City is Conducting Outreach and Offers Online Resources for Property Owners
Changes to the city’s floodplain ordinance, unanimously adopted by the Mayor and Council on Jan. 9, will create a more rigorous process for approving construction in the floodplain and remove previously allowed exemptions to what can be built there.
The floodplain is land near a stream that could be inundated by a so-called 100-year flood – a flood that has a 1 percent chance of occurring in any given year. The city’s ordinance, which bans new development in the floodplain, was previously updated in 1992. Revisions to federal and state regulations require the city ordinance changes, which take effect July 1.
The changes include a new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirement that property owners in the floodplain obtain a permit. The permit will allow the city to set conditions on new construction, review and approve construction plans, inspect construction and obtain FEMA-required documentation. The changes also eliminate previously allowed exemptions for constructing new public facilities and minor projects in the floodplain, such as utilities, fences and play or seating equipment. These will now require permits.
City staff is sending letters to owners of properties within the floodplain to explain the new permitting requirements. Staff will guide property owners in making safer choices about placement and design of improvements to minimize potential flood damage. Staff will also contact owners of properties where improvements such as play equipment, picnic tables, sheds and fences are encroaching into the floodplain. Owners will be informed of the risks of flood damage to their property, and to properties downstream if unanchored improvements are washed away, and steps to take to manage those risks.
Property owners can visit www.rockvillemd.gov/floodplain to learn more about the ordinance and the National Flood Insurance Program, and to find flood preparation and safety tips and an interactive map that can help assess flood risks.