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

Hall County's Flood Protection ordinance, Sec. 2, regulates every area of special flood hazard and area of future-conditions flood hazard shown on the county's Flood Insurance Study. Sec. B, Building Standards for Structures and Buildings Within the Future-Conditions Floodplain, sets the elevation floor for new construction. Under Sec. a, new construction of a principal residential structure in the future-conditions floodplain is barred unless it first meets the site design, anchoring, and flood-resistant material requirements of Secs. E; once those are met, the lowest floor, including any basement, must sit no lower than three feet above the base flood elevation or one foot above the future-conditions flood elevation, whichever is higher.

That three-foot figure applies to substantial improvements of an existing home as well as new construction. Sec. a sets a lower bar for nonresidential buildings, one foot above the base flood elevation (or the future-conditions elevation, if higher), and lets the owner floodproof the structure to that same level instead of physically elevating it, provided the structure and its utilities are made watertight. Where a builder elevates on solid foundation perimeter walls rather than piers, Sec. 5 requires flood openings, at least two vents totaling one square inch of net area for every square foot of enclosed space below the lowest floor, so hydrostatic pressure can equalize instead of collapsing the wall. Sec. 2 defines base flood elevation by reference to the county's adopted Flood Insurance Study and Flood Insurance Rate Maps.