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

2 sets Coweta County's building-specific freeboard standard, the extra elevation cushion required above FEMA's calculated base flood elevation (BFE) to reduce flood damage risk. For residential structures, both new construction and substantial improvements must have the lowest floor, including any basement, elevated no lower than three feet above the base flood elevation, or one foot above the future-conditions flood elevation, whichever produces the higher elevation requirement. That three-foot freeboard exceeds the one-foot minimum many Georgia communities use and reflects the county's more conservative floodplain management approach.

Non-residential buildings get a lower bar: new construction and substantial improvements must elevate the lowest floor at least one foot above the base flood elevation, or as high as the future-conditions flood elevation, whichever is higher, though a non-residential structure in an A1-30, AE, or AH zone may instead be floodproofed with the director's authorization rather than physically elevated. New construction of both residential and non-residential principal structures is barred outright within the limits of the future-conditions floodplain regardless of freeboarding. Manufactured homes follow the residential standard: new units and substantial improvements need the same three feet above BFE, or one foot above future-conditions elevation.

Accessory structures without walls, such as pole barns, sheds, gazebos, and detached garages, are exempted from the elevation requirement but must instead be built of flood-resistant materials and anchored against flotation and lateral movement. Every elevation claim must be backed by a certified elevation certificate and site survey, prepared or supervised by a licensed surveyor or engineer, submitted to the community development department both before and after construction.