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Brookhaven, GA Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Significant Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

FEMA flood zone rules in Brookhaven, GA, also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules, determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.

Key Facts

Governing article: Chapter 14, Article VIII (Secs. 14-726 to 14-875)
Administrator: Community development director or designee
Flood study adopted: DeKalb County FIS dated August 15, 2019 (or later)
Flood elevation rise barred: Any rise equal to or more than 0.01 foot
Storage compensation cap: 300 cubic yards per acre of floodplain area
Residential lot rule: 70 percent of buildable land above base flood elevation

FEMA Flood Zone Lookup

FEMA assigns every parcel in the U.S. a flood-hazard designation on its Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Zones starting with A or V are high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas where federally backed mortgages require NFIP flood insurance. Zone X indicates moderate-to-minimal risk, where insurance is optional but often recommended. Your specific zone determines insurance cost, build elevation, and permit requirements in Brookhaven, GA.

Zone	What it means	NFIP required?
A	High-risk flood area; 1% annual chance flood, no detailed analysis.	Yes
AE	High-risk; same as A but with established Base Flood Elevations.	Yes
AH	High-risk shallow flooding (1-3 ft), usually ponding.	Yes
AO	High-risk shallow flooding (1-3 ft) with sheet flow on sloping terrain.	Yes
V	High-risk coastal zone subject to wave action (no BFE).	Yes
VE	High-risk coastal zone with wave action and established BFEs.	Yes
X (shaded)	Moderate risk; between the 1% and 0.2% annual chance flood.	Recommended
X	Minimal risk; outside the 0.2% annual chance floodplain.	No

Look up Brookhaven, GA on the FEMA flood map

FEMA maps update periodically; verify zone before buying flood insurance or building.

Summary

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 14-792 bars development in the future-conditions floodplain that raises the base flood or future-conditions flood elevation by 0.01 foot or more, reduces flood storage, changes flow characteristics or creates erosive velocities. Residential lots need not less than 70 percent of buildable land area above the base flood elevation, a minimum of three feet.

(a)No development shall be allowed within the future-conditions floodplain that could result in any of the following:(1)Raising the base flood elevation or future-conditions flood elevation equal to or more than 0.01 foot;(2)Reducing the base flood or future-conditions flood storage capacity;(3)Changing the flow characteristics as to the depth and velocity of the waters of the base flood or future-conditions flood as they pass both the upstream and the downstream boundaries of the development area; or(4)Creating hazardous or erosion-producing velocities, or resulting in excessive sedimentation. ... (7)For residential lots, not less than 70 percent of the buildable land area must lie above the base flood elevation, a minimum of three feet, and not less than 50 percent of the minimum lot area must lie above the base flood elevation.

View official code

Full Breakdown

Article VIII of Chapter 14 (Secs. 14-726 to 14-875) is the city's floodplain management code. Under Sec. 14-728 it applies to all areas of special flood hazard within the city, and Sec. 14-729 makes the community development director or a designee the administrator. Sec. 14-730 adopts by reference the current Flood Insurance Study for DeKalb County, Georgia, dated August 15, 2019 (or later), with the public repository at city hall. An area of special flood hazard is land subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year, and all streams with a drainage area of 100 acres or greater must have the area delineated.

Sec. 14-792 is the core standard. Development that clears the four bars in subsection (a) must still meet the conditions in subsection (b): compensation for storage capacity is limited to 300 cubic yards per acre of floodplain area and must be within the immediate vicinity of the encroachment; cut areas must be stabilized and graded to a slope of no less than two percent; and no-rise conditions of 0.01 foot or less must be verified by a step-backwater analysis. Significant physical changes to the base flood floodplain go to FEMA as a CLOMR or CLOMA, and within six months of completing construction the applicant must submit as-built surveys for a final LOMR.

Sec. 14-793 requires a study by a registered professional engineer, with floodplain storage cross-sections at least one every 100 feet, before any permit that disturbs land in the future-conditions floodplain. In the floodway, Sec. 14-794 prohibits encroachments including earthen fill, new construction and substantial improvements, with narrow exceptions for bridges, culverts, roadways and utilities that show no increase in pre-project base flood elevations. Under Sec. 14-814, new principal buildings are not allowed in the future-conditions floodplain unless Secs. 14-792, 14-793 and 14-794 have all been met.

Violations & Fines

The floodplain coordinator issues a written notice of violation, and the recipient can appeal to the director within 30 days (24 hours' notice suffices for an immediate danger to public health or safety). If the fix is not made, the director gives at least ten days to cure, then can issue a stop work order, withhold a certificate of occupancy, or suspend, revoke or modify the permit. A citation carries the Sec. 1-11 penalty, and each act and each day is a separate offense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I build in the regulatory floodway in Brookhaven?

Sec. 14-794(1) prohibits encroachments, including earthen fill, new construction, substantial improvements or other development within the regulatory floodway, except activities allowed in subsection (2). Bridges, culverts, roadways and utilities are allowed only if analyses show no increase to pre-project base flood elevations, floodway elevations or floodway widths, backed by a registered professional engineer's data and certification. Revising floodway boundaries requires an affirmative CLOMR from FEMA and an approved no-rise certification first.

What study is required to develop in the floodplain?

Sec. 14-793 requires an engineering study by a currently registered professional engineer in the state whenever a development proposes to disturb land in the future-conditions floodplain, except a residential single-lot development on streams without established base flood elevations or floodways, where Sec. 14-817 applies. The study covers watercourse alteration, a step-backwater analysis, storage calculations and a plan, and the director must approve it before the permit.

Which flood map governs in Brookhaven?

Sec. 14-730 adopts by reference the current Flood Insurance Study and data for DeKalb County, Georgia, dated August 15, 2019 (or later), with accompanying maps. Studies by the Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey, or a Georgia registered professional engineer using FEMA approved methodology and approved by the director can also establish elevations. The public repository for the study and maps is at city hall.

Can I get a variance from the floodplain rules?

Requests go to the community development director. Sec. 14-847 requires good and sufficient cause, exceptional hardship, and no increased flood heights, added public safety threats, extraordinary public expense or nuisance. No variance is issued within a floodway if any increase in flood levels would result, and none is issued after the fact. Appeals go to the board of appeals, then to superior court by writ of certiorari.

Sources & Official References

[1]Code of the City of Brookhaven, Georgia (Municode)

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All Brookhaven rules

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