FEMA flood zone rules in Shasta County, CA — also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules — determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Shasta County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and enforces floodplain regulations through Title 17 Chapters 17.22 (Designated Floodway F-1 District) and 17.70 (Restrictive Flood F-2 District). All new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas requires a floodplain development permit administered by the Shasta County Department of Public Works. Buildings in Zone A must be elevated to or above the Base Flood Elevation.
Shasta County is a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the floodplain administrator is housed in the Shasta County Department of Public Works. The county's floodplain ordinances are codified in Title 17 (Zoning). Chapter 17.22 establishes the Designated Floodway (F-1) District, which prohibits any structure or development that would obstruct the regulatory floodway. Chapter 17.70 establishes the Restrictive Flood (F-2) District covering the broader 100-year floodplain (Special Flood Hazard Area on FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps). All new construction, substantial improvements, and substantial damage repairs in the F-2 district require a floodplain development permit and must elevate the lowest floor at or above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). Non-residential structures may alternatively be dry-floodproofed below BFE. Manufactured homes in flood zones have additional anchoring requirements. The 2024 FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map update affects Shasta County and Redding. Definitions including base flood, area of shallow flooding, and flood/flooding are codified in Chapter 17.02, Article II of the Zoning Code.
Construction in a flood zone without a floodplain development permit, or below the required BFE, can result in stop-work orders, required remediation (raising or removing the structure), denial of flood insurance, and loss of NFIP-related federal disaster assistance. Repeated noncompliance by the county would jeopardize the entire county's NFIP participation, so enforcement is strict. Owners may also be required to record an Elevation Certificate.
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See how Shasta County's flood zones rules stack up against other locations.
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