1612A Flood Loads — 2025 California Building Code

1612 A .1 General. Within flood hazard areas as established in Section 1612 A .3, all new construction of buildings, structures and portions of buildings and structures, including substantial improvement and restoration of substantial damage to buildings and structures, shall be designed and constructed to resist the effects of flood hazards and flood loads. For buildings that are located in more than one flood hazard area, the provisions associated with the most restrictive flood hazard area shall apply.

1612 A .2 Design and construction. The design and construction of buildings and structures located in flood hazard areas, including coastal high hazard areas and coastal A zones, shall be in accordance with Chapter 5 of ASCE 7 and ASCE 24. Elevators, escalators, conveying systems and their components shall conform to ASCE 24 and ASME A17.1/CSA B44 as applicable.

Exception: Temporary structures complying with Section 3103.6.1.3.

1612 A .3 Establishment of flood hazard areas. To establish flood hazard areas, the applicable governing authority shall adopt a flood hazard map and supporting data. The flood hazard map shall include, at a minimum, areas of special flood hazard as identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Flood Insurance Study (FIS) adopted by the local authority having jurisdiction where the project is located, as amended or revised with the accompanying Flood Insurance Rate Map ( FIRM ) and Flood Boundary and Flood- way Map (FBFM) and related supporting data along with any revisions thereto. The adopted flood hazard map and supporting data are hereby adopted by reference and declared to be part of this section.

1612 A .3.1 Design flood elevations. Where design flood elevations are not included in the flood hazard areas established in Section 1612 A .3, or where floodways are not designated, the building official is authorized to require the applicant to do one of the following:

1. Obtain and reasonably utilize any design flood elevation and floodway data available from a federal, state or other

source.

2. Determine the design flood elevation or floodway in accordance with accepted hydrologic and hydraulic engineering practices used to define special flood hazard areas. Determinations shall be undertaken by a registered design professional who shall document that the technical methods used reflect currently accepted engineering practice.

1612 A .3.2 Determination of impacts. In riverine flood hazard areas where design flood elevations are specified but floodways have not been designated, the applicant shall provide a floodway analysis that demonstrates that the proposed work will not increase the design flood elevation more than 1 foot (305 mm) at any point within the jurisdiction of the applicable governing authority.

1612 A .4 Flood hazard documentation. The following documentation shall be prepared and sealed by a registered design professional and submitted to the building official:

1. For construction in flood hazard areas other than coastal high hazard areas or coastal A zones: 1.1. The elevation of the lowest floor, including the basement, as required by the lowest floor elevation inspection in Section 110.3.3 and for the final inspection in Section 110.3.12.1. 1.2. For fully enclosed areas below the design flood elevation where provisions to allow for the automatic entry and exit of floodwaters do not meet the minimum requirements in Section 2.7.2.1 of ASCE 24, construction documents shall include a statement that the design will provide for equalization of hydrostatic flood forces in accordance with Section 2.7.2.2 of ASCE 24.

1.3. For dry floodproofed nonresidential buildings, construction documents shall include a statement that the dry floodproofing is designed in accordance with ASCE 24 and shall include the flood emergency plan specified in Chapter 6 of ASCE 24. 1.4. For dry floodproofed nonresidential buildings, the elevation to which the building is dry floodproofed as required for the final inspection in Section 110.3.12.1.

STRUCTURAL DESIGN

2. For construction in coastal high hazard areas and coastal A zones: 2.1. The elevation of the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member as required by the lowest floor elevation inspection in Section 110.3.3 and for the final inspection in Section 110.3.12.1. 2.2. Construction documents shall include a statement that the building is designed in accordance with ASCE 24, including that the pile or column foundation and building or structure to be attached thereto is designed to be anchored to resist flotation, collapse and lateral movement due to the effects of wind and flood loads acting simultaneously on all building components, and other load requirements of Chapter 16. 2.3. For breakaway walls designed to have a resistance of more than 20 psf (0.96 kN/m [2] ) determined using allowable stress design or a resistance to an ultimate load of more than 33 pounds per square foot (1.58 kN/m [2] ), construction documents shall include a statement that the breakaway wall is designed in accordance with ASCE 24. 2.4 For breakaway walls where provisions to allow for the automatic entry and exit of floodwaters do not meet the minimum requirements in Section 2.7.2.1 of ASCE 24, construction documents shall include a statement that the design will provide for equalization of hydrostatic flood forces in accordance with Section 2.7.2.2 of ASCE 24.