Grand Forks, ND Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Section 18-0204 defines 'flood protection elevation' as the elevation to which uses regulated by the chapter must be elevated or floodproofed, based on the regional floodwater surface profile tied to the city's Flood Insurance Rate Map. Section 18-0220 puts that definition to work district by district. In the F-2 floodplain district, new construction or substantial improvement of a residential structure is a permitted use only if the lowest floor, including any basement, sits above the flood protection elevation shown on the regional floodwater surface profile; nonresidential structures may instead meet the same standard through floodproofing under the city's Floodproofing Code.

Within FEMA-designated AO Zones, both residential and nonresidential new construction must raise the lowest floor above the highest adjacent grade to at least the depth number printed on the Flood Insurance Rate Map, or two feet if the map prints no depth number at all; nonresidential structures can floodproof to that same level instead of elevating. Any floodproofing route requires a certification on file with the city engineer from a registered professional engineer or architect attesting the method can withstand the regional flood, per Section 18-0220(4)(B).

The F-1 floodway district is stricter still: it bars new residential construction and any human habitation outright, permitting only low-damage uses such as parking, farming, and open recreation, with conditional uses like utility lines needing a planning commission conditional use permit under Article 7. The whole section traces back to the city's 1977 Flood Insurance Study, last revised December 17, 2010.