Considering batteries on your Matagorda County land?

Start with the location and the battery layout

Ask for a map showing the battery yard, service equipment, entrance, emergency access, temporary work areas and drainage work. Mark the land you want to keep using. A parcel can contain more than one flood designation, and a county name alone does not settle who reviews each part of a project.

Have the developer confirm the site’s reviewing authority and the current requirements. The county handout says a 911 address is needed before starting a project. Ask who obtains or verifies that address and whether it describes the proposed entrance correctly.

You do not need to complete county paperwork before asking Sunland about your land. Begin with its location and what you know. An early inquiry is different from permission to build or a commitment to let someone use the property.

Reference: Matagorda County: Required Permits handout, 2026 · Matagorda County: Environmental Health permit and building resources

Ask where the Fire Marshal review stands

The county’s 2026 Required Permits handout names battery storage facilities among commercial projects requiring a building permit. It says commercial plans need Fire Marshal review and signoff before that permit is issued. A general conversation about the project is not the same as completed review.

The posted authorization form has applicant and Fire Marshal signature lines and is returned to the Floodplain Administrator for the commercial permit process. Ask the developer which plans were reviewed, what remains outstanding and whether later layout changes require another review.

Request the emergency-access plan and a list of work needed on your land. Who builds and maintains the entrance, gate, turnaround or other required improvements? Have the company identify the actual technical requirements rather than treat a general county form as a complete battery safety design.

Reference: Matagorda County: Required Permits handout, 2026 · Matagorda County: Fire Marshal commercial building permit authorization form, 2026

Do not treat Zone X as a permit exemption

The county’s posted Zone X sheet calls for construction permits and warns that flooding can still occur. The reviewed flood ordinance also says neither land outside special flood hazard areas nor permitted uses are guaranteed to be free from flood damage. Ask for the actual map and the project’s drainage assessment.

The Zone X sheet, revised January 13, 2022, describes Drainage District No. 1 approval for commercial development on property of one acre or more if the development is within that district. It places that approval before building or septic permit issuance. Ask whether the site is in the district and how the requirement applies to the proposed work.

That one-acre wording is a conditional drainage-review threshold, not a minimum battery acreage rule. The sheet’s fee and review-time wording should not be used as a current total cost or guaranteed battery approval schedule. Have the company obtain the applicable requirements and estimate for its actual proposal.

Reference: Matagorda County: posted Zone X requirements, revised January 13, 2022 · Matagorda County: posted Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, selected provisions

Include fill, drainage and the land outside the fence

The current permit handout says fill used to level property in flood zones needs a permit. Ask where fill would be placed, how water would move around the site and whether proposed basins, ditches or crossings affect the land you retain.

The selected flood ordinance provisions address other required agency permissions and interpretation when mapped boundaries conflict with field conditions. If a map or elevation question is unresolved, ask who obtains the survey or engineering work. Avoid agreeing to ground disturbance while the company is still deciding the design.

Compare any proposed drainage or maintenance rights with the private agreement. Identify the area, access needed, who maintains it and who repairs damage if the project changes or stops. Public review does not set your compensation or supply private permission to cross another owner’s land.

Reference: Matagorda County: Required Permits handout, 2026 · Matagorda County: posted Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, selected provisions

Confirm who controls the driveway or culvert

The county’s permit handout directs driveway and culvert work on county roads to the county commissioner for a work order. For state highways or Farm-to-Market roads, it directs applicants to TxDOT. Ask which road the developer intends to use and what the actual reviewing office requires.

A work order or public-road approval does not explain all private access rights. Put the entrance, temporary delivery space and permanent route on the land-agreement drawing. Discuss gates, livestock, farm equipment and any tenant access that must remain available.

Ask who pays for a larger culvert, road repairs, drainage changes and future maintenance. If expenses could reduce your rent or option payment, request the categories, limits and approval process in writing. A statement that the entrance is easy to build is not a cost agreement.

Reference: Matagorda County: Required Permits handout, 2026

Compare the remaining review with your payment and exit terms

Ask the company for a short list of completed decisions, remaining studies and approvals, and the land access needed for each stage. Separate county review, drainage-district review and utility connection work. A nearby power line does not establish available capacity or an executed connection agreement.

If the company wants an option while studies continue, check the payment, expiry date and extension rights. Ask what happens if the drainage design, entrance or connection route does not work. Decide whether an extension requires progress, an additional payment or another agreement.

Have your adviser compare the private terms with the project’s approved requirements. The reviewed flood ordinance preserves stricter overlapping easements, covenants and deed restrictions. A permit does not erase every other restriction or decide who restores your land after an unsuccessful proposal.

Reference: Matagorda County: posted Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, selected provisions

Tell Sunland about your land

Start with contact details and the property location. This page selects Matagorda County and Texas; correct either if needed. Acreage and parcel number are optional.

Describe the current use, any known flooding or access concerns, and the portion you might consider. Mention an existing offer, deadline or request to fund improvements. Say whether you could consider a lease, sale or only part of the property.

Sunland may follow up to learn more. Sending the form does not reserve your land, grant access, apply for a permit or commit you to a lease or sale.