Sioux Falls, SD Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Freeboard required
- 2 feet above BFE
- Applies to
- Lowest floor, including basement
- Covers
- Residential, nonresidential, manufactured homes
- Certification
- PE, architect, or surveyor required
- Enforced by
- Floodplain administrator
Summary
New and substantially improved buildings in Sioux Falls flood hazard areas must have the lowest floor elevated two feet above the base flood elevation.
New construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure shall have the lowest floor (including basement), elevated two feet above the base flood elevation... (b) Nonresidential construction. New construction and substantial improvements of any commercial, industrial, or other nonresidential structure shall have the lowest floor (including basement) elevated two feet above the base flood level.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-135: Current through local ordinance 54-26, passed 7-14-2026).
Full Breakdown
In special flood hazard areas with base flood elevation data, Sioux Falls requires new construction and substantial improvements to residential, commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential structures to elevate the lowest floor (including any basement) two feet above the base flood elevation. A registered professional engineer, architect, or land surveyor must certify compliance, and site plans must specify the minimum ground elevation. Manufactured homes placed in Zones A1-30, AH, and AE face the same two-foot freeboard standard on a permanent, anchored foundation.
Violations & Fines
Development without a floodplain development permit, or construction that fails to meet the certified 2-foot freeboard standard, is a violation subject to the floodplain administrator's stop-work and enforcement authority under Chapter 156.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much freeboard does Sioux Falls require above base flood elevation?
Does the 2-foot freeboard rule apply to commercial buildings too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sioux Falls
Compare Sioux Falls to another location·View the South Dakota environmental rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.