Southampton County planners review model floodplain ordinance tied to new FEMA maps, set February public hearing

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,” he said, and recommended the commission adopt the model language or a blended version before that effective date so the county will not need a quick ordinance revision later.

Members pressed staff on the local impacts. One commissioner asked whether raising freeboard six inches would force homeowners to purchase flood insurance; Prince replied it would likely help flood insurance rates rather than force new purchases and said the base flood elevations themselves are not changing in Southampton County. Another commissioner warned higher freeboard requirements can add substantial site costs for redevelopment and new construction, saying in some jurisdictions the cost of raising finished-floor elevation can “be hundreds of thousands of dollars” for larger commercial buildings.

Commissioners also discussed the FEMA “substantial improvement/substantial damage” threshold (the model uses a 50 percent improvement/damage threshold). Prince said that 50 percent threshold is standard in FEMA's model and that changing it could jeopardize participation in the National Flood Insurance Program unless documented and justified. He offered to provide the commission with FEMA guidance on substantial damage and improvement and to compare the model ordinance to the county's current ordinance.

Prince told members he would verify the proposed 24-inch freeboard change with the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission and FEMA, combine the model ordinance with the county's ordinance to show proposed edits, and circulate comparison materials ahead of the next meeting. “I'll put it to a public hearing for our February meeting,” he said, and said he would forward the commission's recommendation to the Board of Supervisors after the hearing.

Maps and firmette extracts are available on the county website and hard copies are available in the planning office, Prince said. The commission asked staff to include the specific changes in the next packet so members can review precisely what language will change.

Next steps: staff will verify the 24-inch freeboard recommendation with HRPDC/FEMA, prepare a marked-up ordinance and comparison materials for the commission packet, and schedule the public hearing for the February meeting before forwarding a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.