Jefferson County, AL Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Subdivision & Construction Regs § 204.03(d)(6)
- Must show
- 100-year floodplain, floodway, FIRM panel number
- Must state
- Base Flood Elevation per affected lot
- Reviewing department
- Land Planning & Development Services
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Jefferson County final plats
Summary
Before Jefferson County will accept a final subdivision plat, Section 204.03(d)(6) of the Subdivision and Construction Regulations requires the map to delineate the 100-year floodplain and floodway, cite the FEMA/FIRM panel number and issue date, and state the Base Flood Elevation for every lot the floodplain affects, keeping flood exposure visible before lots record.
6. The 100-Year Floodplain and any Floodway affecting the platted property, along with the FEMA/FIRM panel number(s) from which that information was obtained, and the date of issuance of same. Furthermore, if any portion of the platted property is in either of these designated flood zones, the respective boundaries of each applicable zone must be delineated on the plat, and the Base Flood Elevation for each lot affected by the 100-Year Floodplain must be provided.
Full Breakdown
03, "Submission Requirements," under subsection d, "Map Information," which lists what a record map/final plat must show, from permanent monuments and lot dimensions through the sixth and final item covering flood data. That item requires the plat to plot the 100-Year Floodplain and any Floodway crossing the property, cite the specific FEMA/FIRM panel number the data came from and its issuance date, and, where any part of the property falls in either zone, delineate the boundaries and state the Base Flood Elevation for each affected lot.
20(b)(5) of the same regulations. 03 opens with administrative review authority letting the Director postpone a case a full month if submitted information is inaccurate or insufficient. The section applies only to subdivisions within unincorporated Jefferson County; Birmingham, Hoover, Bessemer, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook and Homewood administer their own plat standards. The county's Floodplain Management Ordinance, adopted September 19, 2006, and the county's FEMA floodplain maps set the actual base flood elevation figures for specific parcels, but both exist on file only as scanned images without extractable text, so the current numeric BFE for a given lot must be confirmed directly with Land Planning & Development Services or FEMA's map service rather than from this text.
Violations & Fines
A plat that omits the required floodplain boundaries, FIRM panel citation, or Base Flood Elevation for an affected lot is an incomplete submission under Section 204.03; Land Planning & Development Services can decline to advance it toward final determination until the missing flood data is added and resubmitted. As with other plat-content defects, the consequence is a delayed or withheld recording rather than a fine assessed against the applicant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Jefferson County require Base Flood Elevation on a subdivision plat?
What flood information must a Jefferson County plat include besides the elevation figure?
Where can I find the actual numeric base flood elevation for a Jefferson County lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jefferson County
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