Jefferson County, AL Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)

20, "Drainage and Storm Sewers," within the subsection on the nature of storm water facilities. Item 5, "Areas of Poor Drainage," governs any plat submitted for land subject to flooding. The Director of Roads and Transportation/County Engineer may still approve such a plat, but only if the developer fills the affected area so streets and lots sit at least 2 feet above the 100-year flood elevation, or higher if the adopted Jefferson County Flood Plain Ordinance sets a different figure. The fill cannot intrude into the 100-year floodway and must conform with federal flood insurance program guidelines.

The plat must also show an overflow zone along any stream or watercourse bank wide enough to carry or contain flood flows, and no fill or structure is permitted inside the floodway itself. The same section gives the Director separate authority, under item 6, "Flood Plain District," to prohibit subdividing land lying in a stream's floodplain outright when necessary for public health, safety or welfare, and to bar clearing, grading or dumping in preserved floodplain areas except at the Director's discretion. Both provisions apply only within the unincorporated area the county regulations govern; Birmingham and the county's other incorporated cities set their own separate standards.

Because the underlying Jefferson County Flood Plain Ordinance and the county's floodplain maps exist on file only as scanned documents without a searchable text layer, applicants should confirm the current base flood elevation and any figure higher than the 2-foot floor directly with the Department of Land Planning & Development Services before finalizing fill design.