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

020's Specific Standards require that new construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure, including manufactured homes, have its reference level, including any basement, elevated no lower than the regulatory flood protection elevation. That elevation is defined elsewhere in the UDO as the base flood elevation (BFE) shown on the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map plus 2 feet of freeboard, or, where no BFE has been established for the area, at least 2 feet above the highest adjacent grade. Manufactured homes carry extra anchoring detail: they must be elevated to that same reference level and secured to an adequately anchored foundation, either through a certified engineered foundation system or under the state's manufactured home regulations, and if the chassis elevation is achieved with piers more than 36 inches above grade, an engineering certification is required.

Nonresidential buildings get an alternative: they may be floodproofed to the regulatory flood protection elevation instead of elevated, provided a registered professional engineer or architect certifies the floodproofing meets the standard and that certification is filed with the floodplain administrator along with an operational and inspection/maintenance plan. Any area below the elevated lowest floor may only be used for parking, building access, or limited storage, never finished living space. A structure that sits only partially in the flood hazard area must still meet these elevation standards for its entire footprint.