissuea

LetterofSubstantialCompletionindicatingtheimprovementsappeartomeet

the approvedplans andspecifications fortheproject andspecifying thedate

the project will be eligible for final inspection and acceptance for County

maintenance.Thisdatewillbeonecalendaryearafterthedateofthe“Passing

oftheRecordDrawingInspection”.



Toscheduleafinalinspection,anengineershallsubmitthefollowing:



1) Submit the request for inspection electronically via the on‐line

submittalprocess



2) Thedeveloper’sexecuted“DirectiveforFinancialAssuranceForm,”

aspromulgatedbytheCountyEngineer.Thisformindicatesifthe

developer wishes the County to release or retain the  submitted

financialassurance.Shouldthisdirectiveindicatethedeveloper’s

wishthattheCountyretainthesubmittedfinancialassurance,the

developershallberesponsibleforlatentdefectsonly.Shouldthis

directiveindicatethedeveloper’swishthattheCountyreleasethe

submitted financial assurance, less the administrative fees, the

developerwillberesponsibletofixalldeficientitems.Anengineer

mayfulfillthisobligationbysubmittingtherequestelectronically

viatheon‐linesubmittalprocess.



Upon receipt of the above items, the County Engineer shall schedule an

inspection notifying the applicable Precinct representative, developer,

engineer,andcontractorsofthescheduled

inspectiondateviae‐mail.



After completion of the inspection and any subsequent re‐inspections, the

County Engineer shall do one of the following in regard to any Financial

Suretyconsistingofcash,providedthatthefundshavenotbeenforfeitedto

theCountypursuanttoaDirectiveforFinancialAssuranceForm:



1.  Recommend acceptance and authorize release of the financial

assurancefunds minustheadministrativeportionintheirentirety.



2.  Recommend retaining the entire submitted financial assurance funds

andnotacceptingtheinfrastructureduetomaterialdefectsinthepaving

and/or drainage improvements constructed by the developer.If this

occurs,the County Engineer shall refer the matter to the County

Attorneyforlegalaction providingspecificevidence.



Failuretosubmitthe“RequestforFinalInspectionForm”andthe“Directive

forFinancialAssuranceForm”withinforty‐five(45)daysaftertheone‐year

anniversarydateofthe“PassingoftheRecordDrawingInspectionDate”

shallconstituteafailuretocompletetheroads,streetsanddrainage

requirementsinaccordancewiththeseregulationsandwithinareasonable

time.Thisshallbeconsideredaviolationofaconditionofthefinancial

surety,resultinginaholdbeingplacedonthesubdivisionforadditional

permitsandareferraltotheHarrisCountyAttorneyforfurtheraction.

Failuretocompleteandpassallinspectionswithinsix(6) monthsafterthe

one‐yearanniversarydateofthe“PassingoftheRecordDrawingInspection

Date”shallconstituteafailuretocompletethe roads,streets,anddrainage

requirementsin accordance withthese regulationsand the financial surety

will be forfeited to

 Harris County.Harris  County may seek further action

through the Harris County Attorney’s Office to bring the subdivision into

compliance.



SECTION11.02‐INSPECTIONANDRE‐INSPECTIONFEES



A re‐inspection fee in the amount of $1,000.00 shall be charged prior to

schedulingtheinspectionifanyofthefollowingeventsoccurs:



1.  Aninspectionisscheduledwhentheworkproposedontheplansisnot

 completed in itsentirety unless suchpartial inspection isspecifically

approved priortoscheduling.



2.  A re‐inspectionisscheduledanduponinspectionitisdeterminedthat

thedeficienciespreviouslynotedhavenotbeen

addressed.



3.  An inspection or re‐inspection is cancelled without giving three (3)

workingdaysnoticeunlessaffectedbysevereweather.



Inorderforaprojecttobeconsideredreadyfor inspection,partiesmustbe

availabletoopenandclosemanhole lidsandinletplatesuponrequestandall

fire plugs in the upper reaches of the storm sewer system must have been

flushedtodemonstrateproperflowpriortothestartoftheinspection.Iffire

plugsarenot presentor charged,this requirement may bewaived.Failure

todosowillresultina$1,000.00re‐inspectionfee.



Innocasewillthedeveloperbeheldresponsibleforworkcoveredunderthe

“Regulations of Harris County for  the Construction of Driveways and/or

Culverts”asapplicableunlessthedeveloperwasthepermittee.Thepermittee

under those regulations will be held responsible for deficient work.The

developer will only be

held responsible for latent defects if they release the

FinancialSuretyfordeficientwork.

SECTION12‐TRAFFIC



SECTION12.01–TrafficDefinitions:



1. Major Thoroughfares – Long, continuous facilities that are designed to

carryhighvolumesof trafficandgenerallyserveashighvolumetravel

corridorsthatconnectandprovideaccesstocommercia l,mixeduse,and

residentialareas.



2. Collector–Roadwaysthatcarrymoderatevolumesoftraffic.Collectors

canbeclassifiedasmajororminor,dependingonthetypeoffacilities

towhichthey areconnected, length,typeof surroundingland use,and

existing and/or projected traffic volume and characteristics.These

facilitiestypicallyhavetheprimaryfunctionofcarryingtrafficfromlocal

roadways or other collectors to intersections with like and/or higher

classfacilities.



3. Local–Roadwaysthatcarrylowvolumesoftrafficlocaltoagivenarea.

Thesefacilitiesaretypicallyveryshort (lessthanone(1)mileinlength).

Theirprimaryfunctionistoprovideaccesstohomesandbusinessesand,

where applicable, accommodate on‐street parking and pedestrian

activities.

SECTION12.02–LEFTTURNLANES



Leftturnlanesshallberequiredinthefollo wing situations:



1. All si g na l iz ed intersection approachesalong  Major Thoroughfares and

Collectors,plannedorexisting;



2. All uns igna l iz ed  inte rs ec tion s and driveways along divided Major

ThoroughfaresandCollectors,plannedorexisting;



3. All un sign a liz ed  intersec t ions and driveways along undivided Major

Thoroughfares,andCollectorsplannedorexisting;

4. Alldevelopmentswithanoverall

footprintinexcessoffive(5)acres

locatedwithin500feetoftheintersectionoftwoormore

thoroughfarefacilities(i.e.,MajorThoroughfares,and/orCollectors

asdefinedbytheCityofHoustonMajorThoroughfareandFreeway

Plan);



5. Newpublicorprivateschoolconstruction;



6. Shoppingcentersandothertrafficgeneratorswithaleasespacein

excessofonehundredthousand(100,000)squarefeet;



7. Placesofworship.



ItshouldbenotedthatthepreparationofaTrafficImpactAnalysisisstrongly

encouraged for all midsize and large developments.Furthermore, a Traffic

ImpactAnalysismayberequired,asaconditionforreviewand/oracceptance,

if it is determined by the Harris County Engineering Department that the

development has the potential to impact regional transportation facilities

and/or has a regional impact on traffic patterns, such as schools.A traffic

impactanalysisisrequiredfortheevaluationofrequestsforvariancesand/or

deviations from Harris County Design and Development Guidelines.If the

developer or engineer feels a left turn lane is not warrant ed, he/she shall

submitaTrafficImpactAnalysis tosupportany requestforavariance ofthe

leftturn

lane. 



Turnlanesshall meetthe criteriaoutlined in Section7‐Paving.Thepaving

design requirements shall be the same as the adjacent main travel ed  lane

requirements.



Whenasphaltroadwaysarewidenedtoaccommodateleftandrightturnlane

installations,theentireroadwayshallbeoverlaidfrombeginningtoendingof

thewideningtransitions.



