Revere, MA Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Chapter 17.46 of the Revere Municipal Code establishes the Floodplain Overlay District as an overlay on the zoning map, covering all special flood hazard areas designated Zone A, AE, AH, AO, A99, V or VE on the Suffolk County Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) dated July 3, 2024. Under Section 17.46.030, a permit is required for any proposed construction or development in the district, including new buildings, changes to existing buildings, manufactured homes, agricultural facilities, fences, sheds, storage facilities, and drilling, mining or paving activity that could increase flooding risk to neighboring properties. The City's review process, run through the City Planner acting as the designated floodplain administrator under Section 17.46.020, requires the applicant to obtain every other local, state and federal permit the project needs and to demonstrate that those permits have already been secured before the floodplain permit issues.

Adjacent sections add teeth to the district: Section 17.46.040 bars new encroachments in mapped and unmapped floodways that would raise base flood levels, Section 17.46.100 prohibits altering sand dunes in a way that would increase flood damage, and Section 17.46.090 requires recreational vehicles parked in the district to be elevated and anchored, removed within 180 days, or kept licensed and highway-ready. A structure without the elevation certificate or other compliance documentation Section 17.46.030 calls for is presumed, under Section 17.46.180's definition of "Violation," to be out of compliance until the paperwork is produced. Because this chapter sits inside Title 17 (Zoning), floodplain violations are enforced the same way as any other zoning violation in Revere, including the fine schedule set out in Section 17.60.090.