Tuscaloosa, AL Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)
FEMA flood zone rules in Tuscaloosa, AL, also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules, determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Key Facts
- Governing document
- Floodplain Mgmt & Flood Damage Prevention Code
- Prepared by
- Office of city engineer
- Applies in
- Corporate limits + police jurisdiction
- Current enactment
- Ord. No. 9048, 4-6-21
- Prior article repealed
- Former Secs. 6-90 to 6-97
Summary
Tuscaloosa governs development in flood-prone areas through a standalone Floodplain Management and Flood Damage Prevention Code, adopted by reference and prepared by the city engineer's office, covering the corporate limits and the city's police jurisdiction.
Sec. 6-90. - Floodplain management and flood damage prevention. In accordance with Code of Ala. 1975, § 11-45-8(c), the Floodplain Management and Flood Damage Prevention Code, prepared by the office of city engineer, is hereby referred to and adopted by reference as the "Floodplain Management and Flood Damage Prevention Code of Tuscaloosa, Alabama," as fully as if set out at length herein, and from and after the effective date of this section shall govern as far as code or ordinance can to all of the subjects to which they relate within the corporate limits of the city and within its police jurisdiction and shall constitute and generally be referred to and recited as the "Tuscaloosa Floodplain and Flood Damage Prevention Code."
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 102).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 6-90, sitting in Article VIII of Chapter 6, adopts by reference the Floodplain Management and Flood Damage Prevention Code prepared by the office of city engineer, under the authority of Code of Ala. 1975, Sec. ' The section states that the adopted code governs, as far as code or ordinance can, all subjects to which it relates within the corporate limits of the city and within its police jurisdiction, effective from the date the enacting ordinance took effect. The current version was enacted by Ordinance No.
9048 on April 6, 2021, which repealed the prior Article VIII (former Secs. 6-90 through 6-97) and replaced it with the single-section adoption-by-reference framework now in place. That earlier framework traced back through Ordinance Nos. 5068 (1995), 6683 (2004), 7078 and 7174 (2007), 7549 (2010), 8168 (2015), 8555 (2017), and 8820 (2019), reflecting repeated updates to keep pace with FEMA floodplain mapping and federal flood insurance program requirements. Secs. 6-91 through 6-107 are reserved, meaning the entire floodplain program in the code operates through the referenced document rather than itemized code sections, and anyone developing in a mapped flood hazard area in Tuscaloosa or its police jurisdiction must comply with that adopted floodplain management document.
Violations & Fines
Development that fails to comply with the adopted Floodplain Management and Flood Damage Prevention Code is a violation of Sec. 6-90 and subject to the code's enforcement provisions; noncompliant floodplain development can also jeopardize a property's National Flood Insurance Program eligibility since the local ordinance is what keeps the city in the federal program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tuscaloosa have its own floodplain ordinance?
When was Tuscaloosa's current floodplain code adopted?
Who administers floodplain development rules in Tuscaloosa?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tuscaloosa
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