SECTION12.03‐ROAD SID ESIGNS

Roadsidesignsshallbeinacco rdancetolatesteditionofthe"TexasManualon

UniformTrafficControlDevices"(TMUTCD)withRevisions,andHarrisCounty

StandardDetailsandDesignSp ec ificatio ns.



SECTION13‐LANDSCAPING

SECTION13.01‐LANDSCAPEPOLICY



The purpose of these Rules is to protect the public, to maintain safe and

efficient operating regulations,and to preserveandmaintainthe integrityof

HarrisCountyroadsandroaddrainageeasementsandrights‐of‐ways, during

the construction,  maintenance and/or repair of landscaping or placing of

vegetation.



SECTION13.02‐USEOFTERMS:



A. “Landscaping”means theplacement of trees,shrubs,or plantsforthe

purposeofbeautificationofanesplanade(s)orotherportion(s)withina

Countyright‐of‐way.



B. “Visibility Triangle” means the triangular area adjacent to the

intersectionofanystreetestablishedbymeasuringadistanceoftwenty‐

five(25)feetforMajorThoroughfareandCollectorStreetandfifteen(15)

feetforLocalStreetfromthepointofintersectionoftwostreets along

the right‐of‐way of each of the intersecting streets and connecting

the

endsofeachmeasuredistancetoassureadequatevisibilitysightlinesfor

vehicular traffic approaching the intersection. In these areas,

landscap ingshallbeno greater in heightthan thirty(30)inches above

topofadjacentcurborcenterlineofpavementwhenallowedtogrowto

itsmaximumheight.



C. “Specimen

 Tree” means an exemplary tree of good health and true to

species habitandform,containingaminimumcaliperof1½inches.



D. “Caliper” means the minimum diameter of a tree as measured six (6)

inches above the ambient grade fo r trees up to and including four (4)

inchesindiameter,twelve(12)inchesabovetheambientgradefortrees

havingadiameterexceedingfour(4)inchesbutnotexceedingeight(8)

inchesandfifty‐four(54)inchesabovetheambientgradefortreeshaving

adiamet er greaterthaneight(8)inches.



SECTION13.03‐CONSTRUCTIONACTIVITY



No person shall enter upon land acquired, claimed or maintained by Harris

County for road and/or road drainage for the purpose of placement or

modifications of landscaping until the County Engineer certifies that all

requirementshavebeenmet.



SECTION13.04‐PROHIBITEDACTIVITY

No person shall place landscaping in such a manner as to interfere with the

construction,maintenanceand/orrepairofanyCounty road,ditchorright‐of‐

way. In the event that any such facility interferes in any manner with the

construction, maintenance and/or repair of any County road, the person,

company, orotherentityincontrolofthelandscapingshallalteritnolaterthan

thirty(30) days afternoticefromtheCountyEngineer and bearthe

costand

expenseofanychangeoralteration.



Nopersonshallplacelandscapinginsuchamannerastointerferewiththeuse

oforobstructvehicularorpedestriantrafficonanyCountyroadordrainageon

or along such road.No landscap ing higher than thirty (30) inches shall be

placedinthevisibilitytriangle.



Nopersonshallplacelandscapinginsuchamannerastoconstituteadanger

orhazardofanykindto personsorvehiclesusingormaintainingsuchroad,or

anypublicpropertylocatedwithintheboundariesoftheCountyright‐of‐wa y.



The operation of co nstruction  equipment on the traveled surface of any

improvedCountyroadisprohibitedunlesstheplacementoflandscapingcannot

beaccomplishedbyanyothermethod.Insuchinstances,theequipmentshall

userubbertiresonsaidtraveledsurfacesunlessothermethodsareappro ved.



SECTION 13.05‐TREESCAPE AND SCREENING REQUIREMENTS FOR

COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS AND PUBLIC

BUILDINGS



The following requirements apply to all commercial and public build ings 

constructed or substantially redeveloped after the effec tiv e  date of these

regulations.



“PublicBuildings andCommercialEstablishments”include anybuilding where

the public may gather or where good s or services are provided for

compensation.This definition includes, but is not limited to, auditoriums,

classrooms, churches, libraries, restau rant s, theaters, schools, daycare

facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, correctional facilities, hotels, motels,

dormitories, department stores, shopping centers, doctor offices, general

offices,laundries,apartmentcomplexesandwarehouses.Notincludedinthis

definition is an industrial facility having a fire brigade that conforms to

requirements of the Occupatio nal Safety and Health Administration or

apartmentbu ildings.

PublicBuildingsandCommercial Establishments(PB&CE)R equir ement s: 

EachPB&CEfrontingapublicroadshallberequiredtoplanttreesandshrubs

in accordance with the schedule listed below.A landscape design and

compliance review sheet as promulgated by the County Engineer shall be

submitted for review with each site plan for a proposed PB&CE.Nothing in

theseregulationsshall beconstruedasrestrictingsuchauthorityastheCounty

mayhavetoremoveorrequiretheremovalofanylandsc ap ing withintheright‐

of‐way,whetherornotconstructedormaintainedinconformancewiththese



regulations.



Street Trees:

The requirednumber ofstreet treesisderived bydividing bythirty(30) the

total length of all public street frontage measured in feet.Street trees are

requiredadjacenttoallpublicstreets,andtherequirednumber ofstreet trees

must be planted along said frontag e on

private property andwithin ten (10)

feetofthepropertyline.Exceptionsmaybegrantedininstanceswheretrees

wouldencroachintoavisibilitytriangle.Saidtreesshallbeaminimumof1.5

caliper inches in size and from the approved list found in Appendix “A” of

Chapter33oftheCityofHoustonCodeofOrdinancesineffectatthetime of

adoptionof these regulations.Ifthe developmentispartofalargerplanned

development,thenitsproratashareofstreet treesshallbeprovided.Street

trees shall be located on private property within ten feet of the adjacent

property line fronting the public right‐of‐way.This planting area can be

increasedincaseswhereencroachmentintoavisibilitytrianglewouldcreatea

safetyhazard.TherequiredtreesmaybeplacedintheadjacentCountyright‐

of‐way to fulfill this requirement provided the following conditions are

satisfied:



1. Such planting is approved by the respective County Commissioner’s

designee.

2. Restrictivecovenantsexisttoprovideforthemaintenanceofsaidtreeswith

noCountyinvolvement.

3. Treesareplantedinsuchamannerthattheydonotcreateatraffichazard

orapotentialtodamagethesidewalk 

orstreetpavement.

4. Treesplantedbeneathautilitylineshallnothaveamatu reheightofgreater

than25feet.



ParkingLotTrees:

Tocalcu latethenumber ofrequiredparkinglottrees:determinethenumberof

parkingspaces:divideby10;and roundup or down,unlesslessthan one.

A

minimumofonetreeshallbeprovided . Saidtreesshallbeaminimumof1.5

caliperinchesinsizeandlocatedwithin120feetofea ch parkingspace. These

treesshallbefromtheapprovedlistfoundinAppendix “A”ofChapter33ofthe

CityofHoustonCodeofOrdinanc esineffectatthetimeofadoptionofthethese

regulations.



ParkingLotShrubs:

Eachdevelopment fronting apublicstreet sha ll have a shrubbarrier planted

alongtheperimeteroftheparkinglottoscreentheparkingareafromthepublic

street.The shrubs shall be a minimum of 18 inches in height and shall be

selectedfromtheCityofHouston’s

approvedshrublistfoundinAppendix “D”

ofChapter33oftheCityofHoustonCodeofOrdina nce ineffectatthetimeof

adoptionoftheseregulations.Thenumberofshrubsrequiredisequaltoten

times the number of street  trees.No less than 75% of the shrubs

required

under this section shall be planted along the perimeter of the parking lot

adjacentto thepublicstr e et .



