Board adopts updated floodplain ordinance to align with new FEMA maps

The Des Moines County Board of Supervisors on April 21 adopted a revised Floodplain Development Ordinance, Ordinance No. 25, to reference newly issued FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps and update related ordinance text.

Jared Lassiter, land-use staff, summarized the changes as largely technical updates to reference the most recent FIRM panels that take effect May 26 and said the edits were not expected to change enforcement practices but were necessary to maintain consistency with FEMA and state guidance. "We mentioned this previously — basically, it's updating the existing floodplain ordinance to include a reference to the most recent FIRM maps," Lassiter said during the reading.

A companion resolution on the meeting agenda set the ordinance's effective date to May 26, 2026 so the county rule and the maps take effect simultaneously. The board approved the third reading, the ordinance, and the resolution by voice/roll-call following the statutory three-reading procedure required for county ordinances.

The board's action updates the county's regulatory reference for lands identified with significant flood hazards on the new panels and clarifies the ordinance text. No changes to day-to-day enforcement were described during the meeting. The county will publish the ordinance and the effective date as required by local and state procedures.

The board adopted the ordinance at the April 21 meeting; the ordinance takes effect May 26, 2026.