Existing heliports or helistops.
Houston Code of Ordinances § 9-336
in effectSec. 9-336. - Existing heliports or helistops.
(a) Any owner or operator of an existing heliport or helistop, as defined in this section, shall not be required to comply with the terms and conditions of this article until November 10, 2021, in order to provide a reasonable time for amortization of the investment in the heliport or helistop. This section shall not be construed as exempting an existing heliport or helistop from complying with all Fire and Construction Code provisions.
(b) A heliport or helistop shall be considered to be existing if:
(1) The heliport or helistop had a current valid license, other than a temporary license, from the city in effect on November 10, 2015;
(2) The heliport or helistop had a properly-submitted application for renewal of a previously valid license, other than a temporary license, pending on November 10, 2015; or
(3) The heliport or helistop was located in an area annexed to the city, the effective date of which annexation was on or after December 29, 1982, and was constructed, under construction, or in operation prior to such annexation and had a properly-submitted application for a license, other than a temporary license, pending on November 10, 2015.
(c) Any owner or operator of an existing heliport or helistop as defined in this section shall make an application to the director for a special permit. The director shall grant the special permit upon finding the facility qualifies as an existing heliport or helistop under this section. Such permit shall, unless revoked, be valid for so long as the heliport or helistop remains in operation during the amortization period set out in this section. In the event that the permittee abandons or discontinues operation of the existing heliport or helistop, the special permit shall expire.
(d) Additional investment may be made in an existing heliport or helistop during the amortization period upon notice to the director so long as the owner or operator of the existing heliport or helistop agrees that any investment shall not be subject to recoupment, be the basis for any extension of the amortization period, or enlarge or otherwise expand the number of monthly operations at the heliport or helistop.
(e) If improvements upon any lot covered by this subsection are destroyed or damaged in excess of 50 percent of the value of the then-current city tax rolls as a result of fire, explosion, weather, or other act of God, then the improvement shall not be rebuilt or otherwise reconstructed. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit the minor repair or routine maintenance of existing improvements.
(f) By applying for a special permit under the provisions of this article, the applicant agrees that if a special permit is granted, the contents of the prior license or license application will become part of the special permit and that the special permit is granted subject to the applicant's compliance with the terms and conditions of the special permit. The applicant further agrees that failure to fully comply with the terms and conditions of the special permit as granted, and as from time to time altered or changed in accordance with this article, including but not limited to failure to comply with the approach and departure routes, shall be grounds for revocation of the special permit.
(g) Any existing heliport or helistop entitled to a special permit under this article shall be restricted under this article only to the extent that:
(1) The maximum number of monthly operations at the facility may not exceed the maximum number of monthly operations for which the facility was licensed on November 10, 2015 or, if the facility was not licensed at this time, may not exceed the maximum number of monthly operations listed in the license application for the facility; and
(2) The types of helicopters using the facility may not be noisier types of helicopters than those listed in the license application for the facility.
(Ord. No. 2015-1103, § 2(Exh. A), 11-10-2015)
Source: City of Houston, Code of Ordinances and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/houston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH9AV_ARTVHEHE_S9-336EXHEHEFetched: 10/26/2026