FEMA flood zone rules in Little Chute, WI — also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules — determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
The Village of Little Chute participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and regulates floodplain development through provisions integrated into Chapter 44 (Zoning) of the Village Code, in conformance with Wis. Stat. Sec. 87.30 and Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter NR 116, plus 44 CFR Parts 59-72. The Fox River, which flows through the village (and gives it its name from the historic Little Chute rapids and lock system), is the primary regulated flood source. Outagamie County's FEMA Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRM database FEMA-CID 55087C, published 2008) underlie the regulatory floodplain. The Village's Board of Appeals is prohibited from granting use variances in floodplain or wetland and conservancy districts.
Wisconsin requires every municipality with mapped floodplain or that participates in the NFIP to adopt a floodplain zoning ordinance meeting the minimum standards of Chapter NR 116 (Wis. Admin. Code) and 44 CFR Parts 59-72, under the authority of Wis. Stat. Sec. 87.30. The Village of Little Chute, in Outagamie County, integrates these standards into Chapter 44 of the Village Code (Zoning) rather than as a separate floodplain chapter. The Fox River is the principal regulated waterway through Little Chute. The currently effective Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map for Outagamie County (FEMA-CID 55087C; metadata publication date May 15, 2008, with Risk MAP updates derived from the Fox River HEC-RAS 2008 Appleton Leverage Study) maps Special Flood Hazard Areas (Zone A/AE) along the Fox. Under NR 116 standards, the regulatory floodway prohibits new residential structures and most fill, while the flood fringe allows development if the lowest floor of any habitable space is elevated to or above the flood protection elevation (regional flood elevation plus a freeboard, typically 2 feet under NR 116.13). Floodplain permits are issued by the Village's zoning administrator before any building permit may be issued, and the ordinance must be reviewed and approved by the Wisconsin DNR. The Wisconsin DNR Floodplain Mapping Program, FEMA's Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov), and the National Flood Hazard Layer provide the authoritative maps.
Wis. Stat. Sec. 87.30(2) and NR 116.21 require enforcement of local floodplain zoning. Violations - including filling, structural development, or occupancy of habitable space in the floodway, or building below the flood protection elevation in the flood fringe - can result in citation, daily forfeitures, removal/restoration orders, and loss of NFIP eligibility for the property. Misrepresenting elevation data on a permit application is independently actionable. Failure of a community to enforce can lead to suspension from the NFIP under 44 CFR Part 59. The Little Chute Board of Appeals is expressly prohibited from granting use variances in floodplain or wetland and conservancy districts.
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