Granville County, NC Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

The code defines "freeboard" as "the height added to the base flood elevation (BFE) to account for the many unknown factors that could contribute to flood heights greater than the height calculated for a selected size flood and floodway conditions," and it sets that add-on at two feet for Granville County. Sec. 32-315 then defines "regulatory flood protection elevation" (RFPE) as the BFE plus that two-foot freeboard in any special flood hazard area where FEMA has published a BFE, or at least two feet above the highest adjacent grade where no BFE has been established.

That elevation is the number Sec. 32-330 uses to set the reference level, including any basement, for both new residential construction and substantial improvements, and for non-residential buildings that are elevated rather than floodproofed. Electrical, heating, plumbing and air-conditioning equipment must sit at or above the RFPE too, so it cannot flood even when the structure around it meets the elevation standard. A registered land surveyor or professional engineer must certify the reference-level elevation on a FEMA elevation certificate (Form 086-0-33), submitted before construction starts, again within seven days of setting the reference level, and a final time as as-built documentation before the county issues a certificate of occupancy. The floodplain administrator, who is the county's zoning administrator, reviews each certificate and can require corrections before construction proceeds.