Possibly, with conditions. Houston's design manual names porous pavement as an LID technique that can help achieve required detention. It describes concrete, asphalt and paver surfaces and doesn't name resin-bound, so a permeable resin-bound surface counts only if the Office of the City Engineer accepts it as the porous layer of an engineered system over a stone reservoir and approves the calculations. Laid on an existing slab, it can't.

The 2026 Infrastructure Design Manual sets flat detention rates, offers a detention reduction for LID, and defines permeable with a hard infiltration test. Add tight Gulf Coast clays, a shallow water table and bayous that rise fast, and the base design matters far more than the surface.

Detention rates, LID credits and the 0.5 inch per hour test

Houston Public Works' Infrastructure Design Manual (IDM), effective March 2, 2026, governs drainage for development inside the city. For most non-single-family tracts up to 20 acres, required detention is 0.8 acre-feet per acre of proposed impervious area; larger tracts follow the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) criteria manual, with a 0.75 acre-feet per acre minimum. A single-family tract of 15,000 square feet or less needs no detention while total impervious area stays at or below 65 percent of the lot. Sites discharging directly to HCFCD, Fort Bend or Montgomery County systems need those agencies' approval too.

The IDM lists porous paver systems and porous pavement among LID techniques that count toward runoff reduction and detention, with engineering calculations and a sealed maintenance and life cycle plan. Projects using LID can receive a detention reduction of up to 0.15 acre-feet per acre after a required preliminary meeting, and plan sets labeled "Green Stormwater Infrastructure" get expedited review. The city also offers a GSI tax abatement program through the Mayor's Office of Economic Development.

One definition decides a lot: a surface is treated as permeable only if a sealed soil infiltration report from a Texas-licensed engineer shows at least 0.5 inches per hour through the underlying strata. That test, not the porosity of the resin layer, governs.

Gulf Coast clay, a high water table and bayou flooding

Much of Houston sits on flat, clay-rich coastal prairie soils with slow infiltration and a shallow seasonal water table, and the IDM's porous pavement criteria reflect that. Without a subsurface drainage system, in-situ soil needs at least 0.5 inches per hour of infiltration, confirmed by one boring per 5,000 square feet or two per project. Slower soils, or fill, require subsurface drainage that empties within 48 hours. The top of in-situ soil should sit at least 2 feet above groundwater, the paving should be at a relative high point, and run-on from adjacent impervious areas should stay below a 2 to 1 ratio.

So many Houston resin-bound sections will act as detention: an open-graded reservoir under the surface, an underdrain or outlet sized to the city's criteria, and an overflow route to the street or storm system for bigger storms. A permeable patio is not flood protection for a house, and it shouldn't be sold as one. In the Central Business District, approved parts of the Medical Center and Lower Buffalo Bayou, the IDM asks developments to apply LID in lieu of required detention, which makes permeable surfaces a natural fit there.

A resin-bound overlay on an existing driveway or pool deck slab meets none of this. Water still runs off the concrete, so it stays impervious for design purposes.

Where porous resin-bound fits across Houston

Single-family lots in the Heights, Montrose and Garden Oaks near the 65 percent impervious line, where a tested permeable section may keep an addition under the detention trigger.
Townhome and courtyard developments where every cubic foot of detention costs buildable space.
Commercial redevelopment in Midtown, EaDo and along Washington Avenue, pairing porous pavement with underground storage to use the LID detention reduction.
Plazas and walkways downtown and in the Texas Medical Center, where LID applies in lieu of detention at approved locations.
Pool decks, patios and walkways on private lots, built over a reservoir with an underdrain for slow clay.

Approval in Houston and Resin Rock's role

Inside city limits, stormwater plans are reviewed by Houston Public Works' Office of the City Engineer through the Houston Permitting Center. Projects outside the city, or discharging to county or HCFCD facilities, also answer to Harris County and HCFCD. Bring the infiltration report, reservoir and outlet calculations, the overflow route and the sealed maintenance and life cycle plan to the LID preliminary meeting. Detention credits and abatements are the city's decision.

Resin Rock supplies UV-stable resin, natural stone blends, trims and the Rock Crete permeable sub-base, with technical data sheets for your engineer. We don't install. Use find an installer to reach an approved Houston installer, usually within 24 hours, and see resin-bound driveways, garage floors and pool decks in Houston for residential finishes.

Before you specify permeable resin-bound in Houston

Commission a sealed infiltration report; below 0.5 inches per hour, plan subsurface drainage.
Confirm groundwater depth and keep 2 feet between in-situ soil and the water table.
Check which jurisdiction receives the runoff and whose detention criteria apply.
Request the LID preliminary meeting before claiming a detention reduction.
Prepare a sealed maintenance and life cycle plan.
Route overflow to the street or storm system for storms beyond capacity.

Common questions about permeable resin-bound in Houston

Can permeable resin-bound replace my detention pond?

It can supply part of the required volume, and on some sites much of it, if the city accepts the resin-bound section as porous pavement, an LID technique the IDM allows for detention. Your engineer must show the storage in the reservoir layer, the drain time and the outlet, and the city must approve the calculations and maintenance plan. On Houston clay, expect storage and slow release rather than infiltration.

Does it help me stay under the 65 percent impervious limit on my lot?

Possibly. For a single-family tract of 15,000 square feet or less, detention kicks in when total impervious area passes 65 percent. Under the IDM, a surface counts as permeable only if a sealed infiltration report shows at least 0.5 inches per hour through the soil. Many Houston clays fall short, and then the area stays impervious.

Is there a tax break for green stormwater infrastructure in Houston?

The city runs a Green Stormwater Infrastructure tax abatement program for qualifying new development or redevelopment, administered by the Mayor's Office of Economic Development, and the IDM points LID applicants to it. Eligibility and amounts come out of the city's application and evaluation process, so treat it as something to apply for, not a given.

Official sources for Houston

Local rules change. We last checked these sources in October 2026. Confirm current requirements with the reviewing agency before you design, and treat this page as a starting point, not engineering or permitting advice.

Permeable Resin-Bound Surfacing in Houston, TX