BufferRequi rem ent:

Any new commercia l or public building  proposed adjacent to exist ing  single

family residential property shall provide a landscape buffer.An amenity

feature constructed within the subdivision is exempt  from this requirement.

Acceptablebuffersinc lude:



 a. Aminimumofasix(6)‐foottallwoodormaso nryfence.

 b. Evergreenplantscapableofformingayearroundscreenofatleast

sixfeet inheightwithinthreeyearsofinstallation.



Thebuffershallextendtheentiredistancebetweentheexistingsingle‐family

residential development and the proposed public building or commercial

establishment or its pro rata share if it is a part of a larger development.

Pathwaysmaybeallowedthroughthebufferonacase‐by‐casebasis.



SECTION13.06‐TREEPLANTINGREQUIREMENTS FORSINGLE

FAMILYRESIDENTIALLO TS 



Thefollowingrequirementsapplytoallsingle‐fam ilylotsplattedandrecorded

aftertheeffectivedateoftheseregulations.Nothingintheseregulationsshall

beconstruedasrestrictingsuchauthorityastheCountymayhavetoremoveor

require the removalof any landscaping orplantings withinthe right‐of‐way,

whether or not constructed or maintained in conformance with these

regulations.Every lot greater than 5,000 sf in size shall require that a

minimumoftwo1.5inchminimumcalipertreesareplantedinthefrontyard.

Everylotsmallerorequalto5,000sfinsizeshallrequireaminimum

ofone

1.5calipertreebeplantedinthefrontyard.Thesetreesshallbeplantedprior

to occupancy of the residence.The trees must be selected from the City of

Houston’sapprovedtreelist foundinAppe ndix “A”ofChapter33oftheCityof

Houston Code of Ordinanc es  in

 effect at the time of the adoption of these

regulations.Theserequirementsshallappearonthefa c e oftheplatandinthe

restrictivecovenants ofthesubdivision.Therequiredtreesmaybeplacedin

the County right‐of‐way to fulfill this requirement provided the following

conditio ns aresati sfied. 



1. SuchplantingisapprovedbytherespectiveCountyCommissioner’s

designee.

2. The restrictive covenants are structured to provide for the

maintenanceofsa idtreeswithnoCountyinvolvement.

3. The trees are planted in such a manner that they do not create a

traffic hazard  or a potential to damage the sidewalk or street

pavement.



SECTION13.07–PRESERVATION

OFEXISTINGTREES



Existing trees that are preserved and meet all these requirements may be

countedtowardspartortheentiretree requirementonacaliperinchbasisfo r

anytreesrequiredbytheseregulations.



SECTION14–VARIANCES



Ifanypersonwishesanexceptiontoanyprovisionof

theseRegulations,such

personshallrequestavarianceinwritingfromtheHarrisCounty Engineering

Department setting forth the provision(s) from which the variance is sought

andwh ytherequestedvarianceisneeded.Suchpersonmustalsoexplainhow

equivalentmeasurestotheprovision(s) fromwhichavarianceissoughtwill

beprovidedorwhytherequirement(s)intheregulationsisnotapplicableto

such person’s project. The Harris County Engineer shall hold a hearing, and

denyorgrantthevariance.TheHarrisCountyEngineermayapprovearequest

for variance to these Regulations based on sound engineering practice.

VarianceswillbegrantedonlyiftheconditionsofSection60.6oftheTitle44

ofC.F.R.aremet.Specifically:



(a) Theapplicanthassh o wngoodandsu fficientcause.

(b) Ithasbeendeterminedthatfailuretograntthevariancewouldr esultin

anexcep t io na l hardshiptotheapplicant.



(c) The granting of avariance willnotresultin an inc r ea s ed flood height,

additional threats to public safety, extraordina ry public expense, or

createnuisances,causefraudorvictimiza t io n ofthepublic.



(d) Variancesshallonlybeissueduponadeterminationthatavarianceisthe

minimumnecessaryconsideringthefloodhazardtoaffordrelief.



Economichardshipshallnotconstitutethesolebasisforgrantingavariance.

Ifavarianceisgranted,thepersonrequestingsuchvarianceshallconformto

allapplicableprovisionsof theseRegulationsexcepttheSectionsforwhicha

varianceisgranted.



SECTION15–VESTEDRIGHTS



SubjecttoLocalGovernmentCode§245.004(9),therightstowhichapermit

applicantisentitledshallaccrueareasfollows:



1. Projects with a completed or unexpired administratively complete

application for Preliminary Plat submitted (does not include General 

Plans)toHarrisCountyoramunicipalityonorbeforemidnightofthe

effectivedateofthemostcurrentlyamendedRegulationsprovidedthat

theprojectisnotSubstantiallyModified,or



2. An administratively complete development permit application that is

submittedtotheCountyEngineeronorbefore midnightoftheeffective

dateofthemostcurrentlyamendedRegulationsprovidedtheprojectis

notSubstantiallyModified,or



3. An administratively complete submitted drainage report for a

development project to the CountyEngineer onor before midnight of

theeffectivedateofthemostcurrently

amendedRegulations,provided

theprojectisnotSubstantiallyModified.



It is the responsibility of the permit applicant to demonstrate a project’s

entitlementtovestedrightsunderthisSection.Ifapermitapplicantbelieves

theyareentitledtoavestedright,thatdeterminationistobecompletedprior

to the filing

 of an administratively complete permit application, plat

application,ordevelopmentplanapplication.



Dormant projects as defined under Texas Local Government Code Section

245.005aresubjecttoreviewundertheseRegulations.



If no progress has been made towards completion of a project, the project

willbedeemedaDormantProjectandanexpirationdateoftwoyearsfrom

will be placed on the associated Permit.Progress includes any one of the

following:



1. anapplicationforafinalplatorplanissubmittedtoaregulatory

agency;



2. agood‐faithattemptismadetofilewitharegulatoryagencyan

applicationforapermitnecessarytobeginorcontinuetowards

completionoftheproject;



3. costshavebeenincurredfordevelopingtheprojectincluding,without

limitation,costsassociatedwithroadway,

utility,andother

infrastructurefacilitiesdesignedtoserve,inwholeorinpart,the

project(butexclusiveoflandacquisition)intheaggregateamountof

fivepercentofthemostrecentappraisedmarketvalueofthereal

propertyonwhichtheprojectislocated;



4. fiscalsecurityispostedwith

aregulatoryagencytoensure

performanceofanobligationrequiredbytheregulatoryagency;or



5. utilityconnectionfeesorimpactfeesfortheprojecthavebeenpaidto

aregulatoryagency.

Havingapermitapplication,platapplication,ordevelopmentplan

applicationapprovedunderSection4.09VestedRightsdoesnotrelievean

applicantfromtherequirementtocomplywithTexasWaterCode11.086.

HarrisCounty’sreviewunderSection4.09VestedRightsisnotintendedto

impairorimpactapropertyowner’sremediesatlaworinequity.





