Avondale, AZ Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Sec. 8-6 applies Chapter 8's floodplain management article to all areas of special flood hazard within Avondale's corporate limits, as delineated by the FEMA Flood Insurance Study for Maricopa County dated October 16, 2013 and its FIRM panels, kept on file at Avondale City Hall's Engineering Division per sec. 8-7. Sec. 8-32 requires a development permit before construction or development begins in any special flood hazard area, including placement of manufactured homes, and requires the applicant to submit scaled plans showing the proposed elevation of the lowest floor relative to mean sea level, the proposed floodproofing elevation for non-residential structures with engineer certification, base flood elevation data for subdivisions of fifty lots or five acres or more, and a description of any watercourse alteration.

Sec. 8-30 designates the city manager as floodplain administrator, who may delegate the role to an experienced staff member, and sec. 8-31 tasks that administrator with reviewing every permit to confirm state and federal permits were obtained and that the site is reasonably safe from flooding. Development in the regulated floodway itself is prohibited under sec. 8-47 unless an engineer certifies through hydrologic and hydraulic analysis that the proposed encroachment will not raise flood levels during a base flood discharge.