FEMA flood zone rules in Elkhart County, IN — also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules — determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Indiana's Flood Control Act, IC 14-28-1-22, requires a permit from the IDNR before erecting a structure or placing fill in a floodway. The St. Joseph and Elkhart River floodways run straight through the city of Elkhart and downtown Goshen.
The St. Joseph River, the Elkhart River, and their tributaries carry mapped floodways across Elkhart County, and low-lying ground in Elkhart, Goshen, and Nappanee floods readily. Under the Flood Control Act, anyone who wants to build a structure, place fill, deposit material, or excavate in a floodway must first obtain a construction-in-a-floodway permit from the IDNR Division of Water. The state reviews whether the work would obstruct flood flows or raise flood elevations upstream. On top of the state permit, Elkhart, Goshen, and unincorporated Elkhart County each enforce an NFIP floodplain ordinance that ties building elevation to the base flood elevation on the FEMA maps.
Erecting a structure or depositing fill in the St. Joseph or Elkhart River floodway without an IDNR permit violates the Flood Control Act, bringing stop-work orders, civil penalties, and orders to remove the obstruction and restore flood capacity.
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See how Elkhart County's flood zones rules stack up against other locations.
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