Kings County, CA Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Standard
- lowest floor at/above BFE
- No FEMA data
- 2 ft above grade minimum
- Certification by
- engineer or surveyor
- Freeboard above BFE
- none required
Summary
New and substantially improved buildings in Kings County's mapped flood hazard areas must have their lowest floor built at or above the base flood elevation shown on the FEMA map: no extra freeboard cushion is required.
Base flood elevation: (BFE) means the elevation shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map for Zones AE, AH, A1—30, VE and V1—V30 that indicates the water surface elevation resulting from a flood that has a 1-percent or greater chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. ... New residential and nonresidential construction and substantial improvement of any structure shall comply with section 5A-22(b) and have the lowest floor elevated at a minimum to or above the base flood elevation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13).
Full Breakdown
Kings County Code § 5A-26 sets the base flood-hazard construction standard: new and substantially improved residential and nonresidential structures must have the lowest floor elevated to or above the base flood elevation (BFE), the water-surface elevation on FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Map for a 1-percent-annual-chance flood, as defined in § 5A-11. Completion requires a registered engineer's or surveyor's elevation certification to the floodplain administrator. Where no FEMA base flood data exists, a single parcel must still elevate at least two feet above natural grade (§ 5A-22(b)(1)).
Violations & Fines
Occupying or completing a structure without the required elevation certification is presumed a code violation until documentation is filed; default penalty under § 1-8 is a misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high above the flood elevation must I build?
What if my parcel has no FEMA flood elevation data?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kings County
California rules heatmap·Compare Kings County to another location·View the California environmental rules overview
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