Beaumont, CA Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)
FEMA flood zone rules in Beaumont, CA, also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules, determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- Any construction or development in a special flood hazard area
- Floodplain Administrator
- Director of Public Works
- Adopted flood maps
- FEMA study April 1978; FIRMs dated October 17, 1978
- Plan submittal
- Plans in duplicate, drawn to scale
- Floodway rule
- No encroachment without engineer's no-rise certification
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under Section 15.24.080
Summary
In the City of Beaumont, California, Municipal Code § 15.24.140 requires a development permit before any construction or other development, including manufactured homes, in a special flood hazard area. The Director of Public Works, as Floodplain Administrator, reviews applications, and violations of the chapter are misdemeanors.
A development permit shall be obtained before any construction or other development, including manufactured homes, within any special flood hazard areas established in Section 15.24.070. Application for a development permit shall be made on forms furnished by the City. The applicant shall provide the following minimum information: A.Plans in duplicate, drawn to scale, showing:1.Location, dimensions, and elevation of the area in question, existing or proposed structures, storage of materials and equipment and their location;2.Proposed locations of water supply, sanitary sewer, and other utilities;3.Grading information showing existing and proposed contours, any proposed fill, and drainage facilities;4.Location of the regulatory floodway when applicable; ... B.Certification from a registered civil engineer or architect that the nonresidential flood proofed building meets the flood proofing criteria in Section 15.24.160.C.2.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 15.24 applies to all special flood hazard areas in the City of Beaumont, California. Section 15.24.070 adopts the Federal Emergency Management Agency Flood Insurance Study for the City of Beaumont dated April 1978, with Flood Insurance Rate Maps and Flood Boundary and Floodway Maps dated October 17, 1978, and all later amendments and revisions. The study and maps are on file at City of Beaumont, 550 E. Sixth Street. The Director of Public Works is the Floodplain Administrator (§§ 15.24.050 and 15.24.120).
Section 15.24.140 requires a development permit before any construction or other development, including manufactured homes, inside those areas. Development is defined broadly in § 15.24.050 as any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including buildings, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation, drilling, and storage of equipment or materials. The application is made on City forms and includes plans in duplicate, drawn to scale, showing the location, dimensions, and elevation of the area and structures, water supply, sewer, and utility locations, grading contours with any proposed fill and drainage facilities, and the regulatory floodway where it applies. Nonresidential floodproofed buildings need a certification from a registered civil engineer or architect. The applicant also describes the extent to which any watercourse will be altered or relocated.
Review under Section 15.24.130 checks that the site is reasonably safe from flooding and that a proposal does not raise the base flood more than one foot at any point in the City. Building permits are not issued on Conditional Letters of Map Revision. Section 15.24.210 prohibits encroachments in an adopted regulatory floodway unless a registered civil engineer certifies no increase in flood levels. Appeals of the Administrator's decisions go to the City Council under Section 15.24.150.
Violations & Fines
Section 15.24.080 bars any structure or land from being constructed, located, extended, converted, or altered without full compliance with the chapter and states that violations, including violations of conditions and safeguards, constitute a misdemeanor. Under Section 1.16.020, a misdemeanor conviction is punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000.00, imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both, unless another ordinance prescribes different punishment. The City can also take lawful action to prevent or remedy a violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to fill or grade land in a Beaumont flood zone?
Where can I see Beaumont's flood maps?
Who decides appeals and variances in Beaumont?
Can I park a recreational vehicle in a Beaumont flood zone?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Beaumont
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Flood Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle flood zones.