Norfolk, VA Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

5-7(e) requires that any subdivision proposal located in a designated floodplain district be reviewed to confirm it minimizes flood damage, and it adds a specific data mandate for bigger projects: any subdivision proposal with more than fifty lots or larger than five acres, whichever threshold is smaller, must include base flood elevation data as part of the submission. 5-7(e) to identify districts A-3, A-4, A-6 and coastal high-hazard district V-7. 5-7 itself sets a minimum elevation above base flood for finished floors. The rule exists because larger subdivisions carry more downstream flood risk from grading, fill and drainage changes, so the city wants hydraulic data on record before it approves the plat rather than discovering elevation problems during construction.

5-13 where topography or other conditions justify it, but any variance request must be recorded and stay consistent with the chapter's flood-safety intent; the base flood elevation submission itself is not listed among the design standards eligible for that variance in the text reviewed.