Apex, NC Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Apex floodplain administration sits at three layers. Federally, the FEMA NFIP and the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 govern minimum standards and flood-insurance availability. At the state layer, North Carolina was the first state to model and produce its own DFIRMs through the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program (NCFMP) — administered through the NC Department of Public Safety / NC Emergency Management — under cooperative agreement with FEMA. Locally, Apex has adopted the Flood Damage Prevention Overlay District codified at UDO Article 6, Section 6.2, which functions as the Town's joint floodplain ordinance and applies to all FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) on the effective FIRM for the Town. Regulated watercourses in Apex include Beaver Creek (which runs through Apex Nature Park and is the subject of a state-funded stream restoration project adding 5 acre-feet of floodplain water storage), Middle Creek, and various unnamed tributaries draining to Jordan Lake (Upper New Hope arm). UDO Section 6.2.7 establishes the Floodplain Development Permit requirement, Section 6.2.16 sets the Provisions for Flood Hazard Reduction, Section 6.2.17 addresses Streams without Established Base Flood Elevations or Floodways/Non-Encroachment Areas, and Section 6.2.18 sets Standards for Subdivisions. North Carolina's standard regulatory flood protection elevation for non-coastal communities is 2 feet of freeboard above the BFE — substantial improvements and substantial damages (50% or more of pre-improvement market value) trigger full-compliance reconstruction at or above the regulatory flood protection elevation. The Town also applies Future Conditions / FEMA Zone X (shaded) and locally-mapped flood-prone areas where appropriate. Check your address against the effective FIRM through the North Carolina Flood Risk Information System at fris.nc.gov or contact the Apex Planning Department at (919) 249-3426.