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Planning board backs UDO text amendment to update FIRM effective dates and allow future map acknowledgements
Summary
Board recommended approval of UDOCC 36, a text amendment to chapter H of the Unified Development Ordinance to update the effective date of certain FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) panels to 06/10/2026 and to add language acknowledging future map changes, to maintain compliance with federal flood insurance requirements.
The planning board voted July 9 to recommend approval of UDOCC 36, a text amendment from erosion control and stormwater staff to update the Unified Development Ordinance’s references to FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) panels.
Veronica Romero explained that the North Carolina Department of Public Safety directed staff to update the effective date for several FIRM panels to 06/10/2026 because flood studies in neighboring Guilford and Stokes counties revised panels that share boundaries with Forsyth County. Romero said the amendment changes the effective date in Section 811E1 of the UDO (previously 01/02/2009) and adds a provision to allow the UDO to acknowledge future panel updates without requiring an additional UDO amendment. Staff and city/county attorneys reviewed the language and recommended approval to maintain compliance with federal flood insurance regulations and preserve residents’ access to federal flood insurance.
Board members asked clarifying questions about what a FIRM panel is and what triggers updates; staff described panels as federal grid squares that document flood elevations for particular areas and said updates occur on a rotating basis when counties are studied. With no recorded public opposition, the board found the amendment consistent with the comprehensive plan and recommended approval.
