Albuquerque, NM Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Under Revised Ordinances of Albuquerque § 14-5-3-3, "A Floodplain Development Permit shall be required to ensure conformance with the provisions of this Ordinance," and § 14-5-3-4 bars any structure or land use change without full compliance with the ordinance and other applicable regulations. The ordinance applies citywide within the area of special flood hazard, including the extraterritorial planning jurisdiction (§ 14-5-3-1), based on the FEMA Flood Insurance Study for Bernalillo County dated November 4, 2016, and its accompanying FIRM/FBFM maps (§ 14-5-3-2). Permit applications go to the Floodplain Administrator, who is the City Engineer within the Planning Department's Engineering Division (§ 14-5-4-1), on forms requiring the elevation of the lowest floor of new or substantially improved structures, floodproofing certification from a registered engineer or architect for nonresidential buildings, and a description of any watercourse alteration (§ 14-5-4-3(1)).

The Administrator weighs nine factors before approving or denying a permit, including danger to life and property, susceptibility to flood damage, and the availability of alternative, non-flood-prone sites (§ 14-5-4-3(2)). Variances go to the City Engineer, who may grant relief only on a showing of good and sufficient cause, exceptional hardship, and no resulting increase in flood heights or public-safety threat; variances are barred outright within a designated floodway if they would raise base flood elevations (§ 14-5-4-4(8), (10)). Appeals of the Floodplain Administrator's decisions go to the Mayor, and anyone aggrieved by the Mayor's ruling may appeal further to the courts (§ 14-5-4-4(2)-(3)).