Jessamine County, KY Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Chapter 155 of the Jessamine County Code applies to the special flood hazard areas the Federal Emergency Management Agency mapped in the Flood Insurance Study for Jessamine County dated June 2, 2011, plus any other area the Fiscal Court adds by ordinance (§§ 155.15 and 155.16). The Fiscal Court appointed the Administrative Officer of the Jessamine County-Wilmore Joint Planning Commission as Floodplain Administrator (§ 155.30). That office grants or denies the development permit required by §§ 155.17 and 155.31 before any construction or other development begins. Applications are made on forms the Administrator furnishes, and a floodplain construction permit expires if the holder has not commenced construction within 180 calendar days of issuance.

Section 155.40 sets the baseline for every special flood hazard area. New construction and substantial improvements must be anchored against flotation, collapse and lateral movement, built with materials and utility equipment resistant to flood damage, and built by methods that minimize flood damage. Electrical, heating, ventilation, plumbing and air conditioning equipment must be designed or located to keep water from entering or accumulating. New and replacement water supply and sewage systems must minimize infiltration and discharge, and on-site waste disposal systems must be located and constructed to avoid impairment or contamination during flooding.

Floodways get tighter treatment under § 155.41(E). Encroachments, including fill and new construction, are prohibited unless a registered professional engineer certifies, with supporting technical data, that they will not increase the base flood elevation during the base flood discharge. New manufactured homes cannot be placed in a floodway except in an existing manufactured home park or subdivision. Recreational vehicles in A, A1-30, AO, AH and AE zones must be on site fewer than 90 consecutive days, be fully licensed and ready for highway use, or meet the permit requirements for new construction. Construction within 25 feet of a channel must preserve a natural vegetative buffer strip within at least 25 feet of the mean high water level.