What are Floodplains?
A Floodplain, as defined by the National Flood Insurance Program, is any land area susceptible to being inundated by flood waters from any source.
Floodplain Regulations
Floodplain Regulations are designed to guide development within Special Flood Hazard Areas. For regulatory purposes, the floodplain is divided into two areas based on water velocity: the floodway and the flood fringe. The floodway includes the channel and adjacent floodplain area that is required to pass the 100-year flood without unduly increasing flood heights. This is the hazardous portion of the floodplain where the fastest flow of water occurs. Due to the high degree of hazard found in the floodway, floodplain regulations require that proposed floodway developments do not block the free flow of flood water as this could dangerously increase the water’s depth and velocity. The flood fringe is the portion of the floodplain, outside of the floodway, that contains slow-moving or standing water. Development in the fringe will not normally interfere with the flow of water. Therefore, floodplain regulations for the flood fringe allow development to occur but require protection from flood waters through the elevation of buildings above the 100-year flood level or floodproofing buildings so that water cannot enter the structure.
Richland County adopted Special Flood Hazard Area (Floodplain) Regulations to promote the public health, safety and general welfare, protect the natural function of streams, and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific areas by provisions designed to:
- Protect human life and health;
- Minimize expenditure of public and private money for costly flood control projects;
- Minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding and generally undertaken at the expense of the general public;
- Minimize prolonged business interruptions;
- Minimize damage to public facilities and utilities such as water and gas mains, electric, telephone and sewer lines, streets and bridges located in areas of special flood hazard;
- Help maintain a stable tax base by providing for the proper use and development of areas of special flood hazard so as to minimize future flood blight areas;
- Ensure that potential buyers are aware that property is in an area of special flood hazard, and
- Ensure that those who occupy the areas of special flood hazard assume responsibility for their actions.
The Floodplain Regulations adopted by the Richland County Board of Commissioners apply to property located in unincorporated areas of Richland County only. Each community (cities and villages) in Richland County is responsible for its own Floodplain Regulations and enforcement of those regulations.
What is a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)?
As defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) an area having special flood, mudflow or flood-related erosion hazards and shown on a Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM) or a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) Zone A, AO, A1-A30, AE, A99, AH, AR, AR/A, AR/AE, AR/AH, AR/AO, AR/A1-A30, V1-V30, VE or V. The SFHA is the area where the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP’s) floodplain management regulations must be enforced and the area where the mandatory purchase of flood insurance applies. For the purpose of determining Community Rating System (CRS) premium discounts, all AR and A99 zones are treated as non-SFHAs.
Development within a defined floodplain or SFHA is governed through floodplain regulations adopted by a local community or county.
Flood Insurance
Flood insurance is an important consideration when buying floodplain property. A person should be aware of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which provides flood insurance coverage for structures and their contents, in communities participating in the NFIP. Under this program, federally insured or regulated institutions must require flood insurance policies on all new loans for structures in mapped 100 year floodplain areas recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). You can find out if a piece of property is located in the floodplain by checking with the local Floodplain Administrator (ask for the Flood Insurance Rate Map or the Flood Hazard Boundary Map furnished by FEMA). Matt Christian and Matt Wallace, Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (Richland SWCD) are the manager and administrator for Richland County. If a person is considering the purchase or development of floodplain property, their insurance agent can provide information on the cost and availability of flood insurance. It should be noted that flood insurance is available for structures only in communities participating in NFIP. The structure does not have to be located in the mapped floodplain in order to obtain insurance.
Flood Insurance Rate Maps
Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMS) are issued by FEMA as part of the National Flood Insurance Program. The hazard area or Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), shown on the flood map is known as the 100-year floodplain. It is more precisely defined as the floodplain associated with a flood that has a 1 percent annual chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The 100-year flood is not a flood event that happens once in a hundred years, rather a flood event that has a one percent chance of occurring every year. Flood maps may include:
- Major highways, secondary roads, lakes, railroads, streams and other waterways
- Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) identified on the FIRM as zones A, AE, AH, AO, AR,V, VE or A99
- Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) or depths (BFE is the calculated elevation of the 100-year flood.)
- Areas subject to inundation by the 500-year flood.
FEMA Flood Map Service Center
You can create a FIRMette using the online FIRMette – Web tool. A FIRMette is a full-scale section of a FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) that you create yourself online and is formatted to fit on printers commonly found in offices. There is no cost for making a FIRMette. FIRMettes can be used in all aspects of the NFIP including floodplain management, flood insurance, and enforcement of mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements.
You can also view Flood Maps using Google Earth. You need to download the National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) KMZ file below. Please download and read the instructions below for using Google Earth and the NFHL KMZ file.
Floodplain Determinations
A floodplain determination can assist a property owner in determining what portions of their property and what structures on their property are in a floodplain. As well, when applying for flood insurance or a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) a floodplain determination will assist the property owner, the lender, and FEMA in applying the correct criteria when writing an insurance policy or making a determination. Floodplain determinations are provided at no charge for properties located in the Richland County jurisdiction. For more information or to request a determination, please contact Matt Wallace.
Floodplain Resources
For more information, please visit FEMA.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Floodplain Management Program includes information on floodplain regulations in Ohio.
A stormwater permit application may be found on our forms menu. You may also apply for a stormwater permit online. For projects that modify a watercourse and are located in Zone A where no Base Flood Elevations exist, a Zone Channel Modifications Form must be filled out on our forms menu.
