Howard County, IN Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)
FEMA flood zone rules in Howard County, IN, 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
- before any SFHA development
- Issuing official
- county Zoning Administrator
- Floodway projects
- DNR permit first, I.C. 14-28-1
- Small drainage areas
- engineering analysis required
- Penalty
- up to $2,500 per day, § 10.99
Summary
Anyone developing land within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) in unincorporated Howard County must get an improvement location permit from the Zoning Administrator before starting, under Chapter 151. The Zoning Administrator routes floodway projects to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and cannot issue a permit that fails any requirement of the chapter.
(A) No person, firm, corporation or governmental body not exempted by state law shall commence any development in the SFHA without first obtaining an improvement location permit from the Zoning Administrator. The Zoning Administrator shall not issue an improvement location permit if the proposed development does not meet all of the requirements of this chapter. ... (5) Elevation of the top of the lowest floor (including basement) of all proposed development. Elevation should be in National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD) or North American Vertical Datum (NAVD). In either case the conversion formula should be included.
Full Breakdown
06 requires an improvement location permit from the Zoning Administrator before any development commences in an SFHA, unless state law exempts it, and the Zoning Administrator may not issue the permit unless the proposal meets every requirement of Chapter 151. Applications must include a description and location of the proposed development, a legal description of the site, a site development plan showing existing and proposed grades, and the elevation of the top of the lowest floor, including any basement, referenced to National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 or North American Vertical Datum.
C. 14-28-1 before taking any local action, and the local permit cannot be less restrictive than the state permit. 08 are satisfied, with the top of the lowest floor of any new or substantially improved structure required at or above the Flood Protection Grade. Where floodway limits are undetermined and the upstream drainage area exceeds one square mile, the application again goes to the DNR for review; below one square mile, the applicant must submit an engineering analysis of the floodway, floodway fringe and 100-year elevation before the Zoning Administrator can act.
Violations & Fines
Developing in the SFHA without first obtaining an improvement location permit, or violating a permit's or variance's conditions, is a violation of Chapter 151 under § 151.13, treated as a common nuisance and punishable under the county's general penalty, § 10.99, up to $2,500 with each day counted separately; the Plan Commission may also warn the owner that flood insurance coverage can be suspended for a willful violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build in a Howard County flood hazard area?
What extra approval applies if my lot is in the mapped floodway?
What must I submit with a floodplain permit application?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Howard County
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