Title IX — Floodplain Management Ordinance

Chapter 5 — FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT PERMITS

Sacramento County Zoning Code · 2026-06 edition · ingested 2026-07-06 · Sacramento County

905-01. ESTABLISHMENT OF FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT PERMIT

A Floodplain Management Permit shall be obtained before any new construction, substantial improvements, or other development, including alteration of land, begins within any special flood hazard area or local flood hazard area established in Section 903-02. Permits for work in the floodplain requiring approval by the Floodplain Administrator are either in the form of a permit or formal improvement plan. The application for a Floodplain Management Permit shall be filed on a form and submitted with such information as is prescribed by the Floodplain Administrator including, but not limited to the following:

  • A. Plans in duplicate drawn to scale showing the nature, location, dimensions, and elevation of the property, existing or proposed structures, fill, storage of materials, and drainage facilities;

  • B. Proposed elevation in relation to the currently adopted Vertical Datum of the lowest floor of all buildings- in Zone AO, the elevation of the highest adjacent preconstruction natural grade, and the proposed elevation of the lowest floor of all buildings;

  • C. Proposed elevation in relation to the currently adopted Vertical Datum to which any structure will be flood-proofed if required in Chapter 6;

  • D. All appropriate certifications listed in Section 904-02(D);

  • E. Location and elevation of the base flood and the floodway, both before and after proposed development;

  • F. Location, volume, and depth of proposed fill and excavation within the 100-year floodplain and the floodway; and

  • G. Description of the extent to which any watercourse will be altered or relocated as a result of proposed development.

905-02. PERMIT FEES.

  • A. A fee shall be paid by the applicant to the County for plan checking and review, site inspections, processing, issuance, and other services performed by the Floodplain Administrator in connection with the review of an application for a Floodplain Management Permit. The fees for these services shall be in the amount of the actual costs incurred by the County based on the hourly rate of the personnel performing the services, including all overhead costs, and as determined by the Administration and Finance Agency.

  • B. The permit fees (Appendix C) shall be paid in advance at the time the floodplain management activity is requested, and those fees will be adjusted each January at the Department of Water Resources fully loaded labor rates.

  • C. No services(s) will be performed for an applicant until the applicant has paid the estimated fees attributable to such service(s). If the service(s) are greater than the estimated fee, the applicant shall pay the balance of any fees and interest owed prior to the issuance of a permit.

905-03. NOT USED.

905-04. ISSUANCE

The Floodplain Management Permit shall be issued by the Floodplain Administrator within a reasonable time after all information requested on the application form for floodplain development and any additional information requested by the Floodplain Administrator has been received, including (when applicable) permits and permission from jurisdictional agencies, state agencies, and federal government. Floodplain Management Permits will only be issued in Zone A-99 areas pursuant to specific development and construction requirements that will be set by the Board of Supervisors for each Zone A-99 area.

905-05. CONTENTS OF PERMIT

The Floodplain Management Permit shall include but not be limited to a complete description of the activity for which it is issued, the property for which it is issued, the date of issuance, the date of expiration, and a description of any and all conditions upon which the permit has been issued. The permit shall be kept at the site during the development for which the permit was issued.

905-06. CONDITIONS.

  • A. The Floodplain Administrator may at the time of issuance of the Floodplain Management Permit impose such conditions as are necessary to ensure compliance with this ordinance, other County ordinances, or state or federal laws, including the dedication of easements or construction of improvements pursuant to Section 905-07. Such conditions shall be reasonably related to the public needs created by the development. Conditions to mitigate the environmental impacts of the activity may also be imposed by the Floodplain Administrator.

  • B. The Floodplain Administrator may also require that the owner of the property, the permit applicant, or both, enter into a written agreement with the County holding the County of Sacramento and the Sacramento County Water Agency free from liability for any harm that may occur to any real or personal property or person by flooding.

  • C. Any condition imposed shall be embodied, together with the reasons therefore, in the Floodplain Management Permit.

905-07. DEDICATIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS.

  • A. The Floodplain Administrator may impose, as a condition for the granting of a permit, the requirement of dedication or irrevocable offer of dedication of real property within the property for which the approval is sought, for drainage, floodplain, or floodway easements. Such dedication requirement must be reasonably related to the public needs arising as a result of the development.

  • B. The Floodplain Administrator may impose, as a condition for the granting of a permit, the requirement for the construction of drainage and flood control facilities. Such construction requirements must be reasonably related to the public needs arising as a result of the development.

