Sterling Heights, MI Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Freeboard required
- 2 feet above floodplain boundary
- Governing article
- Zoning Ordinance Article 16
- Flood map source
- Macomb County FEMA FIS, 2006
- Habitable structures
- Prohibited inside floodplain area
Summary
In Sterling Heights, Michigan floodplain areas, a home's lowest floor must sit at least two feet above the FEMA floodplain boundary elevation before the city allows habitable construction there.
The elevation of the lowest floor designed or intended for human habitation shall be at least two feet above the elevation of the floodplain area boundary;
2. In the area below the upper limit of the floodplain area boundary, dumping or backfilling with any material in any manner is prohibited, unless through compensating excavation and shaping of the floodplain area its flow and impoundment capacity will be maintained or improved;
3. Any filling on banks adjacent to a floodplain area boundary shall have approved erosion control to prevent soil from being washed into the floodplain. City Council shall adopt erosion control standards to be enforced by the City Engineer;
F. Floodplain areas shall be restricted so as to prohibit any structure wherein human habitation may be provided for either a place of residence or employment.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-46: Local legislation current through Ord. 509, passed 5-19-26).
Full Breakdown
Sterling Heights Zoning Ordinance Article 16 governs floodplain areas mapped in the Macomb County FEMA Flood Insurance Study. Section 16.04 lists permitted uses on parcels partly within the floodplain boundary, but only if the lowest floor built for human habitation clears the floodplain area boundary elevation by at least two feet: a two-foot freeboard above the mapped flood line. Filling near the boundary also requires erosion control approved by the City Engineer, and no structure may be built for residence or employment use inside the floodplain area itself.
Violations & Fines
Building below the two-foot freeboard, or placing habitable structures inside the floodplain area itself, violates Article 16 and can block site plan or building permit approval by the city.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build a house in a Sterling Heights floodplain area?
What flood map does Sterling Heights use?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sterling Heights
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Flood Elevation Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Macomb County handle flood elevation requirements.