A Floodplain Development Permit is required for ALL development in a designated “floodwa
y” or “floodplain” in Delta County.
Development is defined as any construction or activity that changes the basic character, use, or topography of the land on which the construction or activity occurs, including but not limited to, any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, construction, or substantial improvement of a building or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations, dam, wall, embankment, levee, dike, pile, abutment, projection, excavation, channel rectification, bridge, culvert, fence, encroachment or alteration located within the area of special flood hazard.
Any work within the floodplain requires a Floodplain Permit Application and a checklist, regardless of your need/desire to obtain flood insurance. This requirement is mandated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Delta County to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. Delta County must comply with these requirements to be eligible for flood insurance for all residents and businesses.
The Floodplain Regulations are described in the Delta County Land Use Code, Adopted on January 5th, 2021, and the Delta County Flood Damage Prevention Regulations (DCFDPR, an appendix of that code).
All development within designated flood plains requires a permit from the Delta County Environmental Health Division before installing any septic system. The property owner is responsible for ensuring this determination takes place. If you think that you will be building in or near a floodplain, you can easily search for the floodplain status. Floodplain FIRM (Flood Insurance Rate Maps) are also available or contact Environmental Health at 874-2165 to obtain information regarding floodplain development. A flood plain application is required (also available as a fillable PDF) and a checklist is available for developers to guide the process. The floodplain application fee is $250.00.
FEMA Elevation Certificate: Once a permit has been issued and construction has been completed, a certification of elevation is required. A Registered Professional Engineer or Registered Surveyor must certify the elevations of a structure and certify that the development is adequately floodproofed. (See also FEMA Forms). If a Map Amendment is needed, the property owner will need to complete a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) request. Obtain more information on the National Flood Insurance Program.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has published maps designating Flood Plains, Floodways, and insurance rate zones for the National Floodplain Insurance Program. See the FEMA floodplain insurance program for details.
If you are interested in determining if a property is within a flood zone, the Delta County Interactive Map has a FEMA Floodplain Map Layer that can be added to the base map by clicking on the LEGEND folder and scrolling to the “FEMA Flood Hazard areas." You may also come to the Delta County Environmental Health Division's office to research and view the FEMA maps and make a flood zone determination. Maps may also be ordered by contacting the FEMA Maps Center.
