Floyd County, GA Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

§ 36-1-20(a). It incorporates FEMA's flood insurance study dated September 25, 2009, with its accompanying maps, kept on file with the Environmental Compliance Section of the Rome/Floyd County Building Inspection Department at 607 Broad Street, Room 211. Before any development inside or affecting a special flood hazard area, an applicant must obtain a flood area permit, which can be combined with a land development permit application. The chief building official administers the article and can require elevation certificates, as-built certifications from a registered surveyor or engineer, and floodproofing design certification for non-residential buildings.

New construction and substantial improvements must have the lowest floor, including any basement, elevated no lower than two feet above the base flood elevation, with flood vents sized at one square inch per square foot of enclosed area if the space below is enclosed. Fill must provide at least 15 feet of clearance around residential structures and 30 feet around non-residential ones. Encroachments, including fill and new structures, are prohibited in the regulatory floodway unless an engineer certifies no increase in flood levels. Critical facilities can't be located in the 100-year or 500-year floodplain. § 5-4-1.