Planning commission recommends updated floodplain ordinance to preserve FEMA insurance and federal grants

The Siskiyou County Planning Commission voted 4-0, with one member absent, on a resolution recommending that the Board of Supervisors adopt an updated floodplain management ordinance to incorporate FEMA's newly finalized flood maps and keep the county in the National Flood Insurance Program.

The update is required after FEMA finalized new flood maps and gave the county a December 11, 2025 deadline to update local ordinance language, James Phelps, senior planner, told the commission. Phelps said the county used a model ordinance from the Department of Water Resources (Exhibit C) and highlighted changes required to remain compliant.

The change matters because participation in the National Flood Insurance Program is tied to eligibility for certain federal hazard-mitigation and emergency services grants and because many government-backed loans require proof of flood-insurance coverage. "In order for the county to be part of the National Flood Insurance Program ... we're required to update our ordinance to include these new maps," Phelps said.

Commissioners raised several practical concerns during the public hearing and discussion. Commissioner Mello asked who is responsible for clearing rock and silt blocking local drainage structures after storms; Phelps and other staff explained that responsibility varies by location and may involve the U.S. Forest Service, local governments or private owners. Several commissioners and members of the public described sites where debris from recent slides and runoff has plugged culverts and threatens roads and wastewater systems.

Phelps described appeal and correction options for property owners who believe the FEMA map is wrong for a specific parcel: a property owner can hire a licensed surveyor or civil engineer to produce an elevation certificate and apply to FEMA for a letter of map amendment (LOMA) or letter of map change (LOMC). Phelps noted that elevation certificates and surveys are paid for by the property owner.

The draft ordinance includes standard regulatory tools: building limitations in mapped floodways (referenced in section 10-10.706 in Exhibit C), variances the floodplain administrator may grant in some floodplain locations, and requirements for structures to meet base flood elevation standards. Phelps said staff recommends finding the project exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under the common-sense exemption (CEQA section 15061(b)(3)).

After discussion, Commissioner Veal moved adoption of Resolution PC 2025-014 recommending the Board approve the proposed floodplain management ordinance (SP-25-01) and find the action CEQA-exempt; Commissioner Mello seconded. The roll-call vote was 4 in favor, 0 opposed, 1 absent. The commission recorded the vote as: Commissioner Hart ' yes; Commissioner Mello ' yes; Commissioner Beal ' yes; Chair Fowl ' yes; Commissioner Lenders ' absent.

The recommendation now goes to the Board of Supervisors for final action. If the county does not adopt the updated ordinance by FEMA's deadline, Phelps said, the county could lose its standing in the National Flood Insurance Program, which would affect residents' ability to obtain federally backed flood insurance and could limit eligibility for some federal mitigation grants.