SECTION16‐VESTEDRIGHTSDETERMINATION



AnyapplicantwhobelievesthattheyhaveobtainedaVestedRightshall submit

totheCountyEngineerpriortothesubmissionofanAdministrativelyComplete

permitapplication,platapplicationordevelopmentplanapplication,apetition

explainingthefactualandlegalbasesuponwhichthepersonreliestosupport

the contention that they have a particular vested right and consequently, is

exempt or not subject to a particular provision of these Regulations.The

petitionshallinclude,ataminimum,thefollo wing :



1. The name, mailing address, phone number,  and fax number of the

applicant(ortheapplicant’s

dulyau thorizedagent);

2. Identification of the property for which the person claims a vested

right;

3. Identificationoftheapplicationsforwhichtheapplicantseeksrelief

underthisSection;

4. Identificationofthe“project” asthattermisdefinedinTex.Loc.Gov’t

Code § 245.001(3) and the permit

application, permit, plat

application, plat, developmentplan application, drainageproject, or

drainagereportthatgivesrisetotheproject;

5. Identification of the original application for the first permit in the

series of permitrequired for the project, as described in Tex. Loc.

Gov’tCode§245.001(1)and§245.002(a)&(b)andeachsubsequent

permitapplicationorpermitconstitutin gtheseriesofpermits,bytype

ofpermitanddatesfiledorapprovedbytheCou nty Engineer;

6. IdentificationofallpertinentprovisionsoftheseRegulationsineffect

atthetimetheorigin a l application forthepermit,platapplicationor

developmentplanapplicationwasfiledthat(a)theapplicantcontends

controltheapproval,disapprovaloftheapplicationforapermit,plat

application,ordevelopmentplanforwhichreliefissought,pursuant

toTex.Loc. Go v’t Code§245.002(a)&(b);

7. Identification ofall thespecificprovisions ofthese Regulationsthat

the applicant contends do not apply to the project due to Vested

Rights;



Within 15 days of receipt of a petition, the County Engineer shall make a

determination as to whether the petition contains the information  required

above.IftheCountyEngineerdeterminesthatthepetitionisnot complete, he

must

notify the applicant in writing within 5 days of the determination and

notethedeficiencies.Within30daysofthereceiptofapetitionthatmeetsthe

minimum requirements above, the Co u nty Engineer shall render a

determination that grants therelief requested inthe petition, in whole orin

part,or

deniestherequestedrelief,inwholeorinpart.Priortorenderingthe

determination,theCountyEngineermayrequestapre‐determinationmeeting

withtheapplicanttodiscusstheperson’sVestedRightsclaimandmayrequest

additionaldocumentsorinformation relatedtotheVestedRightspetition.



IftheapplicantbelievestheCountyEngineerdeterminationismadeinerror,

the applicant may file an appeal with the Hearing Examiner under the

provisions of Sections ____.The appeal must be filed within 30 days of the

CountyEngineer’sdetermination.



SECTION17–VESTEDRIGHTSAPPEALS



Theterm“app ella nt” isusedtorefertotheappealingparty.



 (a) VestedRightsAppealsareinitiatedbythefilingof

anappealwith

theHearingExaminerinwriting. 



 (b) The Hearing Examiner(Examiner)will set a time fo ra hearing,

whichwillbescheduledassoonaspracticablebutwithin15days

ofthereceiptofthewrittenappeal,andshallprepareaNoticeof

Hearingnamingthetimeand

dateoftheHearing.Copiesshallbe

distributedasfollows:



1. The origina l copy and the Certificate to Commissioners'

Court will be filed with the Clerk of Commissioners' Court

andtheClerkwillprepareafilefortheHearingNotice.



2. TheExaminerwillsetuphisownworkingorhearingfile,in

whichhewillkeeponecopy.



3. TheExaminerwillgiveonecopytotheAppellant.



4. TheExaminerwilldeliveronecopytotheCountyEngineer.

The Hearing will be conducted as provided in Section 18

below.



SECTION18–VESTEDRIGHTSHEARINGBEFORETH EEXAMINER



At Vested Rights Hearings before the Examiner, the Examiner will hear the

testimony of the County Engineer and any witnesses called by the County

Engineer.The Examiner will hear the testimony of the appellant and any

witnessescalledbytheappellant.TheExaminerwillreviewalldocumentsand

exhibitssubmittedtohimbytheparties.TheExaminerwillnotbeboundby

formalrulesofevidenceandwillcontroltheevidence, reservingtohimselfthe

power to exclude testimony or exhibits he does not consider relevant.The

HearingExaminerwillmaintainanaccuraterecordoftheev id enc eadducedat 

theHearing.



SECTION 19‐FILING OF EXAMINER'S DECISION ON VESTED RIGHTS

APPEALS



The Examiner will prepare a written decision within 3 working days of the

VestedRightsAppealHearing.AcopyoftheExaminer’sdecisionwillbefiled

with the Clerk of Commissioners' Court,the members of the Commissioners'

CourtandwiththeCountyEngineer.Theoriginalwillbesenttotheappellant's

addresssh o wnontheapplication.



SECTION20‐REVIEWOFVESTEDRIGHTSAPPEALBYCOMMISSIONERS'

COURT



If the County Engineer, or the appellant wishes to appeal the Examiner's

decision, a written objection must be filed with the Clerk of Commissioners'

Courtwithin(10)daysofthedatetheExaminer'sdecisiononvestedrightsis

filed.TheClerkwillnotifytheHearingExaminerwhowillplacethematteron

the Agenda of Commissioners' Court for review at the next meeting of

Commissioners'Court.IftheobjectionisfiledbytheCountyEngineer,notice

that the matter is on the agenda will be sent to the appellant by mail at the

appellant'saddressshownonthepermitorapplication.Commissioners'Court

willreviewthematter.TheCommissioners'Courtmayeitheraffirmorreverse

thedecisionoftheHearingExamineronvestedright s.



SECTION21‐SEVERABILITY



TheprovisionsoftheseRegulationsareseverable.Ifanyword,phase,clause,

sentence,section,provision,orpartoftheseRegulationsshouldbeinvalidor

unconstitutional,itshallnotaffectthevalidityoftheremainingportionsandit

is hereby declared to be the intent of the Commissioners’ Court that these

Regulationswouldhavebeenadoptedastotheremainingportio ns,regardless

oftheinvalidityofanypart.

Appendix A

(Asamende dbyCommissioners’Court Order)



CERTIFICATESREQUIREDONPLATSOFPROPERTYLOCATEDINTHE

UNINCORPORATEDAREAOFHARRISCOUNTYNOTWITHINAMUNICIPALITIY’SETJ



Dedicatorylanguagemustincludethefollowingparagraphs:



 FU RT HER,Owners doherebydedicate tothepublic astripoflandfifteen (15)feet

wideoneachsideofthecenterlineofanyandallbayous,creeks,gullies,ravines,draws,

sloughsorothernaturaldrainagecourseslocatedinsaidplat,aseasementsfordrainage

purposes,givingtheCity(nameofcity),HarrisCounty,oranyothergovernmentalagency,

therighttoenteruponsaideasementatanyandalltimesforthepurposeofconstruction

andmaintenanceofdrainagefacilitiesand structures.



 FU RT HER,Ownersdoherebycovenantandagreethatallofthepropertywithinthe

boundariesofthisplatandadjacenttoanydrainageeasement,ditch, gully,creekornatural

drainagewayshallherebyberestrictedtokeepsu chdrainagewaysandeasementsclearof

fences,buildings, plantingandotherobstructionstotheoperationsandmaintenanceofthe

drainagefacility andthat such abuttingproperty shallnot bepermittedto draindirectly

intothiseasementexceptbymeansofanapproved drainagestructur e.



 FU RT HER,Ownerscertifyandcovena ntthattheyhavecompliedwithorwillcomply

with existing Harris County RoadLaw, Section 31‐C as amended by Chapter 614, Acts of

1973,63

Legislatureand allother regulationsheretoforeonfilewith theHarrisCounty

Engineerandadopted bytheCommissioners’Court ofHarrisCount y.



Additional certification on the plat must indicatethe floodplain status of the buildable

areason“residentiallots”ontheplat,referringtotheapplicableFloodInsuranceRate

Mappanelandeffectivedate.



