McCracken County, KY Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Section 171.41 of the McCracken County Code sets the elevation standard for special flood hazard areas where FEMA has published base flood elevation data under Section 171.04. New construction or substantial improvement of a residential structure or manufactured home must have its lowest floor, including basement mechanical equipment and ductwork, elevated no lower than one foot above the base flood elevation; if solid foundation perimeter walls are used to elevate the structure, those walls need openings sized to let flood water move through freely, per Section 171.41(C).

In an AO Zone the floor must reach the depth number printed on the FIRM, or at least two feet above the highest adjacent grade if no depth number is shown; in an A Zone lacking FEMA data, the county still requires one foot above a base flood elevation the Floodplain Administrator determines, citing Title 401 KAR Chapter 4, Regulation 060, Section 5(5)a for the cross-section methodology used to set that elevation. Nonresidential buildings, including manufactured homes used commercially, must either meet the same one-foot floor elevation or be floodproofed watertight below that level, with structural components rated to resist hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads; a registered professional engineer or architect must certify compliance.

Once the lowest floor is placed, Section 171.26(B)(2) requires the permit holder to submit a certified as-built elevation survey referenced to mean sea level to the Floodplain Administrator before construction may proceed further; skipping that step is grounds for a stop-work order.