FEMA flood zone rules in Brookfield, WI — also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules — determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Chapter 17.88 of the Brookfield Municipal Code establishes the Floodplain District, regulating areas of special flood hazard identified as Zones A, AO, AH, A1-30, and AE on the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). Floodplain boundaries are based on the FEMA Flood Insurance Study for the City of Brookfield, Waukesha County, dated November 5, 2014. Permits are required for all development within the 100-year floodplain - including buildings, additions, remodeling, fences, raised gardens, fire pits, fill, and excavation. The ordinance distinguishes between the Floodway District (FW), where conveyance is required, and the Floodfringe District (FF). Alterations require FEMA and Wisconsin DNR review through the Letter of Map Change (LOMC) process.
Brookfield's Floodplain District regulations are codified at Chapter 17.88 of the Municipal Code and implement the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and Wisconsin's mandatory floodplain management standards under Wis. Stat. Sec. 87.30 and Wis. Admin. Code NR 116. The boundaries of the floodplain districts are based on technical data contained in the Flood Insurance Study, City of Brookfield, Waukesha County, Wisconsin, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and dated November 5, 2014. The FW Floodway District covers the channel of a river or stream and adjoining floodplain required to carry the regional flood discharge - mapped within AE zones (or A zones where floodway limits have been determined) on the FIRM. The FF Floodfringe District covers the riverine special flood hazard area outside the floodway. The City Engineering Department maintains the official Flood Insurance Rate Maps and Wisconsin DNR Flood Storage District (FSD) maps, viewable at the FEMA Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov). A floodplain permit from the Inspection Services Department is required for development within the 100-year floodplain, including new construction, additions, remodeling, land disturbance such as filling or excavation, fences, raised gardens, and fire pits. Any proposed alteration to mapped floodplain boundaries must be reviewed and approved by FEMA and the Wisconsin DNR through the Letter of Map Change (LOMC) process. Brookfield is bisected by the Fox River and several tributaries that drive much of the regulated floodplain. Property owners can contact the Engineering Department at City Hall to determine whether a parcel lies within the floodplain.
Development within the 100-year floodplain without a required permit, or in violation of approved floodway/floodfringe standards, exposes the owner to enforcement under Chapter 17.88 and Wis. Admin. Code NR 116. Penalties may include stop-work orders, after-the-fact permitting, structural modifications or removal, daily forfeitures, and loss of NFIP flood insurance eligibility. Wis. Stat. Sec. 87.30(2) authorizes the DNR to require local enforcement.
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