Pinal County, AZ Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Freeboard requirement
- 1 foot above base flood elevation (RFE)
- Zone AE/AH standard
- Lowest floor to or above the RFE
- Zone AO standard
- 1-4 feet above natural grade per FIRM depth
- Certification required
- AZ-registered civil engineer or land surveyor
- Non-residential option
- Dry floodproof to 1 ft above the RFE
- Enforcing office
- Pinal County Floodplain Administrator
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, each day a separate offense
Summary
Unincorporated Pinal County requires new construction and substantial improvements inside a regulatory floodplain to have their lowest floor built to or above the Regulatory Flood Elevation, one foot of freeboard above the base flood elevation. Zone AO lots need one to four feet of elevation above natural grade, certified by a registered engineer or surveyor.
New construction and substantial improvement/repair of any structure (except shade structures) shall have the lowest floor, including basement and/or attached garage, elevated to or above the regulatory flood elevation. Non-residential structures may meet the standards in subsection B of this section 6.05.030. Upon the completion of construction of the building, the elevation of the lowest floor ... shall be certified by an Arizona state-registered civil engineer or Arizona registered land surveyor and provided to the floodplain administrator for review and approval ... For those structures located in Flood Zone A ... O, the structure shall have the lowest floor, including basement and/or attached garage, elevated higher than the highest adjacent, undisturbed, natural grade by at least one foot higher than the depth number shown on the flood insurance rate map (FIRM), or at least four feet if no depth number is specified.
Full Breakdown
030(A) makes that RFE the elevation floor for the lowest floor, including any basement or attached garage, of new construction and substantial improvements or repairs in a regulatory floodplain or erosion hazard zone, with shade structures exempted. In Zone AE or AH, the BFE comes from the Flood Insurance Study or FIRM for Pinal County. 030(A)(2) instead requires the lowest floor to sit at least one foot above the highest adjacent undisturbed natural grade higher than the FIRM depth number, or four feet if no depth number is shown.
040 lets the Floodplain Administrator set it locally. 030(B) to at least one foot above the RFE, watertight and built of flood-resistant materials, with a professional civil engineer certifying the design. 030(E). Once construction finishes, an Arizona-registered civil engineer or land surveyor must certify the lowest-floor and utility-appurtenance elevations to the Floodplain Administrator for review and approval before the county issues floodplain clearance.
Violations & Fines
Building below the required elevation without authorization is a misdemeanor under Section 8.15.030, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. Unpermitted floodplain development located or maintained without written authorization is also declared a public nuisance per se under A.R.S. § 48-3614 (Section 8.15.050), and the Floodplain Administrator must act within 30 days of discovering a violation under Section 8.15.060, ordering abatement, a permit application, or a variance, or reporting the property to FEMA for denial of flood insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much freeboard does Pinal County require above base flood elevation?
How high must a house be built in Flood Zone AO?
Who has to certify the finished elevation of a new building?
Can a commercial building skip elevating to the flood elevation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pinal County
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