Spokane County, WA Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Freeboard standard
- 1 foot above base flood elevation
- Applies to
- residential, nonresidential, manufactured homes
- Critical facilities standard
- 500-year flood elevation
- Proof required
- FEMA elevation certificate (Form 81-31)
- Penalty
- up to $1,000 fine, 90 days jail
- Variance
- rare, hardship-only, per SCC 3.20.440
Summary
Spokane County requires new and substantially improved buildings in a mapped flood hazard area to sit at least one foot above the base flood elevation, the Flood Protection Elevation defined in SCC 3.20.100. Residential structures must clear that freeboard at the lowest floor under SCC 3.20.610(a), while manufactured homes and nonresidential buildings face the same one-foot minimum.
"Flood Protection Elevation" means one foot above the base flood elevation. ... 3.20.610(a) New construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure within areas of special flood hazard shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated a minimum of one foot above the base flood elevation. New construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure outside the floodplain on property a portion of which is in a special flood hazard area shall have the lowest opening of the structure elevated a minimum of one foot above the base flood elevation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
100 defines Flood Protection Elevation as one foot above the base flood elevation, the county's freeboard standard layered on top of FEMA's mapped 100-year base flood level. 610(a) applies it to homes: new construction and substantial improvements must have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated a minimum of one foot above the base flood elevation, and even a residential structure outside the floodplain but on a lot partly inside one must elevate its lowest opening the same one foot. 610(b). 620 get the same one-foot freeboard option or can dry-floodproof to that level with an engineer's or architect's certification.
510(b). 230: their lowest floor must clear the five-hundred-year flood level, not just one foot over the ordinary base flood. Every one of these elevations gets documented on a FEMA elevation certificate, Form 81-31, completed by a Washington-licensed surveyor with Section B verified by the county engineer/public works director before the county will sign off.
Violations & Fines
Building below the required freeboard, or skipping the elevation certificate, is a floodplain development permit violation under SCC 3.20.720: a misdemeanor carrying up to a $1,000 fine, 90 days in jail, or both, plus a stop-work order under 3.20.730 halting construction until the deficiency is fixed. Variances below the one-foot standard are rare and hardship-only under 3.20.440, and any owner who gets one must be told in writing that flood insurance costs will rise accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much higher than the base flood elevation must my house sit?
Does a garage or storage building need the same freeboard?
What about a hospital or fire station?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spokane County
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