Concrete Contractor
in Cypress, TX

Cypress is not a city, so do I still need a permit?

Yes. Cypress is unincorporated, so there is no city permit office. Harris County OCE Permits at 1111 Fannin St issues them, and the county says a permit is needed for all development. That wording includes filling, grading, paving and excavation, so the site work needs one too, not just the building.

How high does my slab have to be in Cypress?

It depends on the lot. Outside the 100-year floodplain, if your lot is not in a subdivision built to the county's newer standards, a new home's finished floor sits at least 12 inches above the highest adjacent grade, measured 10 feet out, or 12 inches above the street crown, whichever is higher. In the 500-year floodplain it must be at or above the 500-year level. In the 100-year floodplain the floor goes 24 inches above the 500-year elevation, or 12 inches above the street crown if that is higher. We build the pad to hit those numbers.

Can I bring in dirt to raise my lot?

Not freely. Any fill in the 500-year floodplain has to be offset one-to-one with equal storage dug out elsewhere in the same watershed. Outside the floodplain, fill still needs a county development permit. We plan the cut and fill so the volumes balance before we haul anything in.

Do I need a permit for a new driveway culvert?

Yes, from the County Engineer, if the driveway or culvert sits in a county right-of-way or easement. Building one without a permit is prohibited. The pipe has to be reinforced concrete, 18 inches minimum, and we install it to that spec so it passes inspection.

Is the soil in Cypress as bad as Houston clay?

Mostly no. Cypress sits on the Lissie Formation, and the soils are loamy, like Clodine and Cyfair, with low to moderate shrink-swell. But the ground is flat and slow to drain, and the Cyfair subsoil still reaches about 45 percent clay. The Hockley Fault also crosses US 290 here, so on acreage near 290 we check the fault maps and pull a geotech report. If the Cyfair clay subsoil has already cracked an older slab, we handle the foundation repair in Cypress too.

Will my barndominium or shop need a detention pond?

One single-family home with no major change in drainage usually does not. Commercial sites usually do: about 1.0 acre-foot per acre for a roadside-ditch outfall, and 0.75 for a storm sewer, under the county's infrastructure rules, last updated in 2023. Cypress Creek starts to overflow toward Addicks in a 5- to 10-year storm, which is why the county is strict here.