Stormwater Services Division
Floodplain Information
All proposed new development in the City must include plans to comply with all existing stormwater ordinances and regulations. Stormwater engineers review these plans before a building permit is issued and then construction inspectors make sure construction occurs in accordance with the approved plans.
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The City and County of Durham adopt new flood insurance rate maps and update the floodplain protection standards.
General Flood Insurance Information
Updated Flood Map Information
Updated Floodplain Protection Standards Information
Floodplain management
What is a 100-year flood?
What is a floodway and floodway fringe?
Why would I use a floodplain map?
Where can I look at the floodplain maps?
Floodplain Information Request Form
Is there a way to view the floodplain maps online?
Spatial Data Explorer (SDX)
Who can purchase flood insurance?
Helpful Links
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The City and County of Durham adopt new flood insurance rate maps and update the floodplain protection standards.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued new floodplain study and maps that are effective as of May 2, 2006 forthe City and County of Durham. Additionally the City and County were required to update the Flood Damage Protection Ordinance to meet the current State and Federal National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) regulations. This allows the City and County to continue as participating communities in the NFIP and makes Federally backed flood insurance available to all homeowners, renters, and business owners in these communities.
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General Flood Insurance Information:
As participating communities in the NFIP, Federally backed flood insurance can be purchased by anyone owning or renting propertyin the City and County of Durham. Be advised, there is a standard 30-day waiting period, from the date of purchase, before a new flood policy goes into effect. If your property is in a Special Flood Hazard Area you may need an Elevation Certificate to obtain a flood insurance policy. The property owner will need to retain the services of a Professional Land Surveyor licensed in the State of North Carolina to obtain an Elevation Certificate. More information on flood insurance is available at
www.floodsmart.gov.
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Updated Flood Map Information:
The new Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) include better detail and provide a more accurate delineation of the FEMA regulated Special Flood Hazard Area than the maps issued by FEMA in 1996 for the City and County of Durham. The biggest visual change is that the new maps include aerial photography making it a lot easier to determine the location of one’s property. Also, the new maps are Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs) and can be viewed on line at the State web site
www.ncfloodmaps.com. Also, the FEMA floodplain maps can be viewed via the
City’s FIRM atlas. Hard copies of the FIRMs are available for public review during normal business hours at the City/County FEMA Flood Map Repository located in the Stormwater Services Division, Third Floor, 101 City Hall Plaza, Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated Floodplain Protection Standards Information:
The City and County have combined the updated floodplain protection standards into the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO.) To view a copy of the UDO changes that incorporates the Floodplain and Flood Damage Protection Standards Click
Here.
Generally, the most significant changes in the floodplain protection standards as required by the state include:
- The State now requires that new solid waste disposal facilities, hazardous waste management facilities, salvage yards, or chemical storage facilities not be permitted in Special Flood Hazard Areas. It should be noted that the City and County, being proactive, already had this requirement prior to the new UDO update.
- Most streams identified with Approximate Flood Hazard Areas (A Zones) in the 1996 FEMA study now have Limited Detail Studies (AE Zones) that include Base Flood Elevations and Non-Encroachment Widths (similar to a Floodway which is the portion of the floodplain that can not be encroached into without FEMA approval.)
- Identification and regulation of the Future 1% Chance Special Flood Hazard Area (known previously as the 100 yr. floodplain) for streams that the State re-studied.
- Increase in the freeboard requirement for A Zone Special Flood Hazard Areas.
The primary purpose of the floodplain and flood damage protection standards is to preserve and maintain the natural floodplain in an undisturbed vegetated state in order to maintain flood storage capacity, control stormwater, improve water quality and conserve plant and wildlife habitat. Additionally, these standards serve to promote public health, safety, and general welfare and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions within flood prone areas. If you have questions concerning the new floodplain maps or ordinance please contact Durham Stormwater Services at 560-4326.
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Floodplain management
Floodplain management involves measures to reduce the loss of life, disruption, and damage caused by floods. Preserving and restoring the natural resources and functions of floodplains are additional goals of floodplain management. Durham is addressing floodplain management through federal requirements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and City/County Flood Damage Protection Ordinance and Natural Resource Protection Standards. Building requirements, land use provisions, zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, and other enforcement applications are key elements to these rules. In addition, the City is working to remedy local flooding and drainage problems through its stormwater management program. Major drainage improvement projects will be included in the watershed planning component of the program.
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What is a 100-year flood?
A 100-year flood or 100-year storm refers to a statistical measure. It means the probability of a storm producing a certain amount of rainfall occurring in any given year. For a 100-year storm, it means that we have a 1 in a 100 chance (or a 1% probability) of experiencing a storm of that magnitude. It does not mean a
storm that occurs only once in a hundred years; a 100-year flood could occur consecutively with rain events, but is extremely unlikely to occur. Development regulations are based on the elevations of the 100-year flood as delineated by FEMA on their official Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs).
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What is a floodway and floodway fringe?
The floodplain is divided into two sections - the floodway and the floodway fringe. The floodway is the channel of the stream plus an area immediately adjacent to the channel. The floodway must be kept clear of encroachments so that the 100-year flood can be carried without significant increases in flood heights. The area between the floodway and the floodplain boundary is the floodway fringe (sometimes referred to as "flood fringe" or "area of special flood hazard").
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Why would I use a floodplain map?
Citizens, insurance agents, brokers, community officials, the lending industry and federal agencies use flood maps to assist them in understanding flood hazards. Flood maps are used to locate properties and buildings in flood insurance risk zones and to determine whether flood insurance required. Review of these maps is particularly helpful prior to purchasing property. The City uses the flood maps to administer floodplain management regulations to reduce flood damage.
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Where can I look at the floodplain maps?
The official FEMA FIRMs are available for review during regular business hours in the Stormwater Services Office, 3rd floor, City Hall. To request staff assistance with these maps a citizen will need to complete and submit a
Floodplain Information Request Form to Stormwater Services. This service is provided at no cost to the property owner, however, there is a $5.00 charge for all other requests.
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Is there a way to view the floodplain maps on line?
The Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs) can be viewed on line at the State web site
www.ncfloodmaps.com. The new FIRM GIS data also will be added to the City’s Spatial Data Explorer Durham Interactive Mapping Application
(http://gisweb2.ci.durham.nc.us/sdx/imap_launch.html) upon the City’s receipt of the data from the State.
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Who can purchase flood insurance?
All residents in the City and County of Durham are eligible to purchase flood insurance because they participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
Homeowner's policies DO NOT cover flood damages.
You can protect yourself from flood losses by purchasing flood insurance; you do not have to be in a mapped floodplain to purchase this insurance.
There is a standard 30-day waiting period, from the date of purchase, before a new flood policy goes into effect.
If your property is in a Special Flood Hazard Area you may need an Elevation Certificate to obtain a flood insurance policy. The property owner will need to retain the services of a Professional Land Surveyor licensed in the State of North Carolina to obtain an Elevation Certificate.
More information on flood insurance is available at
www.floodsmart.gov.
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Helpful Links
Find out about flood insurance from the NFIP
FEMA.gov home page
Visit FEMA's Map Assistance Center - for purchase of FEMA FIRM data
Information on the statewide floodplain re-mapping program
USGS Stream Gage data for North Carolina
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