Surry County, NC Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)

Surry County Code § 154.017-07(A) requires new construction or substantial improvement of any residential structure, including manufactured homes, in a special flood hazard area to have its reference level, including the basement, elevated no lower than the regulatory flood protection elevation defined in § 154.003-02. Non-residential construction under subsection (B) faces the same elevation floor, but a commercial, industrial or other non-residential building located in an A, AO, AE or A1-30 zone can instead be flood-proofed to that elevation, provided every area below the required elevation is watertight, using walls substantially impermeable to water and structural components able to resist hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads; a registered professional engineer or architect must certify that the flood-proofing meets the standard, and that certification goes to the Floodplain Administrator along with an operational and maintenance plan.

Manufactured homes get their own elevation rule under subsection (C): the reference level must sit no lower than the regulatory flood protection elevation, the home must be anchored to a foundation meeting the state's Manufactured/Mobile Homes regulations, and if the chassis is elevated more than 36 inches, an engineering certification is required. Enclosed areas below the required elevation cannot be used for human habitation and must include flood vents that automatically equalize hydrostatic pressure. The Floodplain Administrator enforces these standards alongside the Building Official, and § 154.017-06(J) separately bars new solid waste, hazardous waste, salvage or chemical storage facilities from special flood hazard areas altogether except by variance.