Pawtucket, RI Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

' Section 410-17A establishes every FEMA special flood hazard area within city limits, Zones A, AE, AH, AO, A99, V, and VE, as a floodplain overlay district layered on top of the base zoning district. The operative FIRM panels are 44007C0193H, 44007C0213H, 44007C0214H, 44007C0306H, and 44007C0327H dated March 2, 2009, plus 44007C0194J, 44007C0307J, and 44007C0326J dated October 2, 2015, all on file with the Building Official, Planning Department, and Engineering Department. Under § 410-17B(1), all proposed construction or development in a mapped flood hazard area, not only building projects but also filling, grading, excavation, mining, drilling, material storage, and temporary stream crossings, requires a permit, and a fee based on construction cost accompanies the application; an added fee may cover a professional engineer's review.

Before the City issues that permit, § 410-17B(1)(c) requires the applicant to show every other required federal or state approval has already been obtained, since RIDEM and the Coastal Resources Management Council also have jurisdiction over nonstructural activity in these zones. Section 410-19B(3) separately bars any new encroachment in a designated regulatory floodway along Zones A1-30 and AE that would raise flood levels during a base flood event, and § 410-19B(4) requires subdivision proposals in the district to minimize flood damage and route utilities to avoid it. The Department of Planning and Redevelopment is designated as the floodplain administrator citywide.