Corona, CA Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)
FEMA flood zone rules in Corona, CA, also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules, determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Key Facts
- Governing title
- Title 18, Floodplain Management
- Permit required
- Before any construction in hazard area
- Administrator
- City Manager (Floodplain Administrator)
- No-rise standard
- Max 1 foot rise, Zones A1-30/AE
- Appeal path
- Chapter 18.24 variance procedure
- Violation penalty
- Misdemeanor under § 1.08.025
Summary
Corona requires a development permit before any construction or land alteration begins inside an area of special flood hazard shown on the city's Flood Insurance Rate Map. The City Manager, acting as Floodplain Administrator, reviews every application and can reject fill or new construction in Zones A1-30 and AE that would raise the base flood level.
A development permit shall be obtained before construction or development begins within any area of special flood hazard established in § 18.12.020. Application for a development permit shall be made on forms furnished by the Floodplain Administrator and shall include, but not be limited to, plans in duplicate, drawn to scale, showing the nature, location, dimensions and elevations of the area in question; existing or proposed structures, fill, storage of materials and drainage facilities; and the location of the foregoing.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-56: Supplement contains: Local legislation passed through Ord. 3423, passed 12-3-2025).
Full Breakdown
Title 18 of the Corona Code of Ordinances governs floodplain management. 020 by incorporating FEMA's Flood Insurance Study for the City of Corona (dated November 1977, with all subsequent revisions) and its accompanying Flood Insurance Rate Map, a copy of which is on file at the City Clerk's office, 815 West Sixth Street. 020 requires a development permit application on forms from the Floodplain Administrator, showing the nature, location, dimensions, and elevations of the site, plus the elevation of the lowest floor of any structure and, if applicable, the floodproofing elevation.
030, the Floodplain Administrator (the City Manager) must confirm the site is reasonably safe from flooding and, until a regulatory floodway is designated, may not permit new construction, fill, or other development in Zones A1-30 or AE unless the applicant demonstrates the cumulative effect will not raise the base flood water surface elevation more than one foot anywhere in the community. Watercourse alterations trigger notice to adjacent communities and the California Department of Water Resources. Letters of Map Revision (LOMRs) must be FEMA-approved before a first certificate of occupancy issues, and Conditional LOMRs must be FEMA-approved before grading permits issue. 24.
Violations & Fines
Building or altering land in a mapped flood hazard area without the required development permit, or violating any condition attached to one, is a misdemeanor punishable as provided in Corona Code of Ordinances § 1.08.025, per § 18.12.030. The City Council may also pursue any other lawful action needed to prevent or remedy the violation, independent of the criminal penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build in a Corona flood zone?
Who decides whether my property is in Corona's flood hazard area?
What happens if I develop in the flood zone without a permit?
Can new fill in the AE or A1-30 zone raise flood levels?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Corona
California rules heatmap·Compare Corona to another location·View the California environmental rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Flood Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle flood zones.