Pocatello, ID Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Chapter 15.32, Flood Damage Prevention, applies to all special flood hazard areas mapped in the FEMA Flood Insurance Study for Bannock County and its incorporated areas, adopted by reference in section 15.32.060(B). Section 15.32.060(C) requires a floodplain development permit before any development activity begins in one of those areas, and subsection D backs it up with a compliance rule: no structure or land may be located, extended, converted, altered, or developed in any way without full compliance with the chapter. Section 15.32.070(A) puts the City Engineer, acting as the Floodplain Administrator, in charge of reviewing applications, issuing permits, and confirming that other local, state, and federal approvals, including Clean Water Act Section 404 permits, are in place.

On the construction side, section 15.32.120(A) requires new construction and substantial improvements to any residential structure, including manufactured homes, to have the lowest floor, including any basement, elevated no lower than the flood protection elevation defined in section 15.32.050. That elevation is the base flood elevation plus 2 feet of freeboard where a base flood elevation has been set, or at least 2 feet above the highest adjacent grade where it has not. Non-residential structures get an alternative under section 15.32.120(B): floodproofing to the same elevation with a registered engineer's or architect's certification, instead of physically elevating the building.

Section 15.32.060(H) closes the chapter with its own penalty: violating the chapter, or failing to comply with any of its requirements including conditions attached to a variance, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $100, imprisonment of not more than 180 days, or both, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense.