Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Flood Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Nash County adopts revised FEMA flood maps for northern border to maintain NFIP participation
Summary
The Nash County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt four revised FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map panels and an updated Flood Insurance Study effective Sept. 19, 2025, a required step to keep the county eligible for the National Flood Insurance Program and federal disaster assistance.
The Nash County Board of Commissioners voted Sept. 8 to adopt four revised FEMA flood insurance rate map panels and the accompanying Flood Insurance Study, changes the county must accept by Sept. 19, 2025, to remain in the National Flood Insurance Program. Adoption will allow property owners to buy or renew federally backed flood insurance and preserves eligibility for federal disaster assistance and mitigation grants.
Planning Director Adam Tyson told the board the changes affect a small, unincorporated portion of extreme northern Nash County along the Warren and Halifax county lines. Tyson said two of the four panels show minor changes to the 100-year floodplain and a small regulatory floodway, while the other two panels show no changes on Nash County’s side of the border. He said none of the revisions impact existing structures in Nash County.
The county packet included language from the North Carolina NFIP model flood damage prevention ordinance; the board also approved “automatic adoption” language that will let future FEMA panel updates become effective without a separate public hearing. The planning technical review committee and the county planning board recommended approval in August. Commissioner Harrington moved to adopt the ordinance amendment and statement of plan consistency; Commissioner Howell seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Tyson said the county will notify property owners if future map changes move a structure into the 100-year floodplain; informational changes to the 500-year map do not trigger mandatory mortgage-related flood insurance requirements. He also explained that structures in the 100-year zone can be built only if constructed to elevation standards (Nash County requires one foot of freeboard above FEMA base flood elevation) and that the red floodway area is subject to the strictest limits (limited to water-dependent structures unless a certified “no net rise” engineering determination is provided).
The board opened and closed the required public hearing with no public speakers and voted to adopt the amendment with the required effective date.
The action preserves federal program eligibility for Nash County residents and maintains the county’s ability to apply for federal mitigation and recovery funds following flood events.
