Barrow County, GA Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Section 89-1258 is Barrow County's flood damage prevention ordinance, adopted under the county's home-rule authority in O.C.G.A. § 36-1-20(a). It applies to all areas of special flood hazard within unincorporated Barrow County, using FEMA's Flood Insurance Study of October 16, 1991, with its accompanying maps, as the official basis for those boundaries, plus any area known to have flooded historically even if not yet mapped. No structure or land may be located, extended, converted or altered inside a special flood hazard area without a development permit issued in conformance with the ordinance, and that permit is required before any development activity begins, not after.

The Barrow County Planning and Community Development Director administers the ordinance and reviews every permit application to confirm the proposed building site will be reasonably safe from flooding, that federal or state permits such as a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit are on file, and that the lowest floor elevation of new or substantially improved structures is properly certified once construction reaches that stage. Applicants must submit plans showing the elevation of the lowest floor in relation to mean sea level or the highest adjacent grade, and, for nonresidential buildings that will be flood-proofed instead of elevated, a design certification from a registered professional engineer or architect. Encroachments, fill and new construction are barred inside a designated floodway unless engineering analysis proves they will not raise flood heights, and critical facilities cannot be located in the 100-year or 500-year floodplain at all. The Flood Insurance Study and supporting maps are on file for public inspection at the Barrow County Department of Community and County Development, 233 East Broad Street, Winder.