Pontiac, MI Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Pontiac's flood damage prevention article, City Code §§ 66-26 through 66-58, governs the areas of special flood hazard shown on the City's FEMA flood insurance rate maps (Community No. 260177). Section 66-28 applies the article to all such areas within the city's jurisdiction, and § 66-29 ties those areas to twelve specific FIRM panels effective September 29, 2006. Before any construction or development begins in a mapped hazard area, § 66-43 requires a building permit from the administrator of the building and safety engineering division, community development department; the application must include scaled plans showing elevations, existing or proposed structures, fill, material storage and drainage facilities, and, for nonresidential floodproofed buildings, a licensed engineer's or architect's certification.

Section 66-56's general standards apply citywide within the hazard area: new construction and substantial improvements must be anchored against flotation, collapse or lateral movement, with mobile homes requiring over-the-top and frame ties at each corner capable of resisting 4,800 pounds of force; buildings must use flood-damage-resistant materials and methods; water and sewer systems must be designed to keep floodwaters from infiltrating; and subdivision proposals of 50 lots or five acres or more must supply base flood elevation data. Anyone who disagrees with the administrator's interpretation, or who needs relief from these standards, can appeal to the building code board of appeals or seek a variance under § 66-44, but a variance cannot be granted inside a designated floodway if it would raise flood levels during the base flood discharge.