Yes, you can build a new custom home in Jamaica Beach, Texas, but you’ll build under the City of Jamaica Beach, not the City of Galveston. Jamaica Beach is its own small city on Galveston Island’s West End, with its own permits, its own flood ordinance, setbacks that change by section and its own short-term rental rules.
Kai Custom Homes is a Galveston custom home builder with 35+ completed coastal homes, including a four-story canal home on Flounder Way in Jamaica Beach. This guide covers what’s different about building there: who approves your plans, how high and how you have to build, what it costs and what the rental rules mean for your design.
Quick Facts: Jamaica Beach, Texas
Government: an incorporated general-law city since May 12, 1975, separate from Galveston.
Population: 1,078 (2020 census), in a city of under one square mile.
Location: mid-West End on FM 3005 (San Luis Pass Road), just west of Galveston Island State Park, running from the Gulf to West Bay.
Lots: beachfront, interior and canal lots, with public no-wake canals to West Bay.
Permits: City of Jamaica Beach Building Department, online only, plus separate deed-restriction approval.
Flood zone: the whole city. VE nearest the beach, AE farther in.
Elevation: lowest floor at least 1 foot above base flood elevation, on engineered pilings.
Short-term rentals: allowed with City registration and occupancy limits.
Build cost: about $350 to $500+ per square foot for a custom elevated home.
Why Isn’t Jamaica Beach Part of Galveston?
Jamaica Beach started as a private resort development, not a Galveston neighborhood. The Jamaica Corporation bought 320 acres from the Moody family in the 1950s and laid out a 2,000-lot resort subdivision. When the company failed in the early 1970s, residents voted to incorporate, and Jamaica Beach became a city in 1975, per the City’s history.
Galveston’s city limits surround it on the east and west. Inside them, Jamaica Beach runs its own services:
Its own police department since 1978, including a marine unit for the canals.
A volunteer fire department, organized in 1976.
City water and sewer, and a city pool.
Children attend Galveston ISD schools.
For a builder, the separate city is the part that matters. Your permits, inspections and flood rules all come from Jamaica Beach.
Beach, Bay or Canal: Choosing a Lot in Jamaica Beach
Jamaica Beach has three kinds of lots, and each builds differently. Beachfront lots sit on the Gulf side of FM 3005, closest to the dunes. Canal lots fill much of the bay side, on public waterways that lead to West Bay. Interior lots sit between.
What to know about each:
Canal lots are why most people come here. The canals are public, no-wake and open to West Bay, and residents can use the City’s Regatta Basin boat ramp by permit. Check the bulkhead before you buy.
Beachfront lots need extra beachfront and dune permits, and sit in the VE flood zone with the strictest construction rules.
Interior lots cost less and still put you a golf cart ride from the beach. Golf carts are allowed on city streets.
Much of Jamaica Beach was built in the 1970s and 1980s, and many of those homes are smaller than today’s coastal homes. So a lot of new construction here is a tear-down: you’re buying the location and replacing an older house that sits below current flood rules.
Building Permits in Jamaica Beach
Every new home in Jamaica Beach needs a permit from the City’s Building Department, applied for online through the City’s portal. Paper applications aren’t accepted. You’ll also need approval from the Jamaica Beach Improvement Committee, which enforces the subdivision’s deed restrictions separately from the City, and the City recommends contacting it early.
What the permit process involves:
Codes: the City enforces the 2018 International Building Codes and the 2020 electrical code, plus Texas windstorm requirements.
Beachfront permits: construction within 1,000 feet of the vegetation line needs a Beachfront Construction Permit, and work near the dunes a Dune Protection Permit.
Elevation certificate: required before your final inspection.
Timeline: the City’s permit requirements call for construction to be finished within 12 months of permit approval.
That last rule shapes the whole project. Your plans, engineering, financing and materials need to be locked down before you pull the permit, not sorted out as you go. That’s how we run every build anyway: a full pre-construction meeting with plans, engineering and design all settled before anything goes in the ground.
Flood Zones and Elevation Rules in Jamaica Beach
All of Jamaica Beach is in a FEMA flood zone, with VE zones nearest the beach and AE zones farther in, according to the City’s flood information. The City’s flood ordinance is stricter than FEMA’s minimum in several ways.
Under Ordinance 2022-10:
Freeboard: the lowest floor, including air conditioning equipment and ductwork, must sit at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation (BFE).
Pilings everywhere: every new home must sit on an engineer-sealed piling system, even in AE zones where FEMA alone would allow other foundations.
VE zones: the bottom of the lowest structural beam must sit at BFE plus 1 foot.
Under the house: enclosed space in VE zones is capped at 299 square feet, walls must break away in a storm, and you’ll sign a non-conversion agreement that’s recorded with the deed.
