FEMA flood zone rules in Wausau, WI — also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules — determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
The City of Wausau participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and regulates floodplain development under Wis. Stat. Sec. 87.30 and Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter NR 116, plus 44 CFR Parts 59-72. The Wisconsin River bisects Wausau and is the primary flood source through the city, with additional flood hazards along the Eau Claire River, Rib River, and tributaries. The currently effective FEMA Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs) for Marathon County, including Wausau panels, became effective July 22, 2010. Floodplain zoning is implemented as an overlay within Title 23 (see Sec. 23.05.30(2)(c) treatment of floodplain overlay vs. nonconforming structures). Development in the regulatory floodway is prohibited or strictly limited; in the flood fringe, habitable space must be elevated to the flood protection elevation.
Wis. Stat. Sec. 87.30 requires every Wisconsin municipality with mapped floodplain or NFIP participation to adopt a floodplain zoning ordinance meeting the minimum standards of Wis. Admin. Code Chapter NR 116 and 44 CFR Parts 59-72. Wausau, located in Marathon County, administers floodplain zoning within its corporate limits as an overlay under Title 23. The Wisconsin River runs north-south through Wausau and is the principal regulated waterway; additional studied streams in the area include the Eau Claire River and the Rib River. The currently effective Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Marathon County (which contains Wausau) became effective July 22, 2010. Under NR 116, the regulatory floodway prohibits new residential structures and most fill, while the flood fringe allows development if the lowest floor of any habitable space is elevated to or above the flood protection elevation, defined in NR 116.03(17) as the regional flood elevation plus 2 feet of freeboard. Floodplain permits must be issued by the local floodplain zoning administrator before any building permit may be issued, and the Wisconsin DNR reviews and approves floodplain ordinances for compliance with NR 116. Authoritative maps are available from FEMA's Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov), the National Flood Hazard Layer, and the Wisconsin DNR Floodplain Mapping Program. Wausau's Inspections & Zoning Division administers local floodplain review at 407 Grant St.
Wis. Stat. Sec. 87.30(2) and Wis. Admin. Code NR 116.21 require local enforcement of floodplain zoning. Violations - including unpermitted fill, structural development, or occupancy of habitable space in the regulatory floodway, or building below the flood protection elevation in the flood fringe - can result in citation, daily forfeitures, removal/restoration orders, and loss of NFIP eligibility for the property. Misrepresenting elevation data on a permit application is independently actionable. A community's failure to enforce can lead to suspension from the NFIP under 44 CFR Part 59.
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