FEMA flood zone rules in Ocean Springs, MS — also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules — determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Ocean Springs participates in the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and enforces a Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance through the Building Department. The ordinance requires 18 inches of freeboard above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) - more stringent than the federal NFIP minimum. The current FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) was effective March 2009, post-Hurricane Katrina (2005). A structure cannot receive more than 50% cumulative repairs/improvements over a 10-year period if it is not compliant with the current FIRM (substantial improvement rule under 44 CFR § 59.1).
Ocean Springs is on Mississippi's Gulf Coast in Jackson County and was struck by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, with catastrophic storm-surge damage. The city is an NFIP-participating community. After Katrina, FEMA issued updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Jackson County, with the current effective FIRM dated March 17, 2009. Ocean Springs adopted a Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance enforced by the Building Department (228-875-6712) at 1014 Porter Avenue. The ordinance requires 18 inches of freeboard above the BFE for new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs - Zone A, AE, AO, AH, V, VE) - 6 inches more than the federal NFIP minimum. The 'substantial improvement' rule under 44 CFR § 59.1 applies cumulatively in Ocean Springs: a structure cannot receive more than 50% in repairs or improvements over a 10-year period if it is not compliant with the current FIRM. Coastal V-Zone construction must meet additional ASCE 24 elevation, breakaway-wall, and pile-foundation standards under the 2018 IRC, plus the 160 mph wind load. The Mississippi Coastal Improvement Program (MsCIP), authorized by Congress in 2007 (WRDA 2007 § 4012) after Katrina, supports comprehensive coastal hazard reduction. Building permits in any SFHA require an Elevation Certificate. Federal NFIP rules are at 44 CFR Parts 59-60. Property owners can verify flood zone status at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov).
Development in an Ocean Springs SFHA without a flood-compliant building permit is a violation of the city's Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance. Substantial-improvement violations can disqualify the property from NFIP flood insurance. Federal penalties under 44 CFR Part 60 can apply if the city is found out of compliance with NFIP standards. Improperly elevated structures must be brought into compliance before final inspection.
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