Bulloch County, GA Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Bulloch County Code § 7-37(1) sets the county's freeboard standard: where base flood elevation data are available, new construction and substantial improvements to any structure or manufactured home must have the lowest floor, including any basement, elevated no lower than two feet above the base flood elevation, two feet more protection than the federal minimum. If solid perimeter walls are used to elevate the structure, the walls need flood-vent openings meeting § 7-36(9), which requires at least one square inch of opening per square foot of enclosed area, with the lowest opening no higher than one foot above grade.

Heating and air conditioning equipment, ductwork, electrical, ventilation, and plumbing service facilities must be elevated to at least one foot above the base flood elevation as well. Section 7-37(2) lets non-residential structures in A or AE zones be flood-proofed instead of elevated, so long as the structure and its utilities are watertight to two feet above base flood elevation, with walls able to resist hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads, and a registered professional engineer or architect certifies the design. Where no base flood elevation data exist, § 7-39 instead requires the lowest floor to sit at least three feet above the highest adjacent grade at the building site, and keeps fill and structures at least 20 feet, or the width of the stream, back from the top of the bank.