Rutherford County, TN Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

FEMA's effective Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and Flood Insurance Study for Rutherford County, Tennessee and Incorporated Areas (FIS Number 47149CV001D) cover the entire geographic area, including the West Fork and East Fork Stones River, Lytle Creek, Stewarts Creek, Overall Creek, and Stones River reservoir floodplain. AE zones — areas subject to inundation by the 1-percent-annual-chance flood event with published Base Flood Elevations — apply along the major studied reaches. Properties in the 100-year FEMA floodplain require minimum pad and floor elevations under the County's Flood Damage Prevention Resolution, which is the local instrument required by 44 CFR §60.3 to maintain NFIP eligibility. Outside the 100-year floodplain, properties with documented flooding history may also be subject to elevation requirements. Floodway development is prohibited unless a Tennessee-licensed professional engineer certifies that the proposed work will produce no rise in BFE (44 CFR §60.3(d)(3)). Substantial improvement — defined as repair, reconstruction, or improvement equal to or exceeding 50% of pre-improvement market value — triggers full code compliance. Manufactured homes have additional anchoring rules under 44 CFR §60.3(c)(6). The Stormwater Department (615-898-7732) administers permits for unincorporated Rutherford County. Inside city limits, Murfreesboro Planning (615-893-5210), Smyrna Planning, and La Vergne Codes administer their own floodplain rules. Recent FEMA preliminary flood map revisions are being processed and will adjust some properties' flood-zone designations; check msc.fema.gov for the effective FIRM. NFIP flood insurance is required for federally-backed mortgages on SFHA properties under 42 U.S.C. §4012a (Flood Disaster Protection Act).