Wayne County, IN Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Wayne County Code § 154.01 records that the Board of County Commissioners of Wayne County, Indiana adopted Chapter 154 under the land-use authority granted by I.C. 36-7-4 to regulate floodplain management. Section 154.45 designates the County Plan Director as the Floodplain Administrator, charged with reviewing every floodplain development permit for compliance, inspecting damaged structures in the special flood hazard area (SFHA), confirming state DNR authorization is on file for regulated projects, and maintaining permit records, elevation certifications and FEMA map-change letters for public inspection. Under § 154.46(A), an application for a floodplain development permit must go to the Floodplain Administrator on county forms before any development activity begins, generally with duplicate scaled plans showing the location, dimensions and elevations of the site, existing or proposed structures, fill, storage and drainage facilities.

Section 154.46(B)(1) requires the application to describe the proposed development, locate it relative to existing roads and streams, include a legal description and site plan, state the elevation of the planned lowest floor in NAVD 88 or NGVD datum, state any non-residential flood-proofing elevation, and describe any watercourse alteration, which requires a hydrologic and hydraulic study submitted to DNR and then FEMA as a Letter of Map Revision. At the construction stage under § 154.46(B)(2), the permit holder must submit a surveyor- or engineer-certified as-built elevation of the lowest floor before the structure is occupied. The Administrator may revoke a permit under § 154.45(B)(n) for misrepresentation in the application or for construction that violates the permit's terms.