FEMA flood zone rules in Summit County, CO — also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules — determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Summit County, Colorado regulates floodplain development under Chapter 4 of the Summit County Land Use and Development Code, with permit procedures governed by Section 4110 (Floodplain Development Permit). The Summit County Engineer serves as the NFIP Floodplain Administrator for unincorporated Summit County. FEMA has identified more than 1,000 properties in Summit County as being located in a regulatory floodplain. Special Flood Hazard Areas are mapped along the Blue River, Ten Mile Creek, Snake River, Swan River, Straight Creek, and other tributaries draining the Continental Divide and Tenmile Range, where steep terrain, snowmelt runoff, and ice jams produce high-energy flood risk. The county participates in the National Flood Insurance Program in good standing, in accordance with FEMA regulations under Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations and Colorado Water Conservation Board floodplain rules (2 CCR 408-1).
Floodplain regulation in unincorporated Summit County is governed by Chapter 4 of the Summit County Land Use and Development Code, with the Floodplain Development Permit requirement codified at Section 4110. The County Engineer of Summit County serves as the floodplain manager (NFIP Floodplain Administrator) for all unincorporated areas of the county and performs floodplain management duties as a member in good standing of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), in accordance with FEMA regulations promulgated in Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations (notably 44 CFR 60.3) and the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) Rules and Regulations for Regulatory Floodplains in Colorado (2 CCR 408-1). State authority for community floodplain designation flows from Colorado Revised Statutes Title 24, Article 65.1 (Areas and Activities of State Interest). A Floodplain Development Permit (FDP) is required any time fill, structural improvements, grading, or other development is proposed in the regulatory floodplain in unincorporated Summit County. 'Areas of Special Flood Hazard' are defined as land in the floodplain subject to a one-percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year (the base flood, or 100-year flood). Under the standard NFIP framework adopted into Chapter 4 and 44 CFR 60.3, new construction and substantial improvements within an SFHA must have the lowest floor elevated to or above the regulatory flood protection elevation, be anchored to resist flotation, collapse, and lateral movement, and use flood-resistant materials below that elevation. Substantial improvement or substantial damage equal to or exceeding 50% of market value triggers full compliance with current flood standards. The countywide Flood Insurance Rate Maps and Flood Insurance Study can be viewed at the FEMA Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov), through Summit County GIS Open Data, or through Colorado's coloradohazardmapping.com portal. Property owners who believe a structure is mistakenly mapped in an SFHA may apply to FEMA for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or Letter of Map Revision (LOMR). Incorporated towns within Summit County (Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne, Dillon, Blue River, and Montezuma) participate in the NFIP under their own Community Identification Numbers and administer their own floodplain permits through their respective floodplain administrators.
Construction, fill, grading, excavation, placement of structures, manufactured homes, or substantial improvement within a designated Special Flood Hazard Area in unincorporated Summit County without an approved Floodplain Development Permit is a violation of Chapter 4 (Section 4110) of the Summit County Land Use and Development Code. The County Engineer and Community Development Department may issue stop-work orders, require corrective elevation, removal, or restoration of unpermitted work, deny or revoke certificates of occupancy, and pursue civil and criminal penalties available under the Land Use and Development Code and C.R.S. Title 30 county powers. Persistent non-compliance also exposes the community to NFIP probation or suspension by FEMA, which would eliminate access to subsidized federal flood insurance for property owners countywide. Federally backed mortgages on structures within a mapped SFHA require flood insurance under the Flood Disaster Protection Act; lapses can trigger lender force-placed coverage at higher cost.
Summit County, CO
Summit County, Colorado is one of the most fireworks-restricted areas in the state. Colorado law (CRS 24-33.5-2001 et seq.) bans all aerial and audible-groun...
Summit County, CO
Summit County (home to Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain, Frisco, Dillon, and Silverthorne) operates one of Colorado's most regulated short-term rental...
Summit County, CO
Unincorporated Summit County (the resort corridor outside Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco, and Silverthorne town limits) allows accessory dwelling units in most...
Summit County, CO
Summit County enforces the 2018 ICC code series, including the International Residential Code (IRC) and International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), wit...
See how Summit 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.