Rothschild, WI Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Village Code § 572-4C(1)(a), part of Chapter 572 Floodplain Zoning's standards for the Floodfringe District (FF), requires that any new construction, any placement of a manufactured home, and any substantial improvement of a residential structure in the floodfringe have its lowest floor elevated to or above the flood protection elevation on fill. Under § 572-10, flood protection elevation means an elevation of two feet of freeboard above the Regional Flood Elevation, so the two-foot cushion is built into the standard rather than left to case-by-case judgment.

The fill placed around the structure must reach at least one foot above the regional flood elevation and extend at least 15 feet beyond the structure's limits, and land cannot be pulled out of the floodfringe district to dodge the rule unless the fill meets the separate two-foot-above-base-flood-elevation removal standard in § 572-1E(5). A basement or crawlspace floor may sit at the regional flood elevation instead, under § 572-4C(1)(b), but only if it is designed watertight, with walls substantially impermeable to water and structural components able to resist hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads; no floor of any kind may go below the regional flood elevation.

Accessory structures need only reach the regional flood elevation itself under § 572-4C(2), one foot lower than the standard for the primary residence. An owner secures compliance through the floodplain development permit, which requires certification from a registered professional engineer, architect, or land surveyor confirming the fill and lowest-floor elevations match what was approved.