No fill: fill can’t be used for structural support.
The City also sets minimum piling sizes and depths, and canal pilings set in the water have their own minimum length. Corby Broesche, Kai’s owner, personally sets the elevation and piling height on every home we build. In Jamaica Beach that means working to the City’s numbers, not just the architect’s drawing.
Setbacks Change by Section
Jamaica Beach is divided into more than 30 numbered sections, and the setbacks change from one to the next. The City’s section setback table shows the range: some sections require 25-foot front setbacks and 15-foot sides, while others allow 15-foot fronts and 4-foot sides, and many canal sections have no rear setback at all.
On a canal lot of 4,000 to 7,000 square feet, those few feet decide how wide your house can be and how much room you have for stairs, parking and a boat. Check your section’s numbers before you design.
If you’re looking at a lot or a tear-down in Jamaica Beach, send us the address. We’ll pull the section setbacks and tell you what fits on it before you buy. You can reach us through our contact page.
The Home We Built in Jamaica Beach
Our Jamaica Beach home on Flounder Way started with a family of five, a set of architectural plans and a clear idea of how they wanted to live on the water. We won it through a competitive bid, then built:
Four stories, including a fourth-floor game room designed for the kids.
3,088 square feet, with four bedrooms and four and a half baths.
A custom boathouse built to fit the family’s 36-foot bay boat.
A ground-floor outdoor kitchen, outdoor bar and shower.
All on a 4,138-square-foot canal lot, on wood pilings, finished in 2021.
That lot size is typical of Jamaica Beach, and it’s why the section setbacks and the City’s elevation rules matter so much here. Fitting four stories, a boathouse and outdoor living onto a lot that size takes planning from the first sketch.
What Does It Cost to Build in Jamaica Beach?
A new custom elevated home in Jamaica Beach typically costs about $350 to $500+ per square foot to build. For the 2,500 to 4,000 square foot homes we usually build, that’s $1.5 million to $3 million or more, before the lot. Most builds take 12 to 18 months from start to keys, which is why the City’s 12-month construction window makes pre-construction planning so important.
What drives your number here:
Engineered pilings on every home, even in AE zones.
The VE zone, if your lot is near the beach: taller pilings and breakaway construction.
Water features: bulkhead repairs, docks, lifts and boathouses.
Demolition, if you’re replacing an older home.
Structure and roof. We build with concrete columns and insulated concrete form (ICF) walls rated for 200 mph wind loads where the design allows, and we ask for the tested-assembly approval paperwork on every standing-seam roof.
During construction you’ll get a written update from us every two weeks, and every week during finishes.
Short-Term Rentals in Jamaica Beach
Short-term rentals are allowed in Jamaica Beach, but the City regulates them under its own short-term rental ordinance, updated in January 2026. Every rental needs City registration, and the registration number must appear on every listing.
The rules that affect what you build:
Occupancy limit: the lesser of two guests per bedroom plus four, or one guest per 150 square feet of living area, up to 12.
Only space above flood elevation counts. Bedrooms and living area below the base flood elevation don’t add to your occupancy limit.
Local contact: a responsible party in Galveston County.
Taxes: a 9% City hotel occupancy tax plus the 6% state tax.
Registration ends at sale. A new owner registers again.
If you’re planning to rent, design for it. The bedroom count and living area above the flood line set your occupancy limit, so they belong in the conversation from the first sketch.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jamaica Beach
Why is Jamaica Beach not part of Galveston?
Jamaica Beach incorporated as its own city in 1975, after the private resort company that developed it failed. It has its own city government, police and building department, and Galveston’s city limits surround it.
Is Jamaica Beach in Texas nice?
Yes, for people who want a small-town beach community with canals and boating. It’s quieter than Galveston’s seawall area, with a public beach, a city pool and a boat ramp for residents.
Can you rent a house in Jamaica Beach?
Yes. Short-term rentals are allowed with City registration, and the City limits occupancy by bedroom count and living area.
Can you build a new house in Jamaica Beach?
Yes. You’ll need a City of Jamaica Beach building permit, approval under the subdivision’s deed restrictions, and an engineered piling foundation with the lowest floor at least 1 foot above base flood elevation.
Does Jamaica Beach have its own police?
Yes. Jamaica Beach has had its own police department since 1978, including a marine unit that patrols the canals, and a volunteer fire department.
Build in Jamaica Beach With a Builder Who Has
Jamaica Beach rewards a builder who knows its rules: its own permits, its own elevation numbers, setbacks that change from section to section and a 12-month construction window. We’ve built a four-story canal home with a boathouse there, and we know how the City’s process runs.
If you own a Jamaica Beach lot or you’re looking at one, call Corby at 713-909-0059 or send us the address through our contact page. We’ll tell you what fits on it, what it will cost and how long it will take.
