Parma, OH Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Freeboard requirement
- Base flood elevation plus 2 feet
- Default rule if no BFE data
- 2 feet above highest adjacent grade
- Governing authority
- Floodplain Administrator
- Permit required
- Floodplain development permit before construction
- Penalty class
- First-degree misdemeanor, strict liability
- Enclosure vent rule
- 1 sq in per sq ft, 2+ openings
Summary
Parma requires new construction and substantially improved residential structures in special flood hazard areas to have the lowest floor, including the basement, elevated to or above the flood protection elevation: the base flood elevation plus two feet of freeboard. A floodplain development permit from the Floodplain Administrator is mandatory before any such work begins.
New construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure, including manufactured homes, shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated to or above the flood protection elevation. Where flood protection elevation data are not available, the structure shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated at least two feet above the highest adjacent natural grade.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-30: Local legislation current to August 3, 2026 | State legislation current to June 25, 2025).
Full Breakdown
03(r)). 25(d) applies that standard directly to residential construction: new construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure, including manufactured homes, must have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated to or above the flood protection elevation. Where flood protection elevation data are not available for a site, the lowest floor must instead be elevated at least two feet above the highest adjacent natural grade. 25(c) requires electrical, heating, plumbing and HVAC equipment to be elevated or otherwise protected from flood infiltration. 25(e) must either be engineered to automatically equalize hydrostatic forces or carry at least two flood openings on different walls totaling one square inch of net area per square foot of enclosed space, with opening bottoms no higher than one foot above grade.
26(b): the lowest floor must reach the flood protection elevation, or the building must be dry floodproofed watertight to that level and certified by a registered engineer or architect using a FEMA Floodproofing Certificate. 36(a) makes it a violation to build, alter, or enlarge any structure in the regulated area without first obtaining a floodplain development permit, and use or construction that departs from an approved permit is likewise a violation.
Violations & Fines
Failure to obtain a floodplain development permit, or building outside the terms of an issued permit, is a violation of Chapter 1526 under Section 1526.36(a)(2)-(3), triggering a written notice of violation from the Floodplain Administrator specifying required remedial action and a compliance deadline. Section 1526.99 makes any violation a strict liability offense and a first-degree misdemeanor, with each day of continuing violation charged as a separate offense; the city may pursue additional lawful remedies beyond prosecution.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high above the base flood elevation must a Parma home be built?
What if my lot has no base flood elevation data?
Can I finish the space below the elevated lowest floor?
What happens if I build without a floodplain permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Parma
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Flood Elevation Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cuyahoga County handle flood elevation requirements.