General Standards.
San Antonio Unified Development Code § 35-F141
in effectSec. 35-F141. - General Standards.
(a) In all areas of special flood hazards the following provisions are required for all new construction and substantial improvements:
(1) All new construction or substantial improvements shall be designed (or modified) and adequately anchored to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement of the structure resulting from hydrodynamic and hydrostatic loads, including the effects of buoyancy (see the FEMA and/or U.S. Corps of Engineers Flood Proofing Regulations).
(2) All new construction or substantial improvements shall be constructed by methods and practices that minimize flood damage (see the FEMA and/or United States Corps of Engineers Flood Proofing Regulations).
(3) All new construction or substantial improvements shall be constructed with materials and utility equipment resistant to flood damage (see the FEMA and/or United States Corps of Engineers Flood Proofing Regulations).
(4) All new construction or substantial improvements shall be constructed with electrical and mechanical equipment elevated or floodproofed to a minimum of one (1) foot above the regulatory floodplain elevation.
(5) All new and substantial improvements constructed with toilets, sinks, showers, water heaters, pressure tanks, furnaces, and other permanent plumbing installations shall be elevated or floodproofed to a minimum of one (1) foot above the regulatory floodplain elevation.
(6) All construction trailers, for private or public projects, shall be anchored to withstand hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces, if placed in the effective floodplain or otherwise placed outside of the effective floodplain by the contractor(s).
(7) All new and improved portions of water supply systems shall be designed to San Antonio Water System standards to minimize or eliminate infiltration of floodwaters into the system and discharges from the systems into floodwaters.
(8) All new and improved portions of sanitary sewage systems shall be designed to city sanitary sewer standards to minimize or eliminate infiltration of floodwaters into the system and discharges from the systems into floodwaters.
(9) On-site waste disposal systems shall be located to avoid impairment to them or contamination from them during flooding. Waste disposal systems shall be located above the regulatory floodplain surface elevation.
(10) Filling or the disposal of any materials which will diminish the water flow capacity of any waterway or floodplain defined by this ordinance must be compensated with remedial action. An equal amount of storage volume must be created in another location of the same SFHA to compensate for the storage capacity lost.
(11) Floodplain engineering procedures and requirements within FEMA or United States Corps of Engineers official flood prone areas shall conform to the engineering criteria of this section.
(Ord. No. 95415 § 1 Attachment A) (Ord. No. 2010-10-14-0894, § 2, 10-14-10; Ord. No. 2022-11-03-0831, § 2, 11-3-22, eff. 1-1-23)
Source: City of San Antonio, City Code, City Charter and Unified Development Code (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/san_antonio/codes/unified_development_code?nodeId=APXFFLRESPFL_SDDSTFLHA_S35-F141GESTFetched: 10/27/2026