Floodplain Permits Go Through Road & Bridge in Harrison County

East Texas drainage is no joke. Big Cypress Bayou and its tributaries spread out across a lot of low ground in this county, and plenty of buildable-looking lots sit in a mapped floodplain. If yours does, putting up a house, a shop, or even fill dirt means a floodplain permit before you start, and there are separate residential and non-residential versions with their own instructions.

That permit is the county's way of enforcing how high a structure has to be built so it survives a flood, and it surfaces early in any land purchase near a creek or low spot. The same review can change where on the lot you build and shape your flood-insurance conversation later, so it's better learned before closing than after.

The County Engineer's office runs this out of Road & Bridge at 3800 Five Notch Road in Marshall (Eric Powell, PE, signs off on these), and you can reach them at 903-935-4868. If the property is inside a city, ask the city separately, since it may run its own floodplain and building review.