FEMA flood zone rules in Beloit, WI — also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules — determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
The City of Beloit participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and regulates floodplain development under Chapter 19 of the Beloit Municipal Code, with floodplain districts established in Article V (Sec. 5-410 through Sec. 5-420). The ordinance is adopted under Wis. Stat. Sec. 87.30 and conforms to Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter NR 116. The Rock River is the primary regulated waterway. The currently effective FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) panels for Rock County (community panels in the 55105C series, including 0308E through 0455E) became effective September 16, 2015. New residential structures are prohibited in the regulatory floodway, and structures in the flood fringe must be elevated to the flood protection elevation.
Wisconsin Stat. Sec. 87.30 requires every municipality with mapped floodplain or that participates in the NFIP to adopt a floodplain zoning ordinance meeting the minimum standards of Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter NR 116 and 44 CFR Parts 59-72. Beloit implements that mandate through Chapter 19 of the Beloit Municipal Code, where Article V Section 5-400 establishes the floodplain districts. The Floodway District (FW) is Sec. 5-410 through 5-413, the Floodfringe District (FF) is Sec. 5-414 through 5-416, and the General Floodplain District (GFP) is Sec. 5-417 through 5-420. Section 5-416(a) requires that the lowest floor of residential structures in the Floodfringe be at or above the flood protection elevation on fill, with Sec. 5-416(a)(1) requiring fill to be at least one foot above the regional flood elevation extending at least 15 feet beyond the limits of the structure. The currently effective Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Rock County, which contain the City of Beloit, are panels 55105C0308E, 0309E, 0312E, 0314E, 0316E, 0317E, 0318E, 0319E, 0336E, 0337E, 0338E, 0339E, 0430E, 0431E, 0432E, and 0455E, with an effective date of September 16, 2015, and corresponding Flood Insurance Study (FIS) volumes of the same date. The Rock River is the primary flood source for the City. The City must apply for a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) from FEMA after any watercourse alteration or relocation, and any such alteration requires FEMA review and approval. The Board of Appeals considers variances to the Floodplain Ordinance.
Wis. Stat. Sec. 87.30(2) and NR 116.21 require enforcement of local floodplain zoning. Violations - including filling, grading, or structural development in the regulatory floodway, building below the flood protection elevation in the flood fringe, or occupying habitable space without proper elevation - can result in citation, daily forfeitures, removal or restoration orders, and loss of NFIP eligibility for the affected property. Failure to apply for a LOMR after a watercourse alteration is also a violation. Communities that fail to enforce floodplain zoning can be suspended from the NFIP under 44 CFR Part 59, which would eliminate federally-backed flood insurance for properties in the city.
Beloit, WI
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Beloit, WI
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Beloit, WI
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Beloit, WI
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Beloit, WI
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Beloit, WI
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