Skip to content

Title 13 — Planning, Zoning and Development›Chapter V — DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS›Article 10 — Floodway and Floodplain Districts

§ 13-77. Purpose.

Costa Mesa Zoning Code · 2026-06 edition · updated 2026-07-25 · Costa Mesa

The floodway and floodplain districts and regulations are intended to be applied to those areas of the city which, under present conditions, are subject to periodic flooding and accompanying hazards. The objectives of the floodway and floodplain districts include:

  • (a) Prevention of loss of life and property and minimization of economic loss caused by flood flows.

  • (b) Establishment of criteria for land management and land use in floodprone areas that are consistent with the criteria promulgated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the purpose of providing flood insurance eligibility for property owners.

  • (c) Prohibition of encroachments, new construction or other improvements or development that would obstruct or divert the flow of floodwaters within a regulatory floodway.

(d) Regulation and control of use of land below the elevation of the design flood flow within the remainder of the floodplain. (Ord. No. 97-11, § 2, 5-5-97; Ord. No. 04-1, § 1, 1-20-04)

Get a plain-English answer with a citation back to this text.

Ask AI about this code
▸ Contents — Costa Mesa Zoning Code
Costa Mesa Zoning Code
  1. ▸ Title 13 — Planning, Zoning and Development
    Overview
    1. Chapter I — IN GENERAL
    2. Chapter II — ZONING DISTRICTS ESTABLISHED
    3. Chapter III — PLANNING APPLICATIONS
    4. Chapter IV — CITYWIDE LAND USE MATRIX
    5. ▸ Chapter V — DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
      Overview
      1. Article 1 — Residential Districts
      2. Article 2 — Residential Common Interest Developments
      3. Article 2.5 — Residential Small lot Subdivisions
      4. Article 3 — Commercial Districts
      5. Article 4 — Establishments Where Food or Beverages are Served
      6. Article 4.5 — Development Standards for Churches and Other Pla…
      7. Article 5 — Industrial Districts
      8. Article 5.5 — Non-Residential Common Interest Developments
      9. Article 6 — Planned Development
      10. Article 7 — Institutional and Recreational, Institutional and …
      11. Article 8 — Floor Area Ratios
      12. Article 9 — General Site Improvement Standards
      13. ▸ Article 10 — Floodway and Floodplain Districts
        Overview
        1. § 13-77. Purpose.
        2. § 13-78. Definitions.
        3. § 13-79. Application.
        4. § 13-80. Uses permitted in the floodway areas.
        5. § 13-81. Uses permitted in the designated floodway fringe and …
        6. § 13-82. Procedures and development standards for floodway are…
        7. § 13-83. Exceptions to designate flood hazard area.
      14. Article 11 — Mixed-Use Overlay District
      15. Article 12 — Residential Incentive Overlay District
      16. Article 1 — Residential Districts
      17. Article 2 — Non-Residential Districts
      18. Article 3 — Development Standards
    6. Chapter VII — LANDSCAPING STANDARDS
    7. Chapter VIII — SIGNS
    8. Chapter IX — SPECIAL LAND USE REGULATIONS
    9. Chapter X — NONCONFORMING USES, DEVELOPMENTS AND LOTS
    10. Chapter XI — SUBDIVISIONS
    11. Chapter XII — SPECIAL FEE ASSESSMENTS
    12. Chapter XIII — NOISE CONTROL
    13. Chapter XIV — OIL DRILLING
    14. Chapter XV — GROUP HOMES
    15. Chapter XVII — AFFORDABLE HOUSING ORDINANCE

GoCodebook provides public access, search, citation, multilingual explanation, and practical interpretation of legally adopted building regulations. It is not a substitute for the official ICC or California code publications.