Flood Map Determination Assistance
The Cumberland County Engineering Division 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). The 100 year flood is defined as the 1 percent probability flood.
The Engineering Division maintains these maps for the unincorporated areas of Cumberland County as well as the towns of Eastover, Linden, Godwin, Wade, Falcon and Stedman. The maps are available for public inspection at our office located in Room 214, Historic Courthouse, 130 Gillespie Street and the Local & State History Room in Headquarters Library, 300 Maiden Lane.
We provide assistance to agencies, lenders, and the public by request through office visits, email, 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, electrical, and attendant utilities, such as a heat pump, to 2 feet above 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 $35.00.
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.
Additional Flood Information