Parker, CO Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Parker's floodplain rules sit in the Land Development Ordinance's Section 13.08.040(a), Floodplain regulations, and apply to every area of special flood hazard mapped on the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map for Douglas County, plus any land removed from the floodplain by a FEMA Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill. No new building may be constructed within a designated 100-year floodplain, and no habitable structure is allowed there at all; the narrow exceptions are public infrastructure such as roads, utilities, trails, and parks approved through a Capital Improvement Program or by the Planning Commission and Town Council.

Any development that is allowed within the flood hazard area must be anchored against flotation and lateral movement, built with flood-resistant materials, and, for residential substantial improvements, must have its lowest floor elevated at least two feet above the base flood elevation; critical facilities need a two-foot freeboard as well. A Floodplain Development Permit, administered by the Town's Floodplain Administrator under Sections 13.03.040(e) and (f), is required before any construction or grading begins in a special flood hazard area, and recreational vehicles are barred from locating there.

Separately, and just as firmly, the Town makes unauthorized camping in any designated floodplain unlawful outright, a public-safety measure that lets the Town remove and store personal property found at an unauthorized campsite under Municipal Code § 8.07.100 after notice. Violating the floodplain provisions is a Land Development Ordinance violation, exposing a property owner to a fine of up to $499.00 for each day the violation continues, enforced by the Chief Building Official, Planning Director, and Town Attorney under Section 13.01.080.