Walker County, GA Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Walker County Code § 22-360 implements the county's participation in the National Flood Insurance Program and applies to every Area of Special Flood Hazard mapped in the FEMA Flood Insurance Study (FIS) dated September 5, 2007, covering the unincorporated county. Before anyone locates, extends, converts or alters a structure or land in one of those mapped zones, they must obtain a Development Permit from the Planning Director, who administers the section from the Planning and Development Office where the FIS maps are kept for public inspection.

No structure or land use in a flood hazard area may proceed without full compliance with the section's terms, and any conflict between this floodplain ordinance and another county regulation is resolved in favor of whichever rule is more restrictive. The stated purpose is to keep flood-vulnerable uses out of harm's way, stop fill and grading that would raise flood heights on neighboring land, and protect the tax base from the blight recurring floods create. Violating any requirement of the section, including a condition attached to a variance, is a criminal offense: a conviction carries a fine of up to $1,000, up to 60 days in jail, or both, plus the costs of the case, and every day the violation continues counts as its own separate offense.

The county can also pursue other lawful remedies beyond the criminal penalty to force compliance. Because the ordinance is tied to the county's FIS maps, a parcel's flood-zone status, and whether a Development Permit is required at all, has to be confirmed with the Planning Director before any grading, filling or construction begins.