Allegany County, MD Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Allegany County's floodplain ordinance defines "flood protection elevation" in § 325-2 as "the base flood elevation plus one foot of freeboard," explaining that freeboard is a safety margin covering wave action, obstructed bridge openings, debris and ice jams, climate change, and the effect of urbanization on runoff. That one-foot freeboard is stricter than the bare FEMA minimum, which only requires construction at the base flood elevation itself. Section 325-5D(1)(a) turns the definition into a hard rule for residential structures and residential portions of mixed-use buildings: "Lowest floors shall be elevated to or above the flood protection elevation." In Zone AO areas of shallow flooding, § 325-5D(1)(b) sets an alternative standard, requiring the lowest floor to sit at least as high above the highest adjacent grade as the depth number shown on the FIRM plus two feet, or at least four feet if no depth number is listed.

Basements that are below grade on all sides are flatly prohibited under § 325-5D(1)(d), and any enclosure below the lowest floor has to meet the separate requirements in § 325-5D(3). Applicants have to back up their elevation with paperwork: § 325-3E(1)(i) requires a signed agreement to submit an elevation certificate with the permit application, and § 325-3H requires that certificate, prepared by a licensed engineer or surveyor, to actually be submitted before the final inspection and before the county will issue a certificate of occupancy.

Building below the required flood protection elevation without approved floodproofing is treated as a violation of Chapter 325, enforced under § 325-8 with a $500-per-day misdemeanor fine.