Hampden County, MA Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Flood-zone management in Hampden County relies on three legal frameworks. First, FEMA's NFIP — Hampden County is on FEMA's effective Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) issued via the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Flood Hazard Management Program. Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) — Zone A, AE, and AO — surround the Connecticut River through Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, Agawam, and West Springfield, plus the Chicopee River, Westfield River, and Mill River. Mortgages on properties in SFHAs require flood insurance under 42 U.S.C. §4012a. Each NFIP-participating town adopts a floodplain zoning bylaw meeting 44 CFR §60.3 minimums: lowest finished floor of new construction at or above Base Flood Elevation (BFE), no fill that would raise the BFE more than 1 foot, anchoring against flotation, and floodway prohibitions on new structures. Second, the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act, M.G.L. c. 131 §40, prohibits removing, filling, dredging, or altering any bank, freshwater wetland, coastal wetland, beach, dune, flat, marsh, meadow or swamp bordering on any creek, river, stream, pond, lake, or any land subject to flooding without filing a Notice of Intent and obtaining an Order of Conditions from the local Conservation Commission. The Act creates a 100-foot Buffer Zone around wetlands and a Riverfront Area extending 200 feet from the mean annual high-water line of perennial rivers (reduced to 25 feet in densely-developed urban areas with 90,000+ residents — Springfield qualifies). Third, the state Wetlands Regulations (310 CMR 10.00) implement c. 131 §40 in detail — including 310 CMR 10.57 (Land Subject to Flooding). Hampden County government was abolished in 1998 (M.G.L. c. 34B §1); permits are issued by each town's Conservation Commission (Springfield Conservation Commission, Holyoke Conservation Commission, etc.) with appeals to the Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Western Region office in Springfield.