St. Louis County adopts updated floodplain ordinance, reducing base flood elevation on Lake Vermilion

St. Louis County commissioners voted unanimously Feb. 25 to adopt St. Louis County Floodplain Ordinance 69 and accept updated FEMA flood insurance rate maps, a change county staff said is required for continued participation in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Donald Rigney, land use manager for St. Louis County Planning and Zoning, told the board FEMA updated the county’s flood insurance rate maps and that the county’s previous ordinance, adopted about 33 years ago, needed a full rewrite to align with federal and state standards. “The floodplain base flood elevation was reduced by a foot and a half,” Rigney said, describing a direct benefit to property owners on Lake Vermilion.

The ordinance change updates multiple technical standards and administrative details used when issuing land-use permits, including a revised standard for minimal-investment accessory structures. Under the old ordinance such structures had a 500-square-foot limit; the proposed ordinance increases that threshold to 576 square feet and allows certain wet flood-proofing approaches for small parking and storage structures, Rigney said. He also noted the new FEMA maps are digitized and will be incorporated into the county’s Land Explorer to make flood-zone information more accessible to residents.

Commissioner Paul McDonald moved to adopt the ordinance; Commissioner Nelson supported the motion. Commissioner Nelson, whose district includes Lake Vermilion, urged colleagues to approve the change, saying the one-and-a-half-foot lowering of the base flood elevation will meaningfully affect property owners’ ability to get mortgages and permits. “When you’re on Lake Vermilion, a foot and a half is huge,” Nelson said.

The board recorded the action as necessary for the county to continue issuing permits in mapped floodplain areas and for residents in the county zoning jurisdiction to remain eligible for federally backed flood insurance. The motion passed by voice vote with no dissent.

The county will incorporate the updated, digitized FIRM maps into its Land Explorer after formal adoption. Rigney said the county had secured conditional approval from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and that planning commission review and public notice preceded the county board action.

Why it matters: Adopting the ordinance preserves local access to the National Flood Insurance Program and alters building and permitting requirements in mapped floodplain areas; for Lake Vermilion residents the revised base flood elevation can change mortgage and construction eligibility.