  • C. Where the Floodplain Administrator has imposed a condition requiring the permittee to construct or install offsite improvements on land in which neither the permittee nor the County has sufficient title or interest, including an easement or license, at the time the permit application is filed with the County, to allow the improvements to be made, the permittee shall make a good faith effort to acquire by negotiation an interest in land which will allow the improvements to be made. If the permittee is unable to acquire such an interest in land, the permittee shall so notify the Floodplain Administrator, providing sufficient evidence of having made a good faith effort. The County shall have 120 days from receipt of such notice and sufficient evidence to acquire by negotiation or commence proceedings pursuant to ordinance 7 of Part 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure to acquire an interest in land which will permit the improvements to be made. If the County fails to meet this 120-day time limitation, the condition for construction of offsite improvements shall be conclusively deemed waived. The County may require the permittee to enter into an agreement to complete the improvements at such time as the County acquires an interest in the land which will allow the improvements to be made. Nothing in this section precludes the County from requiring the permittee to pay the cost of acquiring offsite real property interests required for such improvements.

905-08. MAPPING REQUIREMENTS.

  • A. In Special Flood Hazard Areas, the Floodplain Administrator shall require a letter of conditional approval in the form of a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) to be obtained from FEMA for any development that will cause an adverse impact (see 906-06 (H)) on the base flood elevation on upstream, downstream, or adjacent properties within a special flood hazard

area. The CLOMR must be received by the Floodplain Administrator prior to any grading or development within the floodplain, and the Letter of Map Revision must be approved by FEMA before the start of new construction (as defined in Chapter 2 of this ordinance) in the special flood hazard area on the effective map.

  • B. All new development within Zones AE or AH that will alter or relocate a floodway, or is dependent upon the construction of a levee, shall obtain conditional approval (CLOMR) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency prior to issuance of a Floodplain Management Permit.

  • C. In special flood hazard areas designated as Zone A (without an elevation) all new subdivision proposals and other proposed developments (including proposals for manufactured home parks and subdivisions) greater than 50 lots or 5 acres, whichever is the lesser, shall include a base flood elevation data.

  • D. In Zone A and local flood hazard areas having a watershed area equal to or greater than one square mile, the base flood elevation must be determined and approved by the Floodplain Administrator. The base flood elevation determined must be submitted to FEMA for a letter of map revision, whenever the proposed project includes:

    1. A residential subdivision of more than 20 lots; or

  1. A new manufactured home park or subdivision; or

    1. A multi-family residential development of 5 acres or 50 units; or

    2. A non-residential development of more than 5 acres.

905-09. TERM

A Floodplain Management Permit shall be effective on the date of issuance and shall remain in force for one year, unless suspended or revoked by the Floodplain Administrator, or voluntarily relinquished by the permittee. Before the expiration of a permit, a permittee may apply for an extension of time in which to complete the development. One extension of not more than one year may be granted by the Floodplain Administrator.

905-10. TRANSFERABILITY

A Floodplain Management Permit shall not be transferred or assigned from one person to another, unless approved by the Floodplain Administrator and the person to whom the permit is to be transferred agrees to comply with the requirements of the original permit and to any conditions imposed therein.

905-11. AMENDMENT OF PERMIT

Any proposed changes in the development authorized by the permit shall be submitted to the Floodplain Administrator for review. The permittee shall not undertake or allow development to occur which does not conform to the plans or conditions of the original permit unless approved by the Floodplain Administrator. The Floodplain Administrator shall review any proposed changes in the same manner and pursuant to the same standards as the original application.

905-12. INSPECTION

The Floodplain Administrator may inspect the property for which a Floodplain Management Permit has been applied to determine applicability or compliance with this ordinance. The Floodplain Administrator may also inspect any property for which a permit has been issued and on which development is occurring.

905-13. GROUNDS FOR SUSPENSION AND REVOCATION

Any Floodplain Management Permit issued pursuant to this ordinance may be suspended during its term upon one or more of the following grounds:

  • A. The physical state of the property differs from the descriptions, plans, or information furnished to the Floodplain Administrator in the permit application;

  • B. The development does not conform to the conditions or terms of the permit;

  • C. The development is in violation of this ordinance, other County ordinances, or state or federal laws.

905-14. METHOD OF SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION.

  • A. The Floodplain Administrator may suspend or revoke a Floodplain Management Permit by issuing a notice of suspension or revocation, stating the reasons therefore, and serving same, upon the permittee. Upon suspension or revocation of a permit, in accordance with the provisions of this section, the permittee shall immediately cause all development to cease until written authorization is received from the Floodplain Administrator to proceed with the development.

  • B. The permittee shall have fifteen (15) calendar days after the date of service of the suspension or revocation in which to file an appeal in accordance with the provisions of Section 907-03. If

such an appeal is filed, the suspension or revocation shall remain in force and be effective until a final decision on the appeal is issued by the Board of Supervisors.

  • C. If the Floodplain Administrator suspends a permit, such permit may either be reinstated or revoked by the Floodplain Administrator, depending upon whether the permittee corrects the grounds stated for the suspension in the notice issued by the Director. If the permittee fails to remedy the grounds for suspension within a time period specified by the Floodplain Administrator, but in no event later than sixty (60) calendar days, the Floodplain Administrator shall revoke the permit.