Puyallup, WA Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

07 PMC, the city's flood damage protection ordinance, applies to all areas of special flood hazard identified on the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map for Pierce County and Incorporated Areas dated March 7, 2017, on file at the city's offices at 333 South Meridian. 050, submitting elevation data, floodproofing certification where applicable, and a habitat assessment addressing effects on floodplain functions such as water quality, flood storage capacity, and riparian vegetation. Development permits are denied outright if the proposal would result in a prohibited 'take' of any species listed under the Endangered Species Act, unless the applicant has secured the necessary federal and state take permits.

The city reviews every application within 28 calendar days to confirm completeness, checks whether the site sits in a designated floodway, and verifies the project is reasonably safe from flooding before approval. Because Puyallup sits below Mount Rainier in the river valley, the ordinance also folds in wetlands management review and requires notice to the Department of Ecology before any watercourse is altered or relocated. Variances from the elevation standard are tightly limited, generally reserved for lots of a half-acre or less surrounded by existing structures built below base flood level, and are never issued within a designated floodway if they would raise flood levels. 110.