Kokomo, IN Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Freeboard above BFE
- 2 feet (Flood Protection Grade)
- Elevation datum used
- NAVD 88
- Floodplain Administrator
- Director, City Plan Commission
- Permit required before
- Start of construction in SFHA
- Maximum fine
- $2,500 per violation, per day
- Fill setback from BFE slope
- 10 feet beyond foundation
Summary
In the City of Kokomo, new and substantially improved buildings in the mapped floodplain must be built to the Flood Protection Grade, defined as base flood elevation (BFE) plus two feet of freeboard. Kokomo Code of Ordinances 159.15 sets the definitions and 159.52 applies the elevation rule; violations bring fines up to $2,500 per day under 159.99.
"BASE FLOOD ELEVATION (BFE)." The water surface elevation of the base flood in relation to a specified datum, usually the North American Vertical Datum of 1988. ... "FLOOD PROTECTION GRADE (FPG)." The BFE plus two feet at any given location in the SFHA. (See “FREEBOARD”) ... In Zone A and Zone AE, new construction or substantial improvement of any residential structure shall have the lowest floor; including basement, at or above the FPG.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 159, Flood Hazard Areas, is Kokomo's local floodplain ordinance and it builds its elevation standard on two defined terms in 159.15: BASE FLOOD ELEVATION (BFE), the water surface elevation of the base flood referenced to a specified datum (usually NAVD 88), and FLOOD PROTECTION GRADE (FPG), which the code fixes at the BFE plus two feet of freeboard at any given location in the special flood hazard area (SFHA). That two-foot cushion is Kokomo's local margin above the federal minimum, and it is the number the Floodplain Administrator, the Director of the City Plan Commission under 159.35, actually applies when reviewing permits.
Section 159.52, Specific Standards, requires that in all SFHA areas with base flood elevation data, new construction or substantial improvement of a residential structure must have its lowest floor, including any basement, built at or above the FPG; non-residential structures under the same section must either be elevated to the FPG or dry-floodproofed to that same grade. A floodplain development permit is required before any such construction starts, per 159.18 and 159.36, and the applicant must submit plans showing lowest-floor elevation in NAVD 88, and after construction submit an elevation certificate prepared by a registered land surveyor documenting the as-built lowest floor.
Where fill is used to reach the FPG, 159.52 requires it to extend ten feet beyond the foundation before sloping below the BFE and to be compacted to 95% of maximum density under the Standard or Modified Proctor Test.
Violations & Fines
Failing to obtain a floodplain development permit in the SFHA, or failing to comply with permit or variance conditions, is a violation of Chapter 159 under 159.99, treated as a common nuisance under the city's Zoning Code. Fines run up to $2,500, with a separate offense deemed to occur for each day the violation continues. The Director of the City Plan Commission must also notify the owner that the violation is considered a willful act that can cause a standard flood insurance policy to be suspended, and the city retains the right to pursue any other lawful remedy at the violator's cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high above base flood elevation must a new house be built in Kokomo?
Who enforces Kokomo's flood elevation rules?
What happens if I build below the required flood protection grade in Kokomo without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kokomo
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