Galveston County
What it takes to put a carport, garage, barn or RV cover on your property in Galveston County, Texas. Permit authority, wind speed, and who to call.
outline + city dots
slot, not yet drawn
Galveston County permits through Engineering, Floodplain Permitting and Right-of-Way, and the office describes its job as permitting all development as defined in the Floodplain Regulations. The county reads development the FEMA way: any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures. A building set on your land is a man-made change, so the county wants the permit before it lands. Individually done repairs such as roofing, siding, windows or deck replacement do not require one, and fencing does not require one.
The county states there is no zoning, no certificate of compliance, no fire marshal permit and no demolition permit. This is a floodplain and development answer, not a building code approval, and it stops at every city limit in the county.
All development, as defined in the Floodplain Regulations - means any man-made change in improved and unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations or storage of equipment or materials. Requires a permit.
Repairs to a home such as roofing, siding, windows or deck replacement does not require a permit when done individually.
There is no zoning, certificate of compliance, a fire marshal or demolition permit
permitting all development as defined in the Floodplain Regulations, as well as researching existing structures to grandfather or permit
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
A valid permit and approved plan must be obtained to construct, alter, repair, extend or operate an on-site sewage facility.
Regional band for coastal tier, 1 to 10 miles inland. Wind speed follows your address, not the county line, so this is context and not a site figure.
ASCE 7, Risk Category II. Look up your exact address →
Cities and communities in Galveston County
Inside city limits the city's rules apply on top of the county's, and cities do zone. We have not yet read each city's ordinance, so every row below is marked unverified.
Galveston County Engineering, Floodplain Permitting & Right-of-Way
722 Moody Avenue, 1st Floor<br>Galveston, TX 77550 Call (409) 770-5552 County permit page ↗Opens ATC Hazards by Location, the source we use for wind, snow and seismic values.