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Drainage & Grading Plans in Texas | PE-Stamped Site Drainage Design

PE-stamped drainage and grading design for Texas sites — detention, positive drainage, and stormwater systems that pass city review and protect foundations.

Speak directly with a licensed PE engineer
PE-signed & sealed plans — statewide acceptance
48–72 hour turnaround available on most projects
Residential & commercial expertise
All 254 Texas counties served
Free phone assessment — no obligation
(833) 598-1772Contact Us
Firm License #21242
48–72 hr Turnaround
5-Star Rated

Overview

Drainage decides whether a Texas property stays healthy for decades or fights water every year — and it is the part of a permit package most cities scrutinize hardest. Our licensed civil engineers design PE-stamped grading and drainage plans for new construction, additions, and drainage problem properties: positive drainage away from foundations, detention where the city requires it, and conveyance systems sized for real Texas rainfall, not guesswork.

When a Texas Project Needs Engineered Drainage

Most Texas cities require engineered drainage design with permits for new construction, additions that change site grading, paving, and any development that increases runoff. Commercial projects almost always need a full drainage review — detention calculations, outfall analysis, and compliance with the city's drainage criteria manual.

Outside of permits, we are called constantly to solve existing problems: water pooling against a foundation, water crossing a property line onto a neighbor, a yard that floods every hard rain, or erosion carving gullies along a fence line. Engineered grading fixes the root cause instead of moving the water to the next problem spot — and where a drainage dispute needs documentation for a legal or insurance matter, our forensic engineering team provides the stamped assessment.

  • New construction and addition drainage plans
  • Detention and retention system design
  • Driveway, parking, and paving drainage
  • Yard drainage and regrading for problem properties
  • Swales, channel, and outfall design
  • Neighbor-dispute drainage assessments and fixes

Grading Design That Protects the Foundation

In Texas, grading is a foundation issue before it is a water issue. Expansive clay soils swell and shrink with moisture, and poor grading that traps water against a slab or crawlspace drives differential foundation movement — the cracking, sticking doors, and sloping floors we diagnose every week in our structural inspection practice.

Our grading plans establish positive drainage away from the structure (typically 6 inches of fall in the first 10 feet), swales that route runoff to legal outfalls, and foundation-edge moisture control. For properties already showing foundation distress, the drainage correction is designed alongside our structural inspection so the fix addresses cause, not symptoms.

    Detention, Storm Sewers, and City Criteria

    Commercial and subdivision projects face the full regulatory stack: most Texas cities require on-site detention so developed runoff doesn't worsen flooding downstream, sized by rational-method or hydrograph analysis to the city's design storm. Drainage area studies, storm sewer networks, inlet spreads, and outfall energy dissipation all have to be engineered and stamped.

    We design to the applicable criteria manual — Houston's infrastructure design rules, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, TxDOT standards for drive permits — and prepare the drainage studies and calculations reviewers expect. Plans are engineered to clear review on the first submission, and we respond to reviewer comments at no additional cost for the original scope.

      Costs and Turnaround

      Residential drainage and grading design typically costs $1,500-$5,000 depending on lot complexity; commercial drainage design with detention runs $5,000-$25,000+. Most residential packages are delivered in 1-2 weeks; commercial studies take 2-4 weeks.

      Call (833) 598-1772 and describe your drainage situation — we quote immediately and tell you honestly whether you need an engineer or just a regrade.

        How It Works

        1

        Phone Quote

        Call (833) 598-1772 with your address and drainage concern. We quote immediately and confirm the engineering scope.

        2

        Site Analysis

        We evaluate existing drainage, soils, and outfalls — surveyed elevations where needed — and identify how water actually moves across your site.

        3

        Grading & Drainage Design

        We design the grading, swales, detention, and conveyance to the city's criteria, with all supporting calculations.

        4

        PE-Stamped Plans

        You receive signed and sealed plans for permit submission or contractor construction, with review support included.

        Need Drainage & Grading Plans in Texas?

        Call now to speak directly with a licensed engineer. Free assessment, fast turnaround, permit-ready results.

        Call (833) 598-1772

        Drainage & Grading Plans FAQs

        Do I need an engineer for a drainage plan in Texas?+
        For permitted construction — new buildings, additions, paving, and most commercial work — cities require PE-stamped drainage and grading plans. For an existing drainage problem on an already-built property, an engineered assessment is still the reliable path: it identifies where water actually enters the property and designs the fix, rather than guessing.
        How much does drainage design cost in Texas?+
        Residential drainage and grading design typically costs $1,500-$5,000. Commercial drainage design with detention and drainage studies runs $5,000-$25,000+ depending on acreage and the city's criteria. Call (833) 598-1772 for an exact quote before any work begins.
        Can you fix my neighbor draining water onto my property?+
        Yes. We assess how water crosses the boundary, document the cause with elevations and drainage paths, and design a lawful correction — a swale, berm, or conveyance — that solves it without pushing the problem back onto them. Our stamped assessment also supports discussions with the neighbor or city if needed.
        Why does my yard flood even though the house sits high?+
        Yard flooding is usually a conveyance problem — water has no legal path off the property, or the grading creates a basin. It is fixable almost always with engineered grading and swales, and doing it right matters because sending the water to a neighbor or the street unlawfully creates liability. We design the path that keeps you dry and compliant.
        What is stormwater detention and when is it required?+
        Detention is an on-site basin that holds developed runoff and releases it slowly, so new pavement and roofs don't worsen downstream flooding. Most Texas cities require detention for commercial, subdivision, and larger residential projects that increase impervious cover — the sizing analysis and outfall design are part of the engineered drainage package we prepare.

        Need Drainage & Grading Plans? Call a Licensed Engineer

        Call now to speak directly with a licensed engineer. Free assessment, fast turnaround, permit-ready results.

        Call (833) 598-1772
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