FEMA flood zone rules in San Benito County, CA — also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules — determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
San Benito County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program. Development in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) in the unincorporated county requires a floodplain development permit from the Resource Management Agency before any building permit is issued.
San Benito County maintains FEMA flood maps and a public Flood Zones hub through ArcGIS. Most flood risk in the county is associated with the San Benito River, Pacheco Creek, and the Pajaro River watershed - areas that experienced significant flooding during the January 2023 atmospheric river storms. To comply with NFIP rules, any new construction, substantial improvement, or fill work in an SFHA (Zones A, AE, AO, AH, or X-shaded) in the unincorporated county must obtain a floodplain development permit through the Resource Management Agency Building Department (420 Hill Street, Hollister, 831-636-4355). Habitable floors must be elevated at or above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE), and elevation certificates are required at completion.
Building or grading in an SFHA without a floodplain development permit is a code violation that can void NFIP coverage on the parcel, trigger stop-work orders, and require remediation to bring structures into compliance with elevation and floodproofing standards.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
san-benito-county-ca
San Benito County Animal Care & Services investigates animal cruelty and neglect, which often underlies hoarding. California Penal Code Section 597 makes it ...
san-benito-county-ca
We found no San Benito County ordinance that specifically bans feeding wild animals in unincorporated areas. Wildlife is primarily managed under California D...
san-benito-county-ca
Cats are not required to be licensed in unincorporated San Benito County, but they must have a current rabies vaccination. There is no cat leash law. Like do...
san-benito-county-ca
Backyard composting is allowed in unincorporated San Benito County and is encouraged by California's statewide organics law, SB 1383. That law requires resid...
san-benito-county-ca
Unincorporated San Benito County has no specific ordinance banning or expressly authorizing residential artificial turf. Installations must meet general zoni...
san-benito-county-ca
Unincorporated San Benito County does not require or prohibit native-plant landscaping for private yards, but its Water Efficiency Landscape Ordinance (follo...
See how San Benito County's flood zones rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.