FEMA flood zone rules in Teton County, WY β also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules β determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Teton County, Wyoming regulates development in flood hazard areas under the Teton County Floodplain Management Resolution, originally adopted August 19, 2010 and most recently amended September 15, 2015 by the Board of County Commissioners under Wyoming Statute 18-5-201. The County Engineer (Amy Ramage) serves as Floodplain Administrator with Kurt Stout designated as day-to-day administrator. Special Flood Hazard Areas are mapped along the Snake River, Flat Creek, and Gros Ventre River, with effective Flood Insurance Rate Maps and Flood Insurance Study dated September 16, 2015. The county exceeds NFIP minimum standards by requiring residential lowest floors to be elevated one foot above base flood elevation (Section 1420.A) and prohibiting floodway encroachments (Section 1450).
Floodplain regulation in unincorporated Teton County is governed by the Teton County Floodplain Management Resolution, adopted under the authority of Wyoming Statute 18-5-201 and administered by the County Engineer as designated Floodplain Administrator (Section 1310). The current resolution was originally approved August 19, 2010 and amended September 15, 2015. Areas of Special Flood Hazard are based on the Flood Insurance Study for Teton County and Incorporated Areas dated September 16, 2015 with accompanying Flood Insurance Rate Maps (Section 1220). The countywide DFIRM consists of 78 panels (panel suffixes C1525E through C3300E) maintained at the FEMA Map Service Center and on file at the County Engineering Building, 320 S. King Street, Jackson. Mapped flood zones include Zone A, AE, AH, AO, AI-99, V, and VO along the Snake River, Flat Creek, Fish Creek, and the Gros Ventre River. Wyoming participates as a state-coordinated NFIP program through the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security (state coordinator Aaron Birkemeier, 307-777-4910). Under Section 1420.A, new construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure must have the lowest floor (including basement) elevated one (1) foot above the base flood elevation, exceeding the FEMA NFIP minimum. Below-grade crawlspaces are permitted only when they meet seven specific conditions including interior grade no lower than 2 feet below lowest adjacent grade, crawlspace height not exceeding 4 feet, adequate drainage, anchoring against flotation, flood-resistant materials, and automatic hydrostatic equalization openings. Nonresidential structures (Section 1420.B) may either elevate one foot above BFE or be dry-floodproofed with watertight walls and registered engineer/architect certification. Manufactured homes (Section 1420.D) must be installed on a permanent foundation elevated to or above BFE in new parks/expansions or where the home suffered substantial damage; existing-park placements must elevate one foot above BFE or be supported on reinforced piers at least 36 inches above grade. Recreational vehicles (Section 1420.E) may stay in an SFHA fewer than 180 consecutive days, otherwise must be fully licensed and ready for highway use or meet manufactured-home elevation and anchoring standards. Section 1450 prohibits all encroachments (fill, new construction, substantial improvement, or other development) within the regulatory floodway unless a registered engineer demonstrates through hydrologic and hydraulic analysis that there will be no increase in base flood elevation; CLOMR/floodway revision through FEMA is required for any approved encroachment that would raise BFE. A Development Permit is required before any construction, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation, drilling, or storage of equipment or materials in an SFHA (Sections 1230 and 1330). Substantial improvement and substantial damage are defined at 50% of pre-improvement market value (Division 1100). The county also coordinates with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District on the federally constructed Snake River and Gros Ventre Levee System (24.5 miles), with annual July inspections and fall rehabilitation work. As of recent FEMA correspondence, three active Letter of Map Revision cases are pending or recently approved: Snake River (Case 23-08-0788P), Rafter J Ranch Flat Creek (Case 23-08-0662P), and Flat Creek G&F Stream Restoration Project (Case 23-08-0655P). Permit applications are processed through the SmartGov platform; questions go to the Floodplain Administrator at (307) 733-3317.
Under Section 1460 of the Floodplain Management Resolution, no person may locate, erect, construct, reconstruct, enlarge, change, maintain, or use any building or land in violation of the resolution, and each day a violation continues constitutes a separate offense punishable by a fine of up to $750 per offense. The resolution is also enforceable by injunction, mandamus, or abatement, and Teton County may take any other lawful action under Wyoming Statutes 18-5-204 through 18-5-207 to remedy violations. Common violations include constructing or substantially improving a structure within a Special Flood Hazard Area without a Development Permit, failing to elevate the lowest floor at least one foot above base flood elevation in residential or nonresidential construction, placing fill or new construction within the regulatory floodway without an engineering no-rise certification, installing a manufactured home below BFE elevation requirements, or leaving a recreational vehicle on site for 180 or more consecutive days without meeting manufactured-home elevation and anchoring standards. Documentation deficiencies β such as missing elevation certificates, floodproofing certifications under 44 CFR 60.3(b)(5), (c)(4), (c)(10), or (d)(3), or required engineer/architect certifications β are presumed violations until cured. Persistent non-compliance can also expose the community to NFIP probation or suspension by FEMA, eliminating subsidized federal flood insurance access for property owners countywide.
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