Campbell County, KY Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Chapter 151's specific standards set a uniform one-foot freeboard above the base flood elevation (BFE) shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map. 46(A)(1) requires the lowest floor, basement, mechanical equipment, and ductwork to sit no lower than one foot above BFE, and if solid foundation walls are used to achieve that elevation, the walls need flood-vent openings sized to automatically equalize hydrostatic pressure. In an AO zone with no FEMA depth number posted, the lowest floor must instead clear the highest adjacent grade by at least two feet.

Where no FEMA technical data exists at all (an A zone), the Floodplain Administrator determines the base flood elevation using hydrologic and hydraulic analysis or other reasonable methods, and the same one-foot-above-BFE floor requirement still applies, consistent with the cross-section standards in 401 KAR Chapter 4, Regulation 060. 46(B): the building must be watertight below an elevation one foot above BFE, with walls substantially impermeable to water and structural components able to resist hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads, certified by a registered professional engineer or architect.

46(C): a minimum of two openings totaling at least one square inch of net area per square foot of enclosed floor space, with opening bottoms no higher than one foot above the interior grade. 04) describes it as the safety margin above BFE applied to compensate for unknown factors, extending to building utilities and HVAC components, not just the floor line. A registered engineer or surveyor must certify the as-built lowest-floor elevation to the Floodplain Administrator once construction reaches that stage.