El Dorado County, CA Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

1. 050(A) sets the construction standards for every Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA): structures must be anchored against flotation and lateral movement, built with flood-resistant materials below the base flood elevation (BFE), and designed so utility equipment stays out of floodwater's reach. a requires the lowest floor, including any basement, to sit at or above the BFE in zones where the BFE is established, with elevation certified by a registered civil engineer or licensed surveyor before the County will approve the foundation inspection. Nonresidential buildings can instead be dry floodproofed to the same elevation if certified by a licensed engineer or architect.

Detached accessory structures used only for parking or storage get a narrower exception, allowed below the BFE if built with flood-resistant materials, anchored, and designed with flood openings that let water pass through automatically. 1 flatly prohibits creating any new lot that lies entirely within an SFHA, and a lot only partly inside one must keep enough buildable area outside the SFHA for the house, accessory structures, and septic system. 030(B). Variances are available but deliberately hard to get: the Board must find the variance is the "minimum necessary," will not raise flood heights, and will not defraud future buyers who might not know the property carries flood risk.