Jonesboro, AR Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)
FEMA flood zone rules in Jonesboro, AR, also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules, determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Key Facts
- Flood maps adopted
- Effective September 26, 2024
- Permit required for
- Fill, grading, structures, drainage work
- Administered by
- City engineer
- Non-permitted work
- Removed at developer's expense
- Daily fine range
- $100.00-$500.00 per day
Summary
Jonesboro adopts FEMA's flood insurance study and rate maps, effective September 26, 2024, to define its special flood hazard areas. A permit under Chapter 112 is required before any development, including fill, grading, or structures, in those zones.
The areas of special flood hazard identified by the flood insurance study dated September 26, 2024, and the flood insurance rate map and the flood boundary floodway map effective September 26, 2024, including any revisions thereto are hereby adopted by reference. ... A permit is required for all structural development, placement of manufactured structures, clearing, grading, mining, drilling, dredging, placement of fill, excavating, watercourse alteration, drainage improvements, roadway or bridge construction, individual water or sewer installation or any other development in a special flood hazard area.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 16).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 109-1 adopts by reference the areas of special flood hazard identified in the flood insurance study dated September 26, 2024, along with the flood insurance rate map and flood boundary floodway map effective the same date, plus any later revisions. That designation feeds directly into Sec. 112-10, which requires a permit for all structural development, placement of manufactured structures, clearing, grading, mining, drilling, dredging, fill placement, excavating, watercourse alteration, drainage improvements, roadway or bridge construction, or individual water or sewer installation within a special flood hazard area, to ensure the work conforms to the code.
Sec. 112-3 states the underlying purpose is to reduce property damage and human suffering, minimize hazards of personal injury and loss of life from flooding, and protect water quality and the environment. Sec. 112-44(a) backs the permit requirement with teeth: the city engineer may revoke a floodplain permit obtained through false statements, and any non-permitted stormwater system, construction, or fill in a floodplain must be removed at the developer's expense upon written notice.
Violations & Fines
Building, filling, grading, or otherwise developing in a special flood hazard area without the Sec. 112-10 permit exposes the work to removal at the developer's expense under Sec. 112-44(a). A permit obtained through false statements or misrepresentation of facts may be revoked outright. General stormwater violations under Sec. 112-2 carry fines of not less than $100.00 and not more than $500.00 per day, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jonesboro
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