Hanover County, VA Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)
FEMA flood zone rules in Hanover County, VA, also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules, determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Key Facts
- Permit required
- For all development in the overlay
- Governing map
- FIRM/FIS dated June 20, 2024
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 24-02, May 22, 2024
- Floodway encroachment
- Barred absent engineering analysis
- Administrator
- County Administrator or designee
Summary
Any use, activity or development inside Hanover County's Flood Hazard Overlay District, including placing a manufactured home, needs a permit before work starts, in Hanover County outside the Town of Ashland. Sections 26-235.1 and 26-235.17 tie the district to the National Flood Insurance Program and require strict compliance with the county's floodplain rules and the Uniform Statewide Building Code.
This division is adopted to satisfy the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). ... a.All uses, activities and development occurring within any Flood Hazard Overlay District, including placement of manufactured homes, shall be undertaken only upon the issuance of a permit.b.Such development shall be undertaken only in strict compliance with this division and with all other applicable codes and ordinances, including, but not limited to, USBC and Chapter 25 of the Hanover County Code.
Full Breakdown
The Flood Hazard Overlay District, added by Ordinance No. 1, preventing loss of life and property, unacceptable increases in flood heights, and the expenditure of public funds on flood relief. 15. 17 requires a permit for every use, activity and development, including manufactured home placement, and that development must strictly comply with the division as well as the Uniform Statewide Building Code and Chapter 25 (Subdivisions) of the County Code. No use may adversely affect the capacity of a channel, floodway, drainage ditch or other drainage facility.
Permit applications must show the base flood elevation at the site, the elevation of the lowest floor for structures to be elevated, the floodproofing elevation for nonresidential buildings that choose that option, and topographic data tied to the FIRM datum. 15(1) bars any encroachment, including fill or new construction, unless a hydrologic and hydraulic analysis by a qualified engineer demonstrates no increase in flood levels during the base flood; manufactured homes are barred from the floodway outright except as replacements in an existing manufactured home park. The floodplain administrator is the county administrator or a designee.
Violations & Fines
Developing in the Flood Hazard Overlay District without the required permit, or in violation of its standards, is enforced the same as any other zoning violation: the zoning administrator issues a written notice of violation under Section 26-347, and Section 26-348 sets a civil penalty of two hundred dollars for the first summons and five hundred dollars for each later one from the same set of facts, capped at five thousand dollars. Beyond that cap, Section 26-349 makes the violation a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of ten to one thousand dollars.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build in a Hanover County flood zone?
What map decides whether my property is in the flood overlay?
Can I build in the floodway itself?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hanover County
Compare Hanover County to another location·View the Virginia environmental rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.