FEMA flood zone rules in Sparks, NV — also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules — determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Sparks enforces FEMA floodplain rules under Municipal Code Chapter 15.11. Building in a special flood hazard area needs a floodplain development permit, and the lowest floor must sit at least one foot above the base flood elevation.
The Truckee River runs through Sparks, and the 1997 New Year's flood devastated the industrial east side, so floodplain rules are serious here. Chapter 15.11 makes the public works director the floodplain administrator and adopts FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Maps. Any development in a mapped special flood hazard area needs a floodplain development permit before work starts. New and substantially improved buildings must elevate their lowest floor at least one foot above the base flood elevation; in the mapped floodway, fill and construction are prohibited unless engineering proves no rise in flood levels. Federally backed mortgages in these zones require flood insurance.
Developing in a special flood hazard area without a floodplain development permit, or below the required elevation, is a misdemeanor. The floodplain administrator issues stop-work orders until the violation is corrected.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Washoe County.
See how Sparks's flood zones rules stack up against other locations.
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