A. BuildableAreasOutsidetheFloodplain:

“I, ___________________, a Registered Professional Licensed Surveyor in the

StateofTexas,doherebycertifythatthebuildableareasforallresidentiallots

are outside [or, are proposed to be outside, based on engineering plans and

specifications submitted to the County Engineers Office,] the 100‐Year

Floodplain as shown on Federal Insurance Rate Map Panel No. [insert panel

number]dated [insert effectivedateofmap]. This certificationis based solely

on plotting boundaries from the FIRM Map, and no technical analysis was

conducted.”



B. BuildableAreasintheFloodplain

“I, ____________________ a Registered Professional Licensed Surveyor in the

StateofTexas,doherebycertifythatthebuildableareasforallorsomeofthe

residential lots  are located within the 100‐yearfloodplain as plottedfrom the

Federal Insurance Rate Map Panel No. [insert panel number] dated [insert

effectivedateofmap]andaresubjecttoflooding.The100‐yearfloodplainisa

flood hazard area prone to flooding, and subject to additional floodplain

managementregulations.”



Floodplain easement dedicatory language must be shown on the plat if a Floodplain

EasementisrequiredinaccordancewithSection4.07FloodplainEasements.



”AFloodplainEasementisherebyestablishedoverthatportionoftheeffective

100‐yearfloodplainareaasdelineatedfromFIRMPANELNo.XXXXdatedXXXX

withintheboundaryofthisfinalplat,thelimitsofwhichimpactthebuildable

areas of residential lots, wholly or partially, and within such areais prone to

flooding.(*Seeattachedsketch.)Constructionofanytypeofresidentialhousing

within a Floodplain Easement is subject to additional flood hazard area

regulations.A Floodplain Easement may be abandoned by Harris County

CommissionersCourtifthebuildableareaof aresidentiallotisdeterminedto

beoutsidethe100‐yearfloodplainby submittingCountyEngineer’sForm1226,

withtheapplicabledocumentationandfee,totheOfficeoftheCountyEngineer.



CertificateforHarrisCountyEn gin e er: 



 I,JohnR. Blount, CountyEngineer ofHarrisCounty, herebycertifythat theplat of

thissubdivisio ncomplieswithalltheexistingrulesandregulationsofthisofficeasadopted

by the Harris County Commissioners’ Court and that it complies or will comply with all

applicable provisions of the Harris County Road Law as amended and all other Court

adopteddrainagerequirements.



____________________________________

JohnR.Blount,P.E.

CountyEngineer

Appendix A



HarrisCountyClerkCertificateofCommissioners’Court Approval:



I, [insert CountyClerk name] , County Clerk ofHarris County and ex officio clerkof the

HarrisCountyCommissioners’Court, doherebycertifythatthewithininstrumentwasa pprovedat

a legally convened meeting of the Harris County Commissioners’ Court held on

__________ __ _____ ____ __, 20__byanorder enteredintotheminutesofthecourt.



 ____________________________________

 [insertCountyClerkname]

 CountyClerk

 ofHarrisCounty,Texas



 By:_________________________________

  Deputy



HarrisCountyClerkCertificateofFiling:



 I,[insert CountyClerk name], County Clerk of HarrisCounty, dohereby certifythat the

within instrument with its certificateof authentication wasfiled for registration in my office on

__________ __ _____ ____ __ _, 200___, at __________ o’clock __.M.,  and duly recorded on

__________ __ _____ _, 200___, at __________ o’clock __.M., and at Film Code No.

__________ __ _____ ____ __ _____ __oftheMapRecordsofHarrisCountyforsaidcounty.



 Witnessmyhand

andsealofoffice, atHouston,thedayandda te last abovewritten.



  

____________________________________

 [insertCountyClerkname]

 CountyClerk

 ofHarrisCounty,Texas



 By:________________________________

  Deputy



Appendix B

NOTARY FORMATS



a. Forana tura lpersonactinginhisorherownright.



STATEOFTEXAS

COUNTYOFHARRIS



Thisinstrumentwasacknowledgedbeforemeon_______(date)by__________ ____ (name

orname sofpersonsacknowledgi ng).



SignatureofNotary

NOTARYPUBLICinandfor

TheStateofTexas



b. Foranaturalpersonasprincipalactingasattorney‐in‐fact:



STATEOFTEXAS

COUNTYOFHARRIS



Thisinstrumentwasacknowledgedbeforemeon_______(date)by__________ ____ (name

oftheattorney‐in‐fact)asattorney‐in‐factonbehalfof(nameoftheprincipalforwhomthe

documentissigned).



SignatureofNotary

NOTARYPUBLICinandfor

TheStateofTexas



c. Forapartnershipacting byoneormorepartners:



Thisinstrumentwasacknowledgedbeforemeon_______(date)by__________ ____ (name

ofthepartnerorpartnerssigning),partner(s)onbehalfof(nameofthepartnership).



SignatureofNotary

NOTARYPUBLICinandfor

TheStateofTexas

Appendix B



d. Foracor poration



Thisinstrumentwasacknowledgedbeforemeon_______(date)by__________ ____ (name

of officer), (title of officer) of (name of corporation), a (state in which incorporated)

corporation,onbehalfof sai dcorporation.



SignatureofNotary

NOTARYPUBLICinandfor

TheStateofTexas



e. Forapublicofficer,trustee, executor,administrator,guardian,orother representative.



This instrument was acknowledged before me on (date) by(name of the representative

signing),as (titleofrepresentative) of(nameoftheentityorpersonsrepresented).



SignatureofNotary

NOTARYPUBLICinandfor

  TheStateofTexas

Appendix C 

CITY OF HOUSTON DESIGN MANUAL

Department of Public Works & Engineering Graphic Requirements

Chapter 3

GRAPHIC REQUIREMENTS

3.01 CHAPTER INCLUDES

A. Graphic requirements for engineering plans.

3.02 REFERENCES

A. City of Houston monument ties in compliance with Article IV, Chapter 33, City Surveys, of

the Code of Ordinances.

3.03 DEFINITIONS

A. Computer Aided Drafting Design (CADD) - Preparation of drawings, plans, prints, and other

related documents through the use of computer equipment and software programs.

3.04 DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

A. Provide a cover sheet for projects involving three or more design plans (excluding

standard City of Houston detail sheets). Plan sheet numbers and titles shall be listed on

the cover sheet. Include an area key map and vicinity map to identify project location.

B. For Design Contracts with the City coordinate with the designated City project manager for

sheet size.

C. Show service area on cover sheet or area map.

D. Final design plans shall be India ink on mylar, or produced by CADD on mylar using

non-water based ink. Do not use adhesive-backed material on final plans. Stick-ons may

be allowed with approval of the City Engineer for a minor correction during the final review

process.

E. Details of special structures (not covered by approved standard drawings, such as stream or

gully crossings, special manholes, or junction boxes) shall be drawn with vertical and

horizontal scales equal to each other.

F. Each set of engineering plans shall contain paving and utility key drawings indexing

specific plan and profile sheets. City Standard Details, where applicable, shall be included.

All sheets shall have standard title blocks. Where applicable, show HCFCD key drawings

and numbers.

G. Draw key overall layouts to a minimum scale of 1" = 200'.

H. Plan stationing must run from left to right, except for short streets or lines originating from a

major intersection, where the full length can be shown on one sheet.

I. A north arrow is required on all sheets and should be oriented either toward the top or to the

right. This requirement is waived under the following conditions:

1. A storm water or sanitary sewer with flow from west to east or from south to north.

2. A primary outfall drainage ditch with flow from west to east or from south to north.

3. Stationing is intended to start from the cardinal points of the compass and proceed in

the direction of construction.

