These regulations shall apply to any proposed project or structure that is submitted for permitting after the effective date of this chapter, except that any applicant who has submitted an application for a permit protected by chapter 245 of the Local Government Code shall be governed by the development standards in effect on the date that the original permit application was filed. A permit application expires the forty-five (45) days after the date the application is filed if (a) the applicant fails to provide documents or other information necessary to comply with the city's technical requirements relating to the form and content of the permit application, (b) the city provides to the applicant not later than the ten (10) business days after the date the permit application is filed written notice of the failure to provide documents or other information required to comply with the city's technical requirements, which notice specifies the necessary documents or other information and the date the permit application will expire if the documents or other information is not provided, and (c) the applicant fails to provide the specified documents or other information within the time provided in the notice.

Existing structures and site improvements that do not comply with this chapter are nonconforming structures which can be maintained and repaired as long as the structure footprint, height, envelope or site area are not expanded so as to increase the degree of nonconformity. In addition, existing structures and site improvements that do not comply with this chapter that are damaged or destroyed by natural acts or by any means not resulting from the direct actions of the property owner can be rebuilt to their previous dimensions.

See ARTICLE XI: ADMINISTRATION for more detailed information.