FEMA flood zone rules in Montgomery County, PA — also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules — determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Montgomery County participates in the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program, with significant flood risk along the Schuylkill River, Perkiomen Creek, and Wissahickon Creek. Floodplain ordinances are adopted at the municipal level under the Pennsylvania Flood Plain Management Act (Act 166 of 1978, 32 P.S. §679.101 et seq.) and 12 Pa. Code Chapter 113. Montgomery County publishes four model floodplain ordinances aligned with FEMA municipality classifications.
Pennsylvania Act 166 of 1978, codified at 32 P.S. §679.101 et seq., requires every municipality identified by FEMA as having flood-prone areas to adopt and enforce a floodplain management ordinance. The PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) administers the Act with minimum standards in 12 Pa. Code Chapter 113. FEMA's NFIP minimum standards under 44 CFR §60.3 require ordinances to regulate development in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) — Zones AE, A, AO, AH and the floodway. The Montgomery County Planning Commission has developed four versions of a model floodplain ordinance corresponding to the four FEMA municipality classifications, helping the county's 62 municipalities maintain NFIP good standing. Major flood corridors include the Schuylkill River (which flooded catastrophically in August 1933, August 1955, and during Tropical Storm Ida in September 2021), Perkiomen Creek, Wissahickon Creek, Pennypack Creek, and the Skippack Creek. Property owners in the SFHA with federally-backed mortgages are required by 42 U.S.C. §4012a to carry flood insurance. Many Montgomery County municipalities have adopted higher standards (e.g., 1.5 to 2 feet of freeboard above the Base Flood Elevation) for new construction and substantial improvements.
Floodplain ordinance violations are enforced by municipalities under PA MPC §617.2 (53 P.S. §10617.2) with civil fines up to $500 per day of violation plus court costs. Failure of a municipality to enforce its NFIP-compliant ordinance can result in NFIP probation or suspension under 44 CFR §59.24, eliminating federally-backed flood insurance for residents. Construction without floodplain permits can result in mandatory removal at the owner's expense and denial of future flood insurance claims.
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