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

Article III of Chapter 5, the Whitfield County Flood Damage Control Ordinance (Sec. 5-40), covers unincorporated areas identified as special flood hazard areas in FEMA's Flood Insurance Study for Whitfield County, Georgia Unincorporated Areas dated February 16, 1990, along with its maps and any later revisions (Sec. 5-51); the county also treats areas known to have flooded historically as covered even before FEMA formally maps them. Sec. 5-52 bars locating, extending, converting, or structurally altering any building, structure, or accessory structure in these areas without full compliance with the article.

Before starting development, an owner must apply to the county engineer for a flood area permit under Sec. 5-54, submitting scaled plans showing the site's elevations, existing or proposed structures, fill, and drainage, and, for nonresidential floodproofed buildings, a registered engineer's or architect's certification that floodproofing criteria are met. The county engineer administers and enforces the article, reviews every permit for compliance, notifies the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and adjoining communities before any watercourse is altered or relocated, and keeps records of elevations for new or substantially improved buildings (Sec.

5-55). Inside a designated floodway, Sec. 5-56 prohibits encroachments, including fill and new construction, unless a registered professional engineer certifies the work will not raise flood levels during the base flood, and generally bars placing manufactured homes there except in an existing manufactured home park. Appeals and variance requests from the county engineer's decisions go to the Whitfield County Unified Board of Zoning Appeals, which may grant relief only on findings of good cause, exceptional hardship, and no increase in flood risk (Sec. 5-49).