J. Standard scales permitted for plans and profiles of paving and utility construction drawings

are as follows:

1. Major thoroughfares, streets with esplanades over 400 feet in length, or special

intersections/situations.

1" = 20' Horizontal, 1" = 2' Vertical

2. Minor or residential single-family streets.

1" = 20' Horizontal, 1" = 2' Vertical

1" = 50' Horizontal, 1" = 5' Vertical, or

1" = 40' Horizontal, 1" = 4' Vertical

3. Scales of Paragraph 3.04J.2 above are minimum; larger scales may be used to show

details of construction.

4. Deviation from specified scales can only be permitted with special approval of the City Engineer.

For Design Contracts with the City coordinate the required scales on minor streets with the

designated City project manager.

5. Single-banked plan-and-profile drawings are acceptable; double-banked plan-and-profile

sheets are allowed in certain situations such as off-site utility lines in

undeveloped areas.

K. Show ties on drawings to City monuments when applicable; otherwise, make a statement on

the cover sheet referencing assumed control coordinates.

L. Each sheet of the plan and profile shall have a benchmark elevation and description defined.

M. The seal, date, and original signature of the Professional Engineer responsible for the

plans is required on each sheet developed by the design engineer. The design engineer

may use stamped seal or embossed imprint; however, the embossed imprint must be shaded

so that it will reproduce on prints.

N. A copy of the final plat for new development shall be included with the final design plans

when submitted for final approval.

O. If a roadway exists where plans are being prepared to improve or construct new

pavement or a utility, label the existing roadway width, surfacing type, and thickness.

P. Show all street and road alignments on plans.

Q. Develop plans to accurate scale showing proposed pavement, typical cross sections,

details, lines and grades, and existing topography within street right-of-way, and any

easement contiguous with the right-of-way. At the intersection, the cross street details shall

be shown at sufficient distance (20-foot minimum distance outside the primary roadway

right-of-way) in each direction along cross street for designing adequate street crossings.

R. Match lines between plan and profile sheets shall not be placed or shown within cross street

intersections including cross street right-of-way.

S. Show natural ground profiles as follows:

1. For privately-funded projects, centerline profiles are satisfactory except where a

difference of 0.50 feet or more exists from one right-of-way or easement line to the

other, in which case, dual profiles are required.

2. For City projects, provide natural ground profiles for each right-of-way line.

Easement profiles shall conform to Paragraph 3.04T.1.

T. Basic plan and profile sheets shall contain the following information:

1. Identify lot lines, property lines, easements, rights-of-way, and HCFCD outfalls.

2. Label each plan sheet as to street/easement widths, pavement widths, pavement

thickness where applicable, type of roadway materials, curbs, intersection radii, curve

data, stationing, existing utilities (type and location), and any other pertinent feature

affecting design.

3. Show utility lines 4 inches in diameter or larger within the right-of-way or

construction easement in profile view. Show utility lines, regardless of size, in the

plan view, including communication and fiber optic cables.

4. Graphically show flow line elevations and direction of flow for existing ditches.

5. Label proposed top of curb grades except at railroad crossings. Centerline grades are

acceptable only for paving without curb and gutters.

6. Show in profile curb return elevations for turnouts.

7. Gutter elevations are required for vertical curves, where a railroad track is crossed.

8. For street reconstruction projects, show in profile the centerline elevation at the

property line of existing driveways.

9. Show both existing and proposed station median noses or the centerline of

median openings, including median width.

10. The design of both roadways is required on paving sections with a median.

11. Show in plan view station PCs, PTs, and radius returns. Show in profile station radius

returns and grade change PIs with their respective elevations.

12. All existing and proposed utilities and pavement shall be on the same plan and profile

sheet for a given section unless approved otherwise by Project Manager.

13. Plan view and profile view shall be on the same sheet whenever practical.

U. For plant work, use a grid system to locate proposed work.

3.05 GRAPHIC STANDARDS

A. The following graphic standards for plan and profile shall apply to plans of 1" = 20'

scale. For smaller scale plans, use proportionally smaller line sizes.

B. Existing Improvements: The standards shown in Figure 3.1, Existing Improvements, are

required for depicting existing improvements on base plans. Use lower case letters with a

No. 0 reprographic pen or equal line weight unless otherwise shown in the pen/line weight

table, Figure 3.3, Line Code Definitions. Smaller pen sizes for lettering may be used for

clarity.

C. Proposed Improvements: The standards shown in Figure 3.2, Proposed Improvements, are

required for depicting proposed improvements on base plans. Use upper case letters with

a No. 3 reprographic pen or equal line weight unless shown otherwise in the pen/line weight

table, Figure 3.3, Line Code Definitions. Smaller pen sizes for lettering may be used for

clarity.

D. Signature Block: Use latest edition of Signature Blocks issued by the Engineering and

Construction Division for private and City projects.

ENDOFCHAPTER



Appendix D

CONSTRUCTIONNOTESTOBE

ONALLPROJECTS

DESCRIPTIONOFITEM

1  Water lines, wastewater collection systems, and storm drainage systems shall be

designedandconstructedinaccordancewiththeCITYOFHOUSTON’S,DEPARTMENT

OF PUBLIC WORKS AND ENGINEERING “DESIGN MANUAL, STANDARD

CONSTRUCTIONSPECIFICATIONS,ANDDETAILSFORWASTEWATERCOLLECTION

SYSTEMS,WATERLINES,STORMDRAINAGEANDSTREETPAVING”.

2  All storm sewer will be reinforced concrete (C76 Class III) and shall be installed,

bedded and backfilled in accordance  with the City of Houston’s Drawings 02317‐02,

02317‐03,02317‐05,02317‐06and02317‐07asapplicable.

3  All storm sewers constructed in side lot easements shallbe R.C.P., minimum twenty

(20)footwideeasementsshallbeprovided.

4  An alternative to cement stabilized sand may be used as backfill for pipes fifty‐four

(54) inch and larger, from 1‐foot above the top of the pipe to the bottom of the

subgrade.Contractor may backfill with suitable material, provided the backfill

material is placed in eight (8)

inch lifts and mechanically compacted to ninety‐five

(95)% standard proctor density.Tests shall be taken at one hundred (100) foot

intervals oneach lift.Beddingand backfillto one (1) foot  above the top of thepipe

shallbecement‐stabilizedsand .

5  Allproposedpipestub‐outsfrommanholesorinletsaretobepluggedwitheight(8)

inchbrickwallsunlessotherwisenoted.

6  Thecontractor(s)shall notifyHarrisCountyEngineering Department– PermitOffice

twenty‐four(24)hours inadvanceofcommencingutility and/orpavingconstruction

at (713) 274‐3823 and written notification forty‐eight (48) hours in advance of

commencingconstructionat10555NorthwestFreeway,Suite144,Houston,TX77092.

7  Paving shall  be in accordance with the “Regulations of Harris County, Texas for the

ApprovalandAcceptanceofInfrastructure”and/oramendmentsofthesame.

8  Guidelines set forth in the latest edition of the “Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic

ControlDevices,TMUCDwithRevisions”shallbeobserved.

9  OWNER OR OWNER’S AGENT to obtain all permits required by the “Regulations of

HarrisCounty,TexasforFloodplainManagement”priortostartingconstruction.

10  OWNER OR OWNER’S

GENT to obtain all notifications required by Harris County,

Texaspriorto starting construction of utilitiesand/or culvertswithinHarrisCounty

andHarrisCountyFloodControlDistrictRights‐of‐Way.



