Scranton, PA Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

The Floodplain Overlay in § 445-14 of Chapter 445, Zoning, defines a base flood as the flood with a one-percent chance of occurring in any given year, and defines regulatory flood elevation in § 445-14L(2) as the base flood elevation, or an estimated flood height determined by simplified methods, plus a freeboard safety factor of one and one-half feet. Section 445-14C(2)(a) requires new construction or substantial improvement of a residential structure in an AE, A1-30, or AH zone to have its lowest floor, including any basement, elevated up to or above that regulatory flood elevation; in AO zones without base flood elevations, the standard instead is the highest adjacent grade plus the depth number shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map.

Nonresidential structures may elevate to the same standard or, in the alternative, be floodproofed below the regulatory flood elevation to the W1 or W2 watertight standards in the Army Corps of Engineers' 'Flood-Proofing Regulations' publication, certified by a registered engineer or architect. 5-foot minimum. New streets built within the floodplain cannot have a finished elevation more than one foot below the regulatory flood elevation, and permit applicants must submit lowest-floor elevation certifications to the Building Code Official and Zoning Officer.