DEED RESTRICTION COMMITTEE
What is the Deed Restriction Committee?
The Deed Restriction Committee ("DRC") was established by the Oak Forest Bylaws and prescribed by the original Deed Restrictions. Its purpose is to review all construction and renovation plans prior to their submission to the City of Houston for the City's permitting process.
Who is on the DRC?
The DRC is a committee of volunteers who are members of OFHA, its Chair is the 1st Vice President of the OFHA Board, and the committee members usually have prior experience reviewing building plans and may be engineers or builders themselves. Join this Committee by emailing planreview@ofha.org.
ARCHITECTURAL PLAN SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
What type of building project has to be approved by the DRC?
The OFHA's DRC submission and review process is required for:
What happens if I do not submit my plans for approval?
If your project was not submitted for approval and was begun, then found to be in violation of setback lines, building lines or other criteria described in the Deed Restrictions for your Section of Oak Forest, the City can issue a Stop Work Order and require your project be torn down, removed, changed, and even a poured slab removed, in order to comply with Deed Restrictions and City Ordinances. A heavy fine can also be imposed daily until the required changes are made.
What is the purpose of submitting plans?
Safety first! There are many reasons - too many to list here - why you should submit your plans prior to beginning a new construction project or addition to your home.
What should I submit for my project?
As some sections of Oak Forest have Deed Restrictions that differ from the City of Houston’s requirements, and to avoid unnecessary revisions between architect/contractor and the City, construction documents including complete plans, elevation and survey in order for the Committee to be able to see the scope of the project and where the addition or new construction project lies within setback and building lines, should be submitted to the DRARC and approved prior to being submitted to the City of Houston for permitting.
Submit:
For more information, consult your Section's Deed Restrictions at Deed Restrictions, call the OFHA hotline at 713-688-6342, or send your plans to planreview@ofha.org. Plan review may take 2-3 weeks. We welcome questions!
NOTE:
1) Plans not submitted for review to DRC prior to City of Houston plan approval or prior to construction will be red tagged (construction will be halted) until the plans have been reviewed.
2) If your plans are not approved after review by DRC:
a) objections to the plans; or
b) any nonconforming building found to have been completed
must be remedied prior to resubmission of plans before another review for approval by the DRC can commence.
The Deed Restriction Committee ("DRC") was established by the Oak Forest Bylaws and prescribed by the original Deed Restrictions. Its purpose is to review all construction and renovation plans prior to their submission to the City of Houston for the City's permitting process.
Who is on the DRC?
The DRC is a committee of volunteers who are members of OFHA, its Chair is the 1st Vice President of the OFHA Board, and the committee members usually have prior experience reviewing building plans and may be engineers or builders themselves. Join this Committee by emailing planreview@ofha.org.
ARCHITECTURAL PLAN SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
What type of building project has to be approved by the DRC?
The OFHA's DRC submission and review process is required for:
- all new construction projects
- modifications of or additions to existing homes
- additions of pools or outdoor kitchens
- construction of detached buildings
- a garage addition
What happens if I do not submit my plans for approval?
If your project was not submitted for approval and was begun, then found to be in violation of setback lines, building lines or other criteria described in the Deed Restrictions for your Section of Oak Forest, the City can issue a Stop Work Order and require your project be torn down, removed, changed, and even a poured slab removed, in order to comply with Deed Restrictions and City Ordinances. A heavy fine can also be imposed daily until the required changes are made.
What is the purpose of submitting plans?
Safety first! There are many reasons - too many to list here - why you should submit your plans prior to beginning a new construction project or addition to your home.
- OFHA and the City of Houston want to ensure there is adequate drainage for each lot and that a new building does not create a flooding problem for neighbors where there was none before.
- Builders are held to a certain standard so the integrity of the neighborhood is maintained. Oak Forest's Deed Restrictions do not allow subdivision of single family lots, duplexes or multi-family dwellings may not be built in Oak Forest, builders are discouraged from building multiple homes on one block or in one small area which look identical, and many other things.
- Each Section's Deed Restrictions are slightly different and a few are markedly different. Setback lines and building line requirements differ also from Section to Section.
- 2 story houses only are allowed
- 2 car garages only are allowed
- Your corner lot may have different build lines and setback lines than the interior lots on your block.
What should I submit for my project?
As some sections of Oak Forest have Deed Restrictions that differ from the City of Houston’s requirements, and to avoid unnecessary revisions between architect/contractor and the City, construction documents including complete plans, elevation and survey in order for the Committee to be able to see the scope of the project and where the addition or new construction project lies within setback and building lines, should be submitted to the DRARC and approved prior to being submitted to the City of Houston for permitting.
Submit:
- Survey with clearly marked setback and building lines
- Full plans
- Elevation
- Anything else you feel is important to show the scope of your project
For more information, consult your Section's Deed Restrictions at Deed Restrictions, call the OFHA hotline at 713-688-6342, or send your plans to planreview@ofha.org. Plan review may take 2-3 weeks. We welcome questions!
NOTE:
1) Plans not submitted for review to DRC prior to City of Houston plan approval or prior to construction will be red tagged (construction will be halted) until the plans have been reviewed.
2) If your plans are not approved after review by DRC:
a) objections to the plans; or
b) any nonconforming building found to have been completed
must be remedied prior to resubmission of plans before another review for approval by the DRC can commence.