Pitt County, NC Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Pitt County adopted its Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance under authority the North Carolina General Assembly delegated in Chapter 143, Article 21; Chapter 153A, Article 6; Chapter 160A, Article 8; and Chapter 160D of the General Statutes. Section 6 applies the ordinance to all Special Flood Hazard Areas within the county's jurisdiction, including any extraterritorial jurisdiction whose governing body agrees by resolution. Section 7 ties those flood hazard areas to the Cooperating Technical State agreement between North Carolina and FEMA, based on the Flood Insurance Study dated June 19, 2020, and its accompanying Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map panels.

Before any development activity, from a house to fill, grading, or drilling, can begin in one of those mapped areas, Section 8 requires a Floodplain Development Permit, and Section 9 bars locating, extending, converting, altering, or developing any structure or land without full compliance. The Planning Director or a designee serves as Floodplain Administrator under Section 14 and reviews applications submitted under Section 15, which must include a scaled plot plan showing the SFHA boundary, flood zone designation, floodway boundary, proposed elevations relative to NAVD 1988, and, where floodproofing is used, a FEMA Floodproofing Certificate. No permit issues until the plan demonstrates compliance with the Base Flood Elevation and floodway standards set later in the ordinance.