Morgan County, IN Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Section 151.20 defines FLOOD PROTECTION GRADE (FPG) as the BFE plus three feet at any given location in the SFHA. Section 151.62(A) applies that three-foot freeboard requirement to structures located in the SFHA, other than new primary buildings, which are not allowed there at all; the requirement is triggered by new structures over 400 square feet, additions or improvements worth 50% or more of the existing structure's value, repairs to a damaged or repetitive-loss structure restoring it to 50% or more of pre-damage value, siting a manufactured home, or placing a travel trailer or recreational vehicle on a site for more than 180 days.

Section 151.62(B)(2) requires new construction or substantial improvement of a residential structure in Zone A or Zone AE to have its lowest floor, including any basement, at or above the FPG. Where solid perimeter walls are used below the FPG, § 151.62(B)(3) requires non-engineered flood openings meeting FEMA Technical Bulletin 1: at least two openings in two different exterior walls, providing one square inch of net area per square foot of enclosed area, with the bottom of each opening no more than one foot above grade, and the enclosed area left unpartitioned and unfinished.

Owners must record a flood-openings and venting affidavit with the County Recorder acknowledging the vents will be maintained, and the Floodplain Administrator conducts periodic inspections to confirm compliance. Non-conversion agreements are also required for elevated structures with an enclosure below the floor.