Splendora and New Caney sit along the US-59 corridor in Montgomery County, north of our home base in Porter. Both are growing fast, and most of the land people call us about out here is unincorporated county acreage, some wooded, some inside a MUD district. Before you fall in love with a lot, here is what actually shapes a build in this part of the county.
County permitting, mostly
Splendora has a small city core, and New Caney has no city government at all, so the large majority of lots out here are permitted through Montgomery County rather than a city. That usually means a lighter inspection set than a City of Houston lot. It also means the county floodplain and drainage rules apply, and those changed recently.
Floodplain rules changed in 2025
Montgomery County's Floodplain Management Regulations took effect October 1, 2025, and the headline is that a development permit is now required whether or not your lot sits in the mapped floodplain, unless the work falls under a specific exemption. If you own a New Caney or Splendora lot you assumed was clear of the floodplain, check the exemption list before you break ground, because the county no longer takes that for granted. Lots near Caney Creek, Peach Creek and the East Fork of the San Jacinto especially deserve a hard look at drainage.
MUD or septic
Utilities are the fork in the road on county land. Inside a MUD district, and there are several around New Caney and the newer developments off US-59, you get water and sewer taps much like a city lot, with tap and impact fees to budget. Outside the districts you are on a septic system and either a well or a rural water supplier. Septic needs the right soil and enough room for the drain field, and the state is in the middle of rewriting its septic rules, so build some timeline flexibility into a septic lot right now.
Wooded acreage and site cost
A lot of what makes this area attractive is the trees and the room. Both cost something to build on. Clearing the building envelope, grinding stumps, building a pad and running electric a long way from the road are real line items on a wooded tract. We walk the lot with you and flag which trees stay before we ever talk about a floor plan.
We are ten minutes away
Porter to Splendora or New Caney is a short drive up US-59, so site visits are quick and our trades already work this area every week. If you are building here, see our Splendora and New Caney page, read the build-on-your-lot checklist, run the cost estimator, or send us the address and we will come walk it.
Sources: Montgomery County Floodplain Management Regulations, effective 10/1/2025 (mctx.org); Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on-site sewage facility rulemaking, Chapter 285, in progress (tceq.texas.gov).