Floodplain Regulations

The City of Clearwater adheres to federal, state, and local regulations regarding floodplain management. Property owners and developers must comply with these regulations when planning construction or alterations within floodplain areas.

In May 2024, the City of Clearwater adopted an updated Flood Plain Management Ordinance (Ordinance No. 2024-04).

Common Acronyms

The following acronyms are commonly used in flood-related documents and discussions:

• FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency
• NFIP – National Flood Insurance Program
• SFHA – Special Flood Hazard Area, also known as the 100-year floodplain (Zone AE)
• FIRM – Flood Insurance Rate Map
• LOMC – Letter of Map Change, which includes LOMA and LOMR-F requests.
• LOMA – Letter of Map Amendment
• LOMR-F – Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill

Find Your Flood Map

Floodplain maps are essential tools for identifying areas at risk of flooding. Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) are created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to delineate flood hazard areas. FEMA retains sole authority for designating which properties are included or removed from the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), also known as the 100-year floodplain or Zone AE. For more information, visit FEMA’s website.

FIRMs are available for public viewing. You can view the floodplain maps at City Hall or access them online through the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. To find your property online, type the address, city and state into the search bar. To view the property’s associated FIRM, click on the “view map” symbol. The maps show base flood elevations, flood zones, and floodplain boundaries.

The current effective FIRMs are dated June 20, 2024.

Flood Insurance

Property owners within a flood zone may be required to purchase flood insurance by their mortgage lender. The City of Clearwater participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which helps reduce the impact of flooding on private and public structures. The NFIP makes federally backed flood insurance available to property owners. Visit the National Flood Insurance Program for more information on flood insurance.

Resources

For more information on floodplain management, flood insurance, and safety tips, please visit the following resources below.