FEMA flood zone rules in Janesville, WI — also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules — determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Janesville participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The City adopted FEMA's revised Rock County Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) effective in 2015 and updated its local floodplain zoning ordinance to remain NFIP-compliant. Floodplain regulations are codified in Chapter 42, Article XIV (Floodplain Overlay District), with Shoreland-Wetland Overlay rules in Article XV. The Rock River runs through the City, and approximately 1,065 properties were notified during the 2013-2015 mapping update.
Janesville's floodplain ordinance implements Wis. Stat. Sec. 87.30 (state floodplain zoning mandate) and Wis. Admin. Code NR 116, which requires every Wisconsin community with mapped floodplains to adopt a DNR- and FEMA-approved ordinance. Adoption of the 2015 FIRMs by Sept. 16, 2015, was a federal condition of continued NFIP eligibility. The Floodplain Overlay District (Ch. 42 Art. XIV) regulates floodway, flood-fringe, and general floodplain areas: new residential structures must be elevated above the regulatory flood elevation, fill in the floodway is restricted, and a zoning permit from the Planning Division is required before any development in the mapped floodplain. Flood insurance through NFIP is required for federally-backed mortgages on properties in Special Flood Hazard Areas (Zone A/AE).
Development in a mapped floodplain without a zoning permit is a violation of Ch. 42 Art. XIV. Wisconsin DNR can compel correction under NR 116, and continued non-compliance can place the City's NFIP status (and residents' flood insurance availability) at risk.
Janesville, WI
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Janesville, WI
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Rock County.
See how other cities in Rock County handle flood zones.
See how Janesville's flood zones rules stack up against other locations.
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