PLEASEADDALLNOTESCIRCLEDINREDTOTHECONSTRUCTIONPLANS.



Appendix E

CONSTRUCTIONNOTESINVOLVINGUTILITIESANDPAVINGWORK

LOCATEDWITHINAPUBLICRIGHT‐OF‐WAY



NO

DESCRIPTIONOFITEM

NOTE: “Notifications Issued by Harris County Engineering

Department – PermitsOffice–is required for proposed work within

Harris County Right‐of‐Way. The project must be approved prior to

obtaining the required Notification. Be advised that a Notification

must be obtained separately from site development permit package.

For additional

information, please visit

http://www.eng.hctx.net/permits/Public‐Review‐Code/Public‐Plan‐

Review/Notification‐of‐Construction‐in‐the‐ROW or contact Public

ReviewInspectionsDepartment@(713‐274‐3931)”



Appendix F

CONSTRUCTIONNOTESFOR

ESPLANADEOPENINGS

NDTURNLANES

NO



DESCRIPTIONOFITEM

  

1  Esplanadenosesatthecrossoveraretobebullettype,paintedreflectorizedyellow,

inaccordancewiththeHarrisCountyPavementMarkingDetailandtobesixinches

(6”)thickwithsurfacecoloredblackforconcretepavementanduncoloredforasphalt

pavement,aminimumofsixfeet(6’)deepmeasured

fromtheendofthemediannose

andthecurbsareatleastfourfeet(4’)inwidthfacetoface.

2  The relocation of existing trees, landscaping, sprinkler systems, water meters, fire 

hydrants, manholes, and pipelines (if applicable) are to be re‐installed as

recommendedbythe Harris CountyEngineering Department – PermitOfficeand/or

the Harris County Precinct (If located in Precinct 3, add note:Contractor(s) to

contact Precinct

3 Parks Administration Office @ (281‐531‐1592) two (2) weeks

priortoconstructionfortree(s)andlandscapingrelocation.

3  Existingreinforcedconcretepavementistobe machinesaw‐cut1‐1/2inchesdeepto

expose a minimum of twenty‐four (24) inches of reinforcing bars and place new

reinforcingbarstomatchexistingsteelsizeandspacingandtienewreinforcingbars

toexistingreinfor cingbarswitheighteen(18)

inchlaps.Fulldepthsaw‐cutmaybe

usedasanalternative.

4  Reinforcingconcretepavementistobeaminimumeight(8)incheswithaminimum

of5.0sackcementpercubicyard,[4500psiintwenty‐eight(28)days].Note:Dept h

ofconcretetomeetcurrentrequirementsofdepthofexisting pavementwheneverit

isgreater.

5  Asphalt turn lane to be minimum (2) inches H.M.A.C. with (10) inch base. Road

widening’sdoneonasphaltroadwaysforturnlanesmustbeoverlaidfullwidthofthe

roadwayfrombeginningtoendingtransition.

6  Subgrade shall be a minimum of six (6) inches for asphalt and eight (8) inches for

concrete,ofamaterial asspecifiedbytheengineerandapprovedby HarrisCounty,

and compacted to ninety‐five (95) percent standard proctor density (+/‐) two (2)

percentmoisture.Cementstabilizedsand,

asprescribedbyHarrisCounty specs,may

beusedasanalternative.

7  Slopeonproposedconcreteleftturnslotsistobeaminimumof1/8inchperfootwith

crownatcenterofesplanade.

8  All sewers under or within one (1) foot of proposed or future pavement shall be

backfilledwith1‐1/2sackcementstabilizedsandtowithinone(1)footofsubgrade.

9  ThecontractorshallnotifytheHarrisCountyEngineeringDepartment– PermitOffice

twenty‐four(24)hoursinadvanceofcommencingconstructionat(713)274‐3931and

writtennotificationforty‐eight(48)hoursinadvanceofcommencingconstructionfor

commercialandresidentialdevelopment.

Appendix F

CONSTRUCTIONNOTESFOR

ESPLANADEOPENINGSANDTURNLANES

NO



DESCRIPTIONOFITEM

  

10  Allpavementworkwillrequ ireanaccreditedlabcertificationforsubgrade,concrete

compressivestrength,inplacecore.Asphaltworkwillrequireasievetest,subgrade

andbasecompactionresults.



11  Pavingshall be in accordance withthe“Regulationsof HarrisCounty,Texasforthe

ApprovalandAcceptanceofInfrastructure”relating to the approval andacceptance

ofimprovementsinsubdivisionsorre‐subdivisionsand/oramendmentsofthesame.

12  Gu idelines set for in the “Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices” shall be

observed.

13  Include HarrisCountyDrawingSD‐1aspart oftheconstructionplans.

14  IncludeHarrisCountyPavementMarkingDetailasapartoftheconstructionplans.

15  NOTE: “Notification(s) issued by Harris County Engineering Department ‐ Permit

Officerequiredpriortoconstructionofutilities orturnlanes withinHarrisCounty

rights‐of‐way”.ContactHarrisCountyPermitOfficeat(713)274‐3931.

16  OWNER OR OWNER’S AGENTto obtain all permits and notification(s) required by

HarrisCounty,Texaspriortostartingconstructionofutilitiesand/orculvertswithin

HarrisCountyroadrights‐of‐way.



PLEASEADDALLNOTESCIRCLEDINREDTOTHECONSTRUCTIONPLANS.



Appendix G

CONSTRUCTIONNOTESFORALL

PROJECTSLOCATEDINTHE1%(100‐YEAR)FLOODPLAINAND.2%

(500‐YEAR)FLOODPLAIN

NO

DESCRIPTIONOFITEM

1  Allproposed constructionshall be in accordancewiththe “RegulationsofHarris

County,TexasforFloodplain Management”.

2  OWNER OR OWNER’S AGENT to obtain all permits requi red by Harris County,

TexaspriortostartingdevelopmentwithinHarrisCountyandHarrisCountyroad

rights‐of‐way.



Appendix H

IntensityDurationCurves

Region 3*

*Regions can be found in the Harris County Flood Control District Policy, Criteria, and Procedure Manual Reference Section

6.02.1.B. for design requirements.

Intensity,

Coefficient

50 % AEP 20 % AEP 10 % AEP 4 % AEP 2 % AEP 1 % AEP 0.2 % AEP

2-Year 5-Year 10-Year 25-Year 50-Year 100-Year 500-Year

Region 3

e 0.7244 0.6900 0.6623 0.6294 0.6096 0.5797 0.5196

b (in.) 48.35 52.32 54.68 57.79 61.00 60.66 62.17

d (min.) 9.07 7.88 6.96 5.89 5.46 4.44 2.95

AEP - annual exceedance probability

)( TCd





1.0

10.0

10 100

RainfallIntensity(in/hr)

TimeofConcentration,TC(min)

2Year

5Year

10Year

25Year

50Year

100Year

500Year

Appendix I



ButtonDetail For: KnuckleConfiguration



Appendix J

BenchmarkRequirements



Standards



New benchmarks arerequired to use the same criteria established during the Tropical

Storm Allison Recovery Project.The mark will be established using NAVD 1988, 2001

Adjustment Elevation and the GEOID 99 ellipsoid model to match the current Flood

InsuranceRateMapeffectiveJune18,2007.



