San Jose, CA Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Under San Jose Municipal Code § 17.08.620, the floodplain administrator (the deputy director of public works) reviews every building permit application for new construction or substantial improvement inside a special flood hazard area. In Zones A, A1-A30, AE and AH, the lowest floor, including any basement, must be elevated to or above the base flood elevation (BFE) shown on the FIRM, or the best available data if none has been mapped. A development permit under § 17.08.570 is required before construction begins, and the as-built elevation must be certified to the floodplain administrator by a registered professional engineer or surveyor. Coastal high hazard Zones V/V1-V30/VE carry a stricter piling-elevation standard under § 17.08.620(A)(14). The code does not layer a local freeboard buffer on top of the FEMA BFE for standard A-zones; the BFE itself is the floor.