Elizabeth, NJ Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)
FEMA flood zone rules in Elizabeth, NJ, also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules, determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Key Facts
- Adopted FEMA study
- Flood Insurance Study, Union County, Sept. 20, 2006
- Applies to
- All proposed development in flood hazard areas
- Base construction fine
- Up to $1,250, or 90 days jail/community service
- Cure period
- 30 days before escalated fine
- Solid waste dumping fine
- Up to $2,500 (up to $10,000 under state law)
- Maps on file
- City Hall, 50 Winfield Scott Plaza
Summary
Elizabeth regulates all proposed development in flood hazard areas under Chapter 17.44, adopting FEMA's September 20, 2006 Flood Insurance Study and rate maps for Union County alongside New Jersey's Flood Hazard Area Control Act mapping, and requiring the more restrictive of the two data sets to control every permit decision.
(1)Effective Flood Insurance Study. Special flood hazard areas (SFHAs) identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in a scientific and engineering report entitled Flood Insurance Study, Union County, New Jersey (All Jurisdictions) dated September 20, 2006 and the accompanying flood insurance rate maps (FIRM) identified in Table 17.44.120(1) whose effective date is September 20, 2006 are hereby adopted by reference...(4)State Regulated Flood Hazard Areas...A FHACA flood hazard area exists along every regulated water that has a drainage area of fifty (50) acres or greater. Such area may extend beyond the boundaries of the special flood hazard areas (SFHAS) as identified by FEMA.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31).
Full Breakdown
44, reenacted in full by Ordinance No. C. C. 7:13), and applies to all proposed development in flood hazard areas established under Article II. 120 adopts by reference the special flood hazard areas identified in FEMA's Flood Insurance Study for Union County dated September 20, 2006 and the accompanying flood insurance rate maps of the same effective date. The city must also apply any more detailed or more restrictive federal best-available information issued after that date, and any other best-available data such as high-water marks from actual flood events, so long as it does not produce a smaller flood hazard area or less restrictive elevation than the adopted sources.
Separately, New Jersey's own FHACA regulates a flood hazard area along every regulated water with a drainage area of 50 acres or more, and that state-mapped area can extend beyond the boundaries of FEMA's special flood hazard area, meaning a parcel can be regulated even if it falls outside the FEMA map. Governing maps and studies are kept on file at City Hall, 50 Winfield Scott Plaza. 090.
Violations & Fines
Building, relocating, extending, converting or altering a structure in a flood hazard area without complying with Chapter 17.44 draws a fine of up to $1,250, up to 90 days of imprisonment, or up to 90 days of community service under § 17.44.080; owners get a 30-day cure period before a steeper fine applies, and a repeat violation within one year adds a further fine. Dumping solid waste in a floodway or floodplain carries a fine up to $2,500 under § 17.44.090, escalating to as much as $10,000 under state law N.J.S.A. 40:49-5.
Frequently Asked Questions
What flood maps does Elizabeth use to regulate development?
Does Elizabeth's flood hazard area only cover FEMA-mapped zones?
What's the penalty for building in an Elizabeth flood hazard area without complying with the code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Elizabeth
Compare Elizabeth to another location·View the New Jersey environmental rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.