Flood Map Determination Assistance
The Cumberland County Engineering Department administers the Flood Damage
Prevention Ordinance that regulates development within the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) in
the County. The SFHA represents the 100 year floodplain of creeks, streams and rivers and are
mapped on a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and/or a Flood Boundary and Floodway Map (FBFM).
The 100 year flood is defined as the 1 percent probability flood.
The Engineering Department maintains these maps for the unincorporated areas of Cumberland County
as well as the towns of
Linden, Godwin, Wade, Falcon and Stedman. The maps are available for public inspection at our
office located in Room 214, Old County Courthouse, 130 Gillespie Street and the North Carolina
Room in the Headquarters Library located.
We provide assistance to agencies, lenders, and
the public by request through office visits, telephone, fax or mail in determining the
status of a property with respect to the SFHA. To simplify the determination process,
please bring or have available a street address and/or a Parcel Identification Number (P.I.N.)
which can be obtained from the County Tax Office.
If a parcel is determined to be within the
SFHA then the property owner must comply with the requirements of the Flood Damage Prevention
Ordinance prior to undertaking any improvements on the property.
Floodplain Development Permit
A Floodplain Development Permit (FPDP) will be required before any construction
or disturbance may begin within the Special Flood Hazard Area. The FPDP will indicate the
conditions that must be met to allow the development of property within the SFHA.
The typical conditions for residential construction include elevating the lowest floor
and attendant utilities, such as a heat pump, to the base flood elevation and providing an
Elevation Certificate documenting the lowest floor elevation.
The FPDP and Elevation Certificate may be obtained through the Engineering Department.
The permit fee is $10.00.
Substantial Improvement/Damage Requirements
The National Flood Insurance Program requires that if the cost of reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvements to a building equals or exceeds 50% of the building's current market value, then the building must meet the same construction requirements as a new building.
A building is considered substantially damaged if the cost of repairs equals or exceeds the value of the building before the damage. A substantially damaged building in a SFHA is subject to all the construction requirements of a new building including elevating the lowest habitable floor to the base flood elevation.
The County Inspections Department will not issue a building permit for construction in a SFHA until the County Engineering Department issues a Floodplain Development Permit. A Certificate of Occupancy will not be issued for the building until the Inspections Department has evidence that a Elevation Certificate has been properly completed and submitted to the Engineering Department.
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