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Southampton County planners review model floodplain ordinance tied to new FEMA maps, set February public hearing
Summary
Planning staff presented a model floodplain ordinance tied to updated FEMA flood maps effective March 17, 2026, and recommended adopting a locally blended ordinance before the maps take effect; commissioners asked for comparisons, cost and insurance impacts and scheduled a public hearing in February.
Mr. Prince, the commission's newly elected secretary and planning staff presenter, told members they had received a model floodplain ordinance from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation that must be adopted to align with updated FEMA maps. “You should have in your package… the model floodplain ordinance that the county needs to adopt,” he said, adding the maps and accompanying study are effective March 17, 2026.
Prince said the model ordinance includes a proposed change to the freeboard requirement — the vertical distance between the base flood elevation and the bottom of a finished floor — moving from 18 inches to 24 inches to account for sea-level rise. “FEMA has already sent us updated flood maps… they're effective, March 17 of 2026,”…
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