Bristol Township, PA Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Section 68-24 of the Bristol Township Code sets the elevation standard, and the definition in § 68-39 supplies the freeboard. The regulatory flood elevation is the base flood elevation, or estimated flood height from simplified methods, plus a freeboard safety factor of 1 1/2 feet. For residential structures in AE, A1-30 and AH Zones, the lowest floor must sit at or above that level. In A Zones with no base flood elevation on the FIRM, the same rule applies using the elevation determined under § 68-19C: engineering studies or other acceptable sources where available, otherwise the elevation of the nearest point on the boundary of the identified floodplain. In AO Zones, the lowest floor must be at least as high above the highest adjacent grade as the depth number on the FIRM.

Nonresidential structures in AE, A1-30 and AH Zones can either be elevated to the regulatory flood elevation or be floodproofed so the enclosed space below it is watertight with walls substantially impermeable to water. Floodproofing must follow the W1 or W2 classification in the Army Corps of Engineers publication Flood-Proofing Regulations, with a statement certified by a registered professional engineer or architect.

Fully enclosed space below the lowest floor, including crawl spaces, must allow automatic entry and exit of flood water. Designs need engineer or architect certification or at least two openings with a net total area of one square inch per square foot of enclosed space, the bottoms no higher than one foot above grade. Accessory structures need not be elevated if limited to 200 square feet with no habitation. New streets finish no more than one foot below the regulatory flood elevation, and furnaces, water heaters and similar equipment cannot sit below it. The 2009 IBC, 2009 IRC, ASCE 24 and 34 Pa. Code Chapters 401 through 405 apply where more restrictive.