Gautier, MS Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Gautier sits on the Mississippi Gulf Coast at the mouth of the Pascagoula River and was inundated by Hurricane Katrina's storm surge in August 2005. The City's Flood Safety Information page directs property owners to the Jackson County WebMapping Page for current FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs); Special Flood Hazard Areas are identified as zones beginning with the letter 'A' (riverine and shallow flooding) or 'V' (Coastal High Hazard Area, subject to wave action and storm surge). The countywide FIS for Jackson County, Mississippi and Incorporated Areas, dated December 21, 2017, governs base flood elevations within Gautier. The City of Gautier participates in the NFIP and enforces a Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, available through the Planning and Building Department. A central provision of the City's flood policy is the 50-percent rule: a structure cannot receive more than 50% of repairs or improvements within a 10-year period if it is not compliant with the current FEMA FIRM map — this implements the FEMA substantial-improvement standard and prevents incremental rebuilding of pre-FIRM structures without elevation. The Planning and Building Department collects additional flood insurance data including the FIRM zone and base flood elevation, and maintains Elevation Certificates required for construction in SFHAs and for flood-insurance rating. NFIP minimum standards under 44 CFR 60.3 require elevation of the lowest floor of new residential construction at or above BFE, with V-zone construction on piles or columns and breakaway walls below BFE. Even property outside a mapped SFHA can be inundated during heavy coastal rainfall.