Santa Fe, NM Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Section 14-8.3(F)(6)(a) SFCC 1987 requires that residential or nonresidential structures built or substantially improved in the flood fringe have the elevation of the lowest floor set at least one foot above the base flood elevation, a one-foot freeboard above FEMA's mapped base flood level. The floodplain administrator may authorize dry flood proofing instead for nonresidential structures where existing street or utility elevations make raising the floor infeasible, but the design and construction methods for dry flood proofing must meet 44 CFR Section 60.3 of the National Flood Insurance Program regulations and be certified by a professional engineer or architect.

New construction and substantial improvements with enclosed areas below the lowest floor must include flood-vent openings on at least two different walls, sized to at least one square inch of net opening per square foot of enclosed area, with the bottom of each opening no higher than one foot above finished grade (Section 14-8.3(F)(6)(c)). A professional engineer must certify, before permit issuance, that the structure's design conforms to these flood-fringe standards, and must certify again after completion that construction matches the approved plans (Section 14-8.3(F)(6)(g)).

Manufactured and mobile homes get their own version of the freeboard rule: their lowest floor must sit on compacted fill or pilings at least one foot above the base flood elevation, anchored against flotation and lateral movement with tie-down systems rated to carry 4,800 pounds per component (Section 14-8.3(F)(6)(h)-(i)).