FEMA flood zone rules in Wake County, NC β also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules β determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Wake County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and regulates development in FEMA-mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas through its Watershed Management Division (919-856-7436). The Division reviews development plans, issues permits, and inspects work to prevent flooding, erosion, and water pollution in the unincorporated county. Wake County's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) sets the local floodplain standards, and flood zones can be viewed through Wake County GIS using FEMA's effective Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs).
Wake County participates in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and administers flood hazard regulation through the Watershed Management Division within Planning and Development Services. Per the Division's published mission, staff 'review development projects and issue permits to help prevent flooding, excessive erosion, and water pollution,' and conduct inspections during and after construction to verify proper grading and functioning stormwater systems (wake.gov/departments-government/watershed-management).
The regulatory floodplain in unincorporated Wake County follows FEMA's effective Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), and Wake County GIS publishes the flood layers so property owners can determine whether a parcel is in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) - typically Zone A (no Base Flood Elevation determined) or Zone AE (BFE determined). Local floodplain development standards - including freeboard, fill, and substantial-improvement rules - are codified in the Wake County Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), which Planning and Development Services administers from the Waverly F. Akins Wake County Office Building at 336 Fayetteville St., Raleigh.
For a property in the SFHA, an applicant must coordinate with both Watershed Management (919-856-7436) on the floodplain development review and Permits and Inspections (919-856-6222) on the underlying building permit. Inside incorporated cities and towns (Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Garner, etc.), the municipality's own floodplain ordinance and flood administrator govern instead.
Floodplain development without the required Watershed Management review/permit can trigger stop-work orders and a refusal to issue or finalize the building permit through Wake County Permits and Inspections (919-856-6222). Unpermitted fill, structures, or substantial improvements within a Special Flood Hazard Area can also disqualify a structure from federal flood insurance under NFIP and reduce the property's insurability. Report unpermitted floodplain activity or apply for a floodplain development review with Watershed Management at 919-856-7436.
Wake County, NC
Wake County Code Chapter 92 directly regulates amplified music. Section 92.02 defines a "sound-magnifying device" to include any amplifier, stereo, speaker, ...
Wake County, NC
Wake County, NC has no leaf-blower-specific ordinance. Under Code Β§ 92.04 (Chapter 92 β Noise), "lawn care equipment and agricultural activities" are exempt ...
Wake County, NC
Wake County Code Sec. 91.08(B)(4) makes it unlawful to allow an animal to bark, whine, howl or yowl in an excessive, continuous or untimely fashion that seri...
Wake County, NC
Wake County Code Sec. 92.05 prohibits plainly audible unreasonable construction noise in residential or business districts during nighttime hours (11:00 p.m....
Wake County, NC
Wake County Code Sec. 92.03 makes it unlawful to cause or allow unreasonable noise in unincorporated Wake County. Daytime hours run 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. a...
Wake County, NC
North Carolina counties do not have express statutory authority to regulate driveway connections directly, so Wake County itself does not issue residential d...
See how Wake 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.