Houston Public Works (HPW) has completed the 2021-2022 Review Cycle. As a result, the Infrastructure Design Manual (IDM), General Requirements, Standard Construction Specifications, and Standard Details have been updated.
A 90-day design grace period for implementation of the City of Houston IDM is instituted for the 2022 edition. For Houston Public Works capital improvement projects managed by the Capital Projects service line, Phase II final designs that have not been submitted for a required review prior to October 1, 2022, must comply with all requirements in the 2022 IDM.
For projects in the public or private sector, plans submitted for initial review after October 1, 2022, must comply with all requirements in the 2022 IDM. The City must receive substantially complete plans before October 1, 2022, to be grandfathered under the 2021 requirements.
Plats and easements submitted for preliminary plat review after October 1, 2022, must comply with the 2022 IDM requirements. Easements dedicated through separate instruments and submitted to the Houston Permitting Center (OCE & BCE) for initial review after October 1, 2022, must comply with the 2022 IDM requirements. Easements that were reviewed and approved during preliminary plat, but design drawings have not been submitted for initial review by October 1, 2022, must be resubmitted for review and comply with the new IDM requirements.
The Houston Public Works Director signed the IDM Cover Letter & Executive Summary on July 1, 2022. The executive summary provides more background on when the 2022 design requirements and standards will be implemented. It also provides a summary of updates made to all documents during the review cycle. The IDM Redlines and Construction Specifications Redlines are also available for additional background.
A public IDM Webinar will be conducted by Microsoft Teams and held on August 22 from 12-3 pm. The IDM webinar will present a high-level view of the changes implemented during the 2021-2022 Review Cycle. Please register to receive the attendee link.
All of the content described here is accessible on the Design and Construction Standards webpage.
For additional questions about the changes, please contact the Office of the City Engineer at 832.394.9164 or [email protected].
Last updated: Aug. 5, 2022