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

Article IV of chapter 104 folds Fayette County's floodplain rules around two elevation benchmarks: the base flood elevation, the 100-year flood surface defined in section 104-84, and the more conservative future-conditions flood elevation the county keeps in its 2013 Limited Detailed Future Conditions Flood Study. Section 104-87(b)(1)a bars new construction inside the future-conditions floodplain outright unless the development first clears the engineering-study and standards-of-development requirements of sections 104-86(c) and 104-88(e); once those are satisfied, the lowest floor of the structure, basement included, has to sit no lower than three feet above the base flood elevation or one foot above the future-conditions flood elevation, whichever number is higher.

That three-foot cushion is Fayette County's local freeboard, stacked on top of the base flood elevation FEMA's flood insurance study already sets. Where a builder elevates a house on solid foundation perimeter walls instead of piers, the enclosed space below has to carry flood vents sized under subsection (a)(5) so hydrostatic pressure can equalize automatically during a flood. None of this is self-certifying: a licensed professional engineer or architect has to certify that the design meets the standard and file that certification with the environmental management department before the county will sign off.

The same three-foot-or-one-foot elevation floor applies to substantial improvements of existing structures and, with a taller 36-inch pier requirement, to manufactured homes placed in an existing park or subdivision.