Auburn, AL Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Section 7-42 sets Auburn's technical flood-hazard-reduction standards for special flood hazard areas designated A, AE and AH. ' If a builder uses solid foundation perimeter walls to achieve that elevation, the walls must include flood openings sized under § 7-42(3), at least two openings per enclosed area totaling one square inch of net opening for every square foot of enclosed floor space subject to flooding, positioned in at least two exterior walls with the lowest opening no higher than one foot above grade. Nonresidential structures may floodproof instead of elevate under § 7-42(2), but must be watertight to the same one-foot-above-BFE design elevation, with a professional engineer or architect licensed in Alabama certifying the design.

Where no BFE data exists at all (approximate A-zones), § 7-44 requires the lowest floor to sit at least three feet above the highest adjacent grade. Manufactured homes must meet the same one-foot-above-BFE elevation on a permanent, anchored foundation under § 7-42(4). The floodplain administrator verifies the as-built elevation with a FEMA elevation certificate before issuing a certificate of occupancy, per § 7-37(6).