Permits & Policies

The Public Health and Environmental Quality Division reviews all commercial building permits and Certificate of Occupancy (CO’s). The division reviews plans to ensure that public health is protected and to ensure compliance with federal, state and city ordinances.

Public Health and Environmental Quality Review Process

A building permit is required for all new construction and any type of remodeling, renovations, rehabs, retrofitting, demolitions, additions, etc. Certificate of Occupancy inspections are required prior to applicants operating their establishments or facilities.

On all plan reviews, Public Health and Environmental Quality looks for:

  • Asbestos surveys
  • Potential cross-connections with the public water supply
  • Industrial waste sample points for the sanitary sewer
  • Grease traps, if necessary
  • Compliance with federal, state and local requirements

Business Health Establishment Information

The Public Health and Environmental Quality Division is involved with several aspects of the development review process. Our department looks at everything from cross-connection control devices to four-compartment sinks to ensuring asbestos surveys have been completed. The links below are intended to facilitate the review process. Learn more about Business Health Establishment Information.

For information on the overall planning and development process for the City of Grand Prairie, please visit the Planning and Development Web pages. And for further information about doing business with our city, please visit our Starting a Business in Grand Prairie section.

Public Health & Environmental Quality Permits

Public Health and Environmental Quality permits and inspects the following types of businesses and facilities:

Public Health and Environmental Quality Policies

Brownfields

Many areas across the country once used for industrial and commercial purposes have been abandoned - some are contaminated. Because lenders, investors, and developers fear involvement with these sites could make them liable for cleaning up contamination they did not create, they are more attracted to developing sites in pristine areas, called "greenfields." The result can be blighted areas rife with abandoned industrial facilities. These run-down areas, called "brownfields," create safety and health risks for residents, destroy civic pride, and provide ideal locations for illegal dumping.

The City, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), has developed a brownfield redevelopment program designed to empower citizens and property owners to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields.

Environmental Site Assessments

The Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) requires Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) for commercial and industrial real-estate purchases. CERCLA states that landowners are financially liable for all environmental problems associated with the storage or release of a hazardous substance on their property. An ESA is conducted to:

Identify existing or potential environmental hazards; Identify resources with natural, cultural, recreational, or scientific values of specific importance; Recommend whether further investigation is required.

Because these rules apply to municipalities, the Public Health and Environmental Quality Department conducts environmental assessments for the city.

Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know

The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) of 1986 established requirements for Federal, State and local governments and industry regarding emergency planning and "Community Right-to-Know" reporting on hazardous and toxic chemicals. In Texas, the Texas Department of State Health Services administers the program known as the Tier II Chemical Reporting Program.

The program’s mission is “to protect the public health and environment by providing current and accurate information about hazardous chemicals and their health effects and by ensuring that the regulated community complies with the requirements of the applicable laws and regulations."

 

Contact Info

Phone: 972-237-8055
Fax: 972-237-8228

Address
Public Health & Environmental Quality
300 W Main St
2nd Floor
Grand Prairie, TX 75050

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