Monterey, CA Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Base flood definition
- 1% annual-chance (100-year) flood, § 9-68
- Standard elevation rule
- Lowest floor at/above base flood elevation
- Zone AO rule
- Above grade by FIRM depth or 2 feet
- Manufactured home freeboard
- State recommends 2 feet above base flood
- Coastal high hazard
- Elevated on pilings above base flood
- Certification
- Registered engineer/surveyor or building inspector
Summary
New construction and any substantial improvement in a Monterey flood hazard area must have its lowest floor, including any basement, elevated to or above the base flood elevation, defined as the flood with a 1% annual chance of occurring (Monterey City Code § 9-71.1(C)(1)). Manufactured homes carry an explicit two-foot freeboard recommendation (§ 9-71.4(C)).
“Base flood” means the flood having a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year (also called the “1 00-year flood”). ... 1.All new construction and substantial improvement ... of any structure shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated to or above the base flood elevation. ... will be securely fastened to an adequately anchored foundation system to resist flotation, collapse, and lateral movement, and elevated so that the lowest floor of the manufactured home is at or above the base flood elevation (the State of California recommends at least two feet above the base flood elevation) and be securely anchored to a permanent foundation system to resist flotation, collapse or lateral movement.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3721, passed July 7, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Monterey defines the 'base flood' as the flood having a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year, also called the 100-year flood (§ 9-68). 1(C)(1), all new construction and any substantial improvement to a structure in an area of special flood hazard must have its lowest floor, including a basement, elevated to or above that base flood elevation; a registered engineer or surveyor must certify the finished elevation, or the community building inspector must verify it, before the Floodplain Administrator will sign off.
1(C)(2)). 1(C)(3)). 4(C) spells out a specific freeboard cushion: the State of California recommends at least two feet above the base flood elevation, in addition to the anchoring required to resist flotation, collapse and lateral movement. 5(A): new construction there must be elevated on pilings or columns so that the lowest horizontal structural member, not just the floor, clears the base flood elevation. Monterey has no designated regulatory floodway, per the code's own note under the 'Floodway' definition.
Violations & Fines
A structure built or substantially improved below the required base flood elevation, or one missing the elevation certificate a surveyor or the building inspector must provide under § 9-71.1(C)(1), is presumed in violation of Monterey's flood damage prevention ordinance until that documentation is produced, and enforcement follows the misdemeanor and abatement provisions of § 9-69.3.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high above the base flood level must a Monterey building be?
Does Monterey require freeboard above the minimum flood elevation?
Are coastal properties held to a different flood elevation standard in Monterey?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Monterey
California rules heatmap·Compare Monterey to another location·View the California environmental rules overview
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Flood Elevation Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Monterey County handle flood elevation requirements.