FEMA flood zone rules in Fairfield County, CT β also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules β determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Fairfield County has no operational county government (abolished 1960). Flood-zone regulation in coastal Fairfield County (Stamford, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Greenwich, Westport, Fairfield) is governed by FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, the Connecticut Coastal Management Act under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 22a-90 through 22a-112, and the state Flood Management Act in Conn. Gen. Stat. Chapter 476a. Public Act 12-101 added sea-level-rise into the Coastal Management Act, and Connecticut requires at least two feet of freeboard above base flood elevation within the coastal boundary.
Connecticut's coastal towns sit on Long Island Sound and are heavily exposed to coastal flooding. The Connecticut Coastal Management Act (CCMA), Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 22a-90 through 22a-112, establishes a coastal boundary that extends inland to the 100-year coastal flood elevation, 1,000 feet from mean high water, or 1,000 feet from the inland boundary of tidal wetlands, whichever is farthest inland (Sec. 22a-94). Coastal site plan review by the local Planning & Zoning Commission is required for development within the coastal boundary under Sec. 22a-109. Public Act 12-101 (2012) incorporated sea-level-rise considerations into the goals and policies of the CCMA. Connecticut also requires not less than an additional two feet of freeboard above the base flood elevation for properties within the coastal boundary, plus additional freeboard reflecting the most recent sea-level-rise scenario. The state Flood Management Act, Conn. Gen. Stat. Chapter 476a, requires state agency activities in floodplains to comply with FEMA NFIP standards. Activities in tidal, coastal, or navigable waters require a Structures, Dredging and Fill permit from CT DEEP under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 22a-361. Each Fairfield County municipality adopts and administers a local flood-damage-prevention ordinance to maintain NFIP eligibility, with permits issued by the local Building Department.
Violations of the Coastal Management Act and Flood Management Act are enforceable by CT DEEP with civil penalties up to $25,000 per day under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 22a-6b. Local flood-damage-prevention ordinance violations carry town-level fines and can lead to NFIP suspension. Federally non-compliant structures may lose flood insurance eligibility under the NFIP.
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See how Fairfield County's flood zones rules stack up against other locations.
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