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Floodplain
Regulations
Fairfield
County is one of nearly twenty-thousand communities who participate in the
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in exchange for federally backed
insurance made available to owners and renters of home and business. To
participate in this program Fairfield County has adopted and enforces the Special
Purpose Flood Damage Prevention Regulations.
The regulations
purpose is to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare, and to
minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific areas.
Our
office administers the regulations for the unincorporated areas of Fairfield
County. Lancaster and other surrounding communities administer their own
programs. The Villages of Amanda, Lithopolis, Pleasantville, Rushville,
Stoutsville, and West Rushville do not participate in the National Flood
Insurance Program. Floodplain development permits are required prior to
construction or development within a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
identified special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). Floodplain development permits are
reviewed by staff to determine compliance with the Special Purpose Flood Damage
Prevention Regulations.
Floodplain
Development Permits
To apply
for a Floodplain Development Permit you must fill out a Special
Flood Hazard Development Application
and have a Elevation
Certificate completed
by a professional surveyor or engineer. Both of these forms can be obtained
through our office or downloaded online. Additional material will be required
depending on flood zone, type of project, and site conditions. You are
encouraged to contact RPC to discuss the project and submission requirements
before applying for the permit. The application fee is $75.
Floodplain
Certifications
Floodplain
certifications can be requested for a review fee of $10.00. The certification
involves a review of the location of the property in relation to established
flood hazard areas as identified on the FEMA Flood Hazard Maps. Our staff will
then note on the certification form if the property is located in an identified
FEMA Flood Hazard Area. Flood determinations will not be made over the
phone.
FEMA
Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs)
Floodplain
maps may be viewed in our office during regular business hours or online. These
maps are scanned versions of the original flood maps provided to our office by
FEMA. Maps are subject to periodic revision and are provided through this
website as general reference purposes only and should not be used for scaling
purposes or for final determinations of flood hazard status in areas close to a
flood hazard boundary line. The Fairfield County Regional Planning Commission
and FEMA are not responsible for any actions taken as a result of the use of
these maps or for any distortions in scale or other variations, which may exist
or will occur due to the scanning process, use of the maps on home computer
displays, or printouts produced from the digitized maps.
*** In
October 2000 the Ohio Department of Natural Resources completed a study of
Sycamore Creek and its tributaries in Violet Township. This study contains
revisions not available on FEMA Community Panels 390158 0085 D and 390158 0105
D. This study is available at the Regional Planning Commission office and should
be consulted for properties along Sycamore Creek or along tributaries of
Sycamore Creek.
Frequently
Asked Questions About FIRMs
| What are Flood Insurance
Rate Maps? |
Flood
Insurance Rate Maps, also known as FIRMs, are published by FEMA
to determine flood insurance requirements (as the name implies) and to
assist communities in regulating new development.
Among
other things, Flood Insurance Rate Maps show areas that have a 1% chance
of flooding and a 0.2% chance of flooding in any given year (also known
as the "100-year" and "500-year" floodplains). These
areas are determined to be the areas of highest risk when a stream
overflows its banks.
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| Not All Flood Risks Are
Shown |
There
are other reasons for flooding that are not shown on Flood Insurance
Rate Maps:
*
Actual rainfall amounts may exceed those assumed in the computation of
mapped floodplain.
*Intense
rainfalls can overwhelm local drainage systems - causing water to pond
deeply in the streets or flow overland to the nearest stream, flooding
homes along the way.
*
Smaller channels may not have been studied. The stream near your home
may have a floodplain that is not shown on the Flood Insurance Rate
Maps.
*The
Flood Insurance Rate Maps are estimates using the best technology and
engineering tools, but nature can be unpredictable.
Remember,
Nationwide, one-third of the flood loss
claims are from property located outside of the mapped 1% (100-year)
floodplain.
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| Whats On a Flood
Insurance Rate Map? |
A Flood Insurance Rate
Map will show several things, but most importantly it shows the areas of
the highest risk of flooding caused by streams and tidal surge. Some of
the information includes:
1% Floodplain (Zones
AE, A, AO, and V)
Base Flood Elevations
(elevation above mean sea level that the 1% flood reaches)
0.2% Floodplain (Zone
X Shaded)
Floodway
Corporate Limits
Streets and Highways
Engineering
information such as survey benchmarks and the location of cross sections
used in computer simulations.
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| What do the Zones Mean? |
The following table shows
the different zones on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps and what they mean.
The legend on the Flood Insurance Rate Map has a more detailed
description of the zones. |
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Zone
|
Common Name
|
Color
|
Level of
Risk
|
Insurance
Required*
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Zone
AE
|
1%
(100-year) Floodplain
|
Dark
Gray
|
1%
Chance or Greater
|
Yes
|
|
Floodway
|
1%
(100-year) Floodplain
|
Hatched
Dark Gray
|
1%
Chance or Greater
|
Yes
|
|
Zone
X Shaded
|
0.2%
(500-year) Floodplain
|
Light
Gray
|
Between
a 0.2% and a 1% chance
|
No
|
|
Zone
X
|
Areas
Outside the Floodplain
|
White
(no color)
|
Less
than a 0.2% chance
|
No
|
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*Insurance may be required by
your lender if you have a federally-backed mortgage
Note: Zones
A and AO are also 1% (100-year) floodplains,
but they do not have detailed base flood elevations like Zone AE. There are
other zones on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps that are explained in the legend.
Reference
Map
Using
the map below you may click on the area you wish to view. Again, click the right
mouse button and choose "Save Target As..." in Internet Explorer if
you wish to save the panel to your computer for later viewing.
FIRM
Table 
Using
the table below, click the right mouse button and choose "Save Target
As..." in Internet Explorer if you wish to save the panel to your computer
for later viewing.
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Flood Insurance Rate
Maps Index-Fairfield County
Flood Insurance Rate
Maps Index-City of Lancaster
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Letter
of Map Amendment (LOMA)
LOMAs
have the effect of removing either a structure, a portion of a property, or an
entire property from a Special Flood Hazard Area, based on the elevation of the
ground. In effect, the applicant must prove to FEMA's satisfaction that their
structure is located on ground high enough that the structure will be on its own
little "island" during the 100-year flood. Fairfield County's role in
obtaining a LOMA is limited so property owners interested in obtaining a LOMA
should contact FEMA at: 1-877-FEMA MAP (Toll-free) or
should visit FEMA's LOMA website at: www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/fhm/fmc_loma.shtm
Flood
Links
Below are
a few web links pertaining to floods:
* Interactive Weather Information Network (IWIN) provides a variety of weather
data and imagery, including flood and flash-flood warnings. The URL is: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/graphicsversion/bigmain.html
* The National Weather Service Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC)
produces a map showing flood potential for the contiguous 48 states. Updated
daily at 4 p.m., this five-day outlook provides an entry point for users seeking
more detailed hydrologic information provided by the NWS's regional River
Forecast Centers and Weather Forecast Offices. - URL: http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/nationalfloodoutlook
* Generate an online hazard map for your area of interest. The URL is: http://www.hazards.fema.gov
* Information on flood insurance rate maps (FIRM's). The URL is: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/fhm/index.shtm
* Flood insurance rate information can be found at:http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/index.jsp
* FEMA's
map service center can
be used to search for flood insurance rate maps. This page will show the most
recent FIRMs for Fairfield County.
* The
Ohio Department of Natural Resources Floodplain Management Program
includes information on floodplain regulations in Ohio.
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