Hernando, MS Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Floodplain regulation in Hernando, Mississippi is governed by a layered framework of federal, state, and local rules. At the federal level, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), administered by FEMA under 44 CFR Part 60, requires participating communities to adopt and enforce floodplain management ordinances that meet minimum NFIP standards before residents become eligible for federally backed flood insurance. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is the designated state coordinating agency for the NFIP and confirms that the cities of Hernando, Horn Lake, Olive Branch, and Southaven, the Town of Walls, and DeSoto County have adopted flood damage prevention ordinances. Hernando's Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance is codified as Chapter 20 of the Code of Ordinances, available through Municode, and is patterned on the State of Mississippi Model 'B' through 'E' Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance maintained by MEMA. The applicable Flood Insurance Study (FIS) for DeSoto County, Mississippi and Incorporated Areas (Volume 1 of 2, Community Panel Suffix 28033C) was prepared by FEMA and updated through the FY2009 Unmet Mapping Needs program; the Letter of Final Determination was issued November 5, 2013 and the study and revised Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRM) became effective May 5, 2014. DeSoto County is part of the Coldwater River drainage basin within the Yazoo River watershed; the FIS identifies overbank flooding along Camp Creek, Licks Creek, Nolehoe Creek, Bean Patch Creek, Cow Pen Creek, Southaven Creek, Horn Lake Creek, and Rocky Creek as principal flooding sources within the county, with intense thunderstorms cited as the major cause of localized flooding. The minimum NFIP standards reflected in Hernando's Chapter 20 require elevation of new residential construction to or above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE), floodproofing of non-residential structures, regulation of substantial improvements (improvements valued at 50 percent or more of pre-improvement market value), and a flood development permit before any construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) such as Zones A and AE. Mississippi authorizes municipal floodplain regulation through general police power and Miss. Code Ann. Title 17 (Local Government), and Miss. Code Ann. §17-1 enables municipal zoning. Property owners can verify the flood zone for any address through the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov), the Mississippi DEQ Geology floodmaps portal, or the DeSoto County GIS site.