Louisville, KY Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Louisville Metro's floodplain program is administered by MSD (Metropolitan Sewer District) under the authority of LMCO Chapter 157, originally passed in 1991 and updated in 2017 and 2022. MSD enforces the Floodplain Management Ordinance, issues floodplain permits, maintains Flood Insurance Rate Maps, and administers Louisville's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) participation. A critical distinction: Louisville uses a Local Regulatory Floodplain (LRF) that is often wider than FEMA's Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) because the LRF accounts for fully developed watershed conditions. Properties can be outside the FEMA 100-year flood zone but inside the LRF, subjecting them to building restrictions. Louisville was the first community in the nation to develop its own flood insurance rate maps under the federal program (1994). Louisville participates in FEMA's Community Rating System (CRS), which qualifies property owners for reduced NFIP insurance rates. Ohio River flooding, flash flooding from interior streams, and flooding from overloaded combined sewers all affect Jefferson County. Any development — new construction, additions, or major renovations — within the LRF requires a floodplain permit from MSD.