Albemarle County, VA Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

15 makes that the construction floor for anything built or substantially improved in Zones A, A1-30, AE, and AH where FEMA or a certified engineer has produced a base flood elevation. Existing residential buildings, including manufactured homes, undergoing a substantial improvement must have the lowest floor, including any basement, elevated to or above the freeboard elevation. Non-residential buildings face the same elevation standard but may instead be flood-proofed watertight below the freeboard elevation if a registered professional engineer or architect certifies the design and the floodplain administrator keeps that certification on file.

Zone AO carries a different rule: the lowest floor must clear the flood depth shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map above the highest adjacent grade, or two feet above grade if no depth is specified. Any fully enclosed area below the freeboard elevation is restricted to parking, building access, or limited equipment storage, and must include at least two flood openings on different walls sized to one square inch of opening per square foot of enclosed area, with the bottom of each opening no higher than one foot above grade.

Accessory structures that aren't elevated or dry flood-proofed are capped at 200 square feet, barred from human habitation, and must use flood-resistant materials below the base flood elevation. Historic structures get limited relief if full compliance would strip their listing on the National or Virginia historic registers. 10.