Ramapo, NY Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Section 149-12 sets the Town's general construction standards for the areas of special flood hazard shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map adopted in § 149-5B. Subsection E(1)(a) applies this two-foot freeboard rule to new and substantially improved residential structures: within Zones A1-A30, AE and AH, and within Zone A where base flood elevation data exist, the lowest floor, including a basement, must sit at or above two feet over the base flood elevation, a stricter margin than FEMA's baseline requirement of matching the base flood elevation exactly.

Where no base flood elevation data are available in Zone A, § 149-12E(1)(b) instead requires the lowest floor to sit at least three feet above the highest adjacent grade. Zone AO structures must clear the highest adjacent grade by two feet above the depth number shown on the map, per § 149-12E(1)(c). Section 149-12F applies the identical two-foot freeboard, or equivalent floodproofing certified watertight to that height by a licensed engineer or architect, to new and substantially improved nonresidential structures. Utilities fare no better: § 149-12D requires new and replacement electrical, heating, plumbing and other service equipment to sit at least two feet above the base flood elevation or be designed to keep water out and resist hydrostatic forces during a flood.