Texas Legislature Adjourns Sine Die On January 12 at noon, members of the Texas Senate and House of Representatives gathered in their respective chambers at the Capitol in Austin to convene the 87th legislative session. …
Texas Delays Adoption of NEC Code Requirement
Last year, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation adopted the 2020 National Electric Code (2020 NEC) with an effective date of November 1, 2020. That adoption included Section 210.8(F) of the 2020 NEC which …
City of Houston Adopts Water & Wastewater Impact Fees
Last month, the Houston City Council adopted new water and wastewater impact fees that will be effective on July 1, 2021. Impact fees are charged to developers before a newly developed property can connect to …
The GHBA Goes to Rally Day
On Tuesday, April 13, GHBA members participated in COVID-19’s version of the Texas Association of Builders’ Rally Day in Austin. With health and safety protocols still the highest priority and wanting to be a responsible …
City of Houston Adopts New Detention Requirements, Effective April 1
(Updated March 15, 2021) Following meetings by GHBA members with Mayor Turner, City Council Members and other City of Houston officials, new detention requirements for single family lots have been modified by the City of …
CenterPoint Slab Requirement Change
After a thorough review of CenterPoint Energy’s current policy requiring a slab prior to the installation of the joint trench, the company will no longer consider a home start as a prerequisite for a final …
Texas Adopts 2020 National Electrical Code
On June 30, 2020 the Texas Commission on Licensing and Regulation adopted the 2020 NEC as the electrical code for the state of Texas and established it as the “minimum standard” for all electrical work …
HOME-PAC Election Recap
While the race for the presidency is still undetermined, we do have positive results for a number of races that were of great importance to HOME-PAC and our Houston region. With a highly anticipated blue …
USACE Releases Buffalo Bayou Study Interim Report
Last month, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released an interim draft of its Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the current conditions of Buffalo …
Soaring Lumber Costs Affecting Home Prices
With lumber prices at historically high levels, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has calculated that this rise in costs has caused the price of an average new single-family home to increase by $16,148 …
Harris County Announces New Flooding Task Force
In late July, Harris County announced it would be reorganizing the existing Flood Control Task Force into the Harris County Community Flood Resilience Task Force in an effort to “reflect a broader approach to the …
City of Houston Opens Applications for Small Business Relief Fund
The City of Houston has begun accepting applications for its recently announced $15 million Small Business Economic Relief Program (SBERP) with the application period running until September 4. The program is funded through the federal …
New Coastal Building Code Effective September 1
Starting September 1, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) will require that builders adhere to the 2018 windstorm provisions of the International Residential Code (IRC) if they are building in coastal areas. TDI adopted the …
Primary Election Runoff Review
Last month, the Republican and Democratic primary runoff elections were finally concluded and all candidates for the November general election were decided. Due to COVID-19, this process took nearly five months from the beginning of early …
City of Houston to Require Floodplain Identification on General Plans
Starting on July 24, 2020, the City of Houston Planning Department will require that the 100-year, 500-year floodplains and floodway be identified on all general plans submitted to the department with the Plat Tracker application. …