Peoria County, IL Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Freeboard requirement
- Base flood elevation plus 2 feet
- Applies to
- New construction & substantial improvements in SFHA
- Permit required
- Floodplain development permit, Sec. 3.10
- Enforcing official
- Peoria County Zoning Administrator
- Floodway construction
- Barred without a ZBA variance
- Flood maps used
- FIRM dated June 1, 1983, as amended
Summary
Peoria County requires new buildings and substantial improvements in a mapped floodplain to sit above the flood protection elevation, defined as the base flood elevation plus a two-foot freeboard cushion. The Zoning Administrator enforces the standard through the county's floodplain development permit, and every mechanical system in the structure has to clear that same line.
Flood Protection Elevation: The elevation of the base flood elevation or 100-year frequency flood plus two (2) feet at any given location in a designated floodplain, pursuant to Sections 3.10 ("Floodplain Development Permit") and 7.14 ("Floodplain Regulations") of this chapter. ... 2.Protecting Buildings. All buildings located within a floodplain shall be protected from flood damage below the flood protection elevation. ... 3.All areas below the flood protection elevation shall be constructed of materials resistant to flood damage. The lowest floor (including basement, cellar or crawl space) and all electrical, heating, ventilating, plumbing, and air conditioning equipment and utility meters shall be located at or above the flood protection elevation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 52).
Full Breakdown
14, the county's Floodplain Regulations. 7, every new building and every substantial improvement inside a Special Flood Hazard Area has to be protected from flood damage below that flood protection elevation line, whether it is new construction, an addition, a manufactured home on a new site, or a travel trailer parked more than 180 days. Owners can meet the standard by elevating the structure on stilts, piles, or an open foundation, or, for nonresidential buildings only, by dry floodproofing it so the structure and utilities are watertight below the line.
Either way, the lowest floor, including any basement, cellar or crawl space, and every electrical, heating, plumbing and air conditioning component must sit at or above the flood protection elevation, and materials used below that line must resist flood damage. The Zoning Administrator determines whether a parcel sits in a floodway or a flood fringe using the county's 1982 Flood Insurance Study and 1983 Flood Insurance Rate Maps, and requires a signed non-conversion agreement, recorded with the Peoria County Recorder of Deeds, before issuing a permit for residential construction below that line. 10.
Violations & Fines
Building or filling below the flood protection elevation without a permit is enforced by the Zoning Administrator, who can issue a notice of violation by personal service or certified mail describing the violation and the deadline to correct it under Section 7.14.13. Unless another fine schedule applies, violations of the UDO are petty offenses carrying up to a $500 fine per offense, with continuing violations counted separately, through the Code Hearing Unit or circuit court.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the flood protection elevation in Peoria County?
Can I finish a basement below the flood protection elevation?
Who decides if my lot is in the floodway or flood fringe?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Peoria County
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