Hartford County, CT Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Hartford County is bisected by the Connecticut River, the largest river in New England, which produces extensive inland Special Flood Hazard Areas in Hartford, East Hartford, Windsor, Wethersfield, and Glastonbury. Connecticut is not a coastal county here, so the regulatory hooks differ from the shoreline. The Connecticut Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act, Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 22a-36 through 22a-45, requires a permit from the local Inland Wetlands Agency for regulated activities in or within an upland review area of any wetland or watercourse. The state Flood Management Act (Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 25-68b through 25-68h) requires state agency activities and state-funded projects in floodplains to be elevated or floodproofed at least one foot above the base flood elevation and to comply with FEMA NFIP standards. All Connecticut municipalities participate in the NFIP and must adopt and enforce a local flood-damage-prevention ordinance to maintain eligibility. The City of Hartford operates a flood-protection system (dikes and pump stations) along the Connecticut River. FEMA opened a 90-day appeal and comment period for revised Hartford County FIRMs beginning April 16, 2025. Activities in tidal, coastal, or navigable waters anywhere in Connecticut require a Structures, Dredging and Fill permit from CT DEEP under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 22a-361, but in Hartford County the dominant regimes are NFIP, the local flood-damage-prevention ordinance, and the local Inland Wetlands Agency.