Dunwoody, GA Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)
FEMA flood zone rules in Dunwoody, GA, also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules, determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Key Facts
- Flood maps used
- FEMA FIRM dated June 15, 1994
- Geographic scope
- All areas within the city, § 16-136(d)
- No-rise limit
- Max 0.01 ft increase in flood elevation
- Floodway encroachments
- Prohibited except bridges/culverts/utilities
- Enforcement
- Fine/imprisonment under § 1-6, per day
Summary
Dunwoody's special flood hazard areas follow FEMA's June 15, 1994 flood insurance rate maps citywide. Encroachments into a mapped floodway are prohibited outright, and other floodplain development is barred unless it meets strict no-rise and storage-capacity conditions.
(g)Basis for establishing special flood hazard areas.(1)The special flood hazard areas identified by the Federal Insurance Administration of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the flood insurance study dated June 15, 1994, and the accompanying flood insurance rate maps and flood boundary and floodway maps dated June 15, 1994, and all subsequent amendments and/or revisions, are adopted by reference and declared to be a part of this division. ... (1)Encroachments are prohibited, including earthen fill, new construction, substantial improvements or other development within the floodway, except for activities expressly allowed in the following paragraph (2).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 49).
Full Breakdown
Section 16-136(g)(1) adopts by reference the special flood hazard areas identified in the Federal Insurance Administration's flood insurance study dated June 15, 1994, along with the accompanying flood insurance rate maps and flood boundary and floodway maps of that date and all later amendments; those maps, not a locally drawn boundary, define where the floodplain regulations apply. Section 16-136(d) confirms the division applies citywide, across all areas within Dunwoody. 01 foot or more, reduce flood storage capacity, change the depth or velocity of floodwaters at the site's boundaries, or create hazardous or erosion-producing velocities.
Section 16-139(e)(1) goes further for the mapped floodway itself, prohibiting encroachments including earthen fill, new construction, and substantial improvements outright, with only narrow exceptions under section 16-139(e)(2) for bridges, culverts, roadways and utilities that a registered engineer certifies will not raise pre-project flood elevations. 01-foot rise.
Violations & Fines
Section 16-136(f) makes any violation of the flood damage prevention division, including breach of a permit condition or safeguard, a violation of chapter 16, punishable upon conviction by a fine and/or imprisonment under section 1-6 of the municipal code, with each day of continued violation treated as a separate offense; the city council may also pursue other lawful action to prevent or remedy the violation. Floodway encroachments proposed without the required no-rise certification cannot be permitted at all under section 16-139(e)(3) unless FEMA issues an affirmative conditional letter of map revision.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Dunwoody decide if my property is in a flood zone?
Can I build in a mapped floodway in Dunwoody?
What counts as prohibited floodplain development outside the floodway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dunwoody
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