Useasmuchaspossibledualfrequency,full‐wavelengthGlobalPositioningSystem(GPS)

receivers.TheNational GeodeticSurvey (NGS)2‐centimeter standard,as published in

NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NGS‐58 dated November 1997 is the vertical

surveyingstandard.ThehorizontalstandardistheNGSSecondOrderClassIstandardas

published in the Federal Geodetic Control Committee (FGCC) document entitled

“Geometric Geodetic Accuracy Standards and Specifications for Using GPS Relative

PositioningTechniques”datedAugust1,1989.InareaswhereitisimpossibletouseGPS

duetoconditionssuchasobstructedskyvisibility,precisedifferentiallevelingisrequired

toconnectsuchobstructedbenchmarkstotherestofthenetwork.Differentialleveling

will be used to meet the maximum loop misclosure specifications for the NGS Second

Order Class II vertical stand for leveling, as published in the FGCC document entitled

“StandardsandSpecificationsforGeodeticControlNetworks”datedSeptember1984.



The control will meet the NGS Classification system for Range  VI positions.Range VI

indicatesthat thesepositions meetthe 0.02meter00.05 meterAccuracy Standard for

HorizontalPosition,EllipsoidalHeight,andOrthometricHeight(elevation)andthe95%

confidencelevel.



SurveyControl



The controls to be used are the Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS)

monitored

byNGS.TheCORSstationslocatedatextensometersitesareconstructedso

astobeunaffectedbythe subsidenceof thegroundaroundthem.Theyareconsidered

by HGCSD and others to be the most stable control monuments in Harris County.The

threeCORSsitesareasfollows:

 PIDAJ6426

ADDICKS1795CORSARP(ADKS)

 PIDAJ6430NORTHEAST2250CORSARP(NETP)

 PIDAF9521LAKEHOUSTONCORSARP(LKHU)

 PID=PermanentIdentifier

 ARP=AntennaReferencePoint(physicalbottomoftheantenna)



The1997.00EpochDatewillbereferencedtocoincidewiththeexistingnetwork.



BenchmarkConstruction



Abrassdisk,providedbyHarrisCountyFloodControlDistrict,shallbesetinadrilled

holeintheconcreteonapermanentstructureandfastenedwithepoxycementor

establishedasapermanentmonument.AReferenceMarkNumberwillbeassignedto

yournewmonument.StampthenewdiskwiththenewlyassignedReferenceMark

Number.





BenchmarkAcceptance



ReferenceMarksubmittalformscanbeobtainedfromtheHarrisCountyPermitsOffice

ordownloadedfromthewebsite,http://www.eng.hctx.net/permits.ATexasState

RegisteredProfessionalLandSurveyorisrequiredtoset,levelandsubmitfor

acceptancenewbenchmarks.Submittwo(2)papercopiesandthedigitalfileofthe

fullycompletedformstotheHarrisCountyPermitsOffice.Afteracceptance,the

benchmarkinformationwillbeuploadedtotheHarrisCountybenchmarkwebsitefor

publicuse.



APPENDIX K



UNIFORMSTANDARDSFORPUBLICSTREETNAMING



Thisappendixiswrittentoprovideclarificationtothestreetnamingstandardsin

HarrisCounty.Uniformityinstreetnameselectionisessentialtopublicsafetyasit

reducesconfusiontothegeneraltravelingpublic,andmostimportantlyreduces

confusiontotheemergencyserviceproviders.



PRINCIPLES:

Publicstreetnamingshallfollowtheseprinciples:



1. Namedinamannerthatreducesconfusiontothetraveler,utilityproviders,

addressingauthority,andmostimportantlytheemergencyserviceprovider.

2. Whenlocatedwithin,orpartiallywithinaMunicipalityoritsExtraterritorial

Jurisdiction(ETJ),streetnameselectionshallfollowtheguidelinesfornaming

streetsenactedbythatMunicipality.

3. “OneStreet–OneNamePrinciple”‐Maintainsthesamenamefortheentire

limitsofthestreet.

a. Whenpresentedtheopportunitythroughastreetlimitextensionorother

improvements,theCountyEngineerwill,whenable,requirestreetname

uniformityfortheentirelimitsofthestreetwhereitdoesnotcurrently

exist.

b. Regardlessofplannedimprovements,ifatanypointasafetyconcernis

discoveredduetonon‐uniformity,theCountyEngineermayrecommend

changingthestreetnametofacilitateuniformityandsafety.

4. Allstepsnecessarytochangeastreetnamewillbeexecutedbytheapplicant.



GUIDELINES:

Ingeneral,tomeetthethreeprinciplesoutlinedabove,thefollowingareguidelinesfor

namingstreetswithinHarrisCounty:



1. Anewstreetthatisanextensionofanexistingstreetormasterplannedstreet

shallhavethesamenameastheexistingstreet.

2. Anon‐publicstreetthatisadirectextensionofapublicstreetoracul‐de‐sac

shallnothavethesamenameasthepublicstreet.

3. Adirectionalprefixorsuffixmaybeusedtoclarifythegenerallocationofa

street,providedthattheuseofthedirectionalprefixorsuffixisconsistentwith

theestablishednamingconventionwithintheareainwhichthestreetexists.

4. Streetnamesuffixesshallbelimitedtothefollowinguses:

a. “Circle”,“Court”and“Loop”shallbeusedonlytodesignatestreetsthat

terminateatacul‐de‐sacorareconfiguredasageometricallyloopedstreet.

b. “Boulevard”,“Crossing”,“Crossroad,“Expressway”,“Motorway”,

“Parkway”,“Speedway”or“Throughway”shallbeusedonlytodesignate

majorthoroughfares,majorcollectorstreets,collectorstreetsorother

streetsdesignedtohandletrafficvolumesinexcessofnormalneighborhood

trafficgenerationorthatareboulevardsections(i.e.mediandivided)with

atleasttwolanesoftrafficineachdirection.

c. “Bypass”,“Expressway”,“Freeway”and“Highway”shallbeusedonlyto

designatehighwayorfreewayssubjecttojurisdictionofthestate

departmentoftransportation.

d. “Avenue”,“Drive”,“Road”,and“Street”shallbeusedonlytodesignate

majorthoroughfares,majorcollectorstreets,collectorstreets,orlocal

streets.

e. “Bridge”,“Fork”,“Lane”,“Oval”,“Passage”,“Path”,“Place”,“Trail”and

“Way”shallbeusedonlytodesignatecollectorstreetsorlocalstreets.

f. “Tunnel”shallbeusedonlytodesignatestreetsthatprovideunderground

orunderwaterpassage.

g. Astreetnamesuffixshallnotbeusedaspartofthestreetname.

h. TheabbreviationofastreetnamesuffixshallbeconsistentwiththeUnited

StatesPostalServicepostaladdressingstandards.

5. Astreetnameshallnotincludeanytypographiccharactersorsymbols.

6. Analphabeticalornumericalstreetnameshallnotbeusedtonameanewstreet

unlessthenewstreetisadirectextensionofanexistingstreetwithan

alphabeticalornumericalnamethatisnotduplicativeofanexistingstreetname.

7. Whenastreetchangeshorizontaldirectionbyapproximately90degrees,the

streetnameshallchange.



Forpurposesofthesection,thetermscul‐de‐sac,collectorstreet,andlocalstreetshall

havethemeaningsassignedtothosetermsbytheFederalHighwayAdministration

(FHWA)and/orAmericanAssociationofStateHighwayandTransportationOfficials

(AASHTO)“APolicyonGeometricDesignofHighwayandStreets”.



EXEMPTIONS



ForstreetslocatedinanExtraterritorialJurisdictionofamunicipality,theCounty

Engineerwill

reviewrequestsforexceptionsonlyafterwrittenapprovalforthe

exceptionfromtheMunicipalityisobtainedbytheapplicant.Inlocationswithout

ExtraterritorialJurisdiction,requestsforexceptionswillfollowtheproceduresoutlined

withintheHarrisCountyInfrastructureRegulations.

