Pascagoula, MS Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Pascagoula sits on the Mississippi Gulf Coast at the mouth of the Pascagoula River and was inundated by Hurricane Katrina's storm surge in August 2005. After Katrina, FEMA revised the Jackson County, Mississippi and Incorporated Areas Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs); the studied Special Flood Hazard Areas include Zone AE along inland waterways and Zone VE (Coastal High Hazard Area, subject to wave action and storm surge) along the Mississippi Sound. The City participates in the NFIP and the Community Rating System and is rated CRS Class 7, providing a discount on flood insurance premiums for properties in SFHAs. The City's Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, adopted as Ordinance No. 1-2009 on January 23, 2009 and codified as Appendix C - Floodplain Management of the Pascagoula Code of Ordinances, regulates development in flood hazard areas. Standard NFIP-model provisions in Appendix C require a development permit for any new construction, substantial improvement, or substantial damage repair within a Special Flood Hazard Area; elevation of the lowest floor of new residential construction at or above the Base Flood Elevation; specific V-zone construction standards including elevation on piles or columns and breakaway walls below the BFE; and application of FEMA's 50-percent rule, which prohibits cumulative repairs or improvements to a non-conforming structure if the cost equals or exceeds 50 percent of the structure's pre-damage market value, unless the structure is brought into compliance (typically by elevation). Mississippi Today reported in 2023 that this 50-percent rule has prevented many post-Katrina Pascagoula homeowners from rebuilding without elevation. Enforcement is by the Floodplain Administrator within the Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department (228-938-6620). Elevation Certificates are required for construction in SFHAs and to verify post-construction compliance for flood-insurance rating.