All construction sites within the City Limits of Houston will be inspected and are required to have pollution prevention measures installed before construction begins.
The TCEQ Construction General Permit, NOI (Notice of Intent), for construction sites five (5) acres or greater, or CSN (Small Construction Site), for construction sites at least one (1) acre but less than five (5) acres, is required as part of the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) from the State of Texas and EPA. All construction sites are required to have this permit when the disturbed area is equal to or greater than one (1) acre as specified by the TCEQ TXR150000 and by the City of Houston Ordinance Chapter 47 Article XII, Division 3, City of Houston Code of Ordinances. Once issued, this permit is effective for the remaining period of the current general permit period and then must be renewed, if construction is not complete, with the beginning of the next general permit period. The City of Houston completes periodic compliance inspections throughout construction activity.
The City of Houston does not issue this permit but inspects construction sites within the city limits that are subject to this permit. You must notify the City of Houston with a copy of your NOI, if you are a large construction site, or a copy of your CSN if you are a small construction site at least two (2) days prior to any earth disturbing activities. The email address to send notification to is [email protected].
For information on how to obtain a TXR150000 Permit, please visit the TCEQ website or call the TCEQ Houston Regional Office at 713-767-3500.
All construction sites greater than one (1) acre disturbed must obtain TCEQ Permit Coverage and comply with all conditions of the TCEQ Permit. Should the construction site be found to be out of compliance, enforcement actions may be taken. TCEQ Permit coverage must stay in effect until final stabilization has been achieved.
The City of Houston does not issue this permit but inspects construction sites within the city limits that are subject to this permit.
For information on how to obtain a TXR150000 Permit, please visit the TCEQ website or call the TCEQ Houston Regional Office at 713-767-3500.
All inspections are unannounced.
You must notify the City of Houston with a copy of your NOI, if you are a large construction site, or a copy of your CSN if you are a small construction site at least two (2) days prior to any earth disturbing activities. The email address to send notification to is [email protected].
- You must post a TCEQ Construction Site Notice near the entrance of your construction site.
- Your Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWP3) must be readily available for the inspector at the construction site.
- When construction is complete, and the construction site has reached final stabilization (70% density of vegetative cover on all unpaved areas): A NOI (Large Construction Site) primary operator must submit a Notice of Termination (NOT) to the TCEQ in Austin and send a copy to the MS4 operator. A CSN (Small Construction Site) operator must remove the Small Construction Site Notice from the construction site, complete the bottom of the form and send it to the MS4 operator. All termination notifications should be sent to: [email protected]
If the construction site is found to be out-of-compliance, corrective actions will be taken. A re-inspection fee will be assessed. The permit holder (primary operator) under their SWP3 plan is required to conduct weekly or bi-weekly inspections while the permit is in effect. When the permit is terminated and the BMP's are removed , no further inspection are required.