Subtitle 2 – Floodplain District

The bases of this delineation must be, at a minimum, the data contained in the most recent Flood Insurance Study for Baltimore City, and illustrated in the Flood Insurance Rate Map. The Flood Insurance Rate Map illustrates both the most recently adopted Special Flood Hazard Areas and the Flood Resilience Area.

The base-flood elevation, as determined in the Flood Insurance Study, is graphically delineated on the official floodplain map.

Where field-surveyed topography or digital topography indicates that ground elevations are above the base-flood elevation in a Special Flood Hazard Area, then the area is considered in the Special Flood Hazard Area until FEMA issues a Letter of Map Change.

Where field-surveyed topography or digital topography indicates that ground elevations are below the closest applicable flood-protection elevation, even in areas not delineated on the FIRM as a Regulated Flood Hazard Area, the area is considered to be a Regulated Flood Hazard Area.

The Floodplain District comprises the subdistricts set forth in this section.

In all floodplain districts, the flood-protection elevation is calculated as follows:

The Floodway Fringe comprises those lands within the Floodplain District that:

The Floodway Fringe appears on the Flood Insurance Rate Map as Zone AE.

The Approximated Floodplain comprises those lands within the Floodplain District that:

A base-flood elevation must be established after consideration of any flood elevation and floodway data available from Federal, State, or other sources.

The Approximated Floodplain appears on the Flood Insurance Rate Map as Zones A and AO.

The Coastal Floodplain, also referred to as tidal floodplain, comprises those lands within the Floodplain District that:

The Coastal Floodplain appears on the Flood Insurance Rate Map as Zones A and AE, and includes areas encompassed by transects delineated by FEMA in the Flood Insurance Study. (In Zone AE, a designation on the FIRM indicating “Limit of Moderate Wave Action” refers to the landward limit of waves of 1.5 feet or more in height.)

The Coastal High Hazard Area is the area within a special flood hazard area extending from offshore to the inland limit of a primary frontal dune along an open coast and any other area that is subject to high velocity wave action from storms or seismic sources. This area is designated on FIRMs as velocity zones V, VO, VE, or V1-30, and includes areas encompassed by transects delineated by FEMA in the Flood Insurance Study.

The Coastal High Hazard Area appears on the Flood Insurance Rate Map as Zones V and VE.

The official floodplain map is the most current Flood Insurance Rate Map, as prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The official floodplain map:

the most recent revision of the Flood Insurance Study for the City of Baltimore, dated June 16, 2021;

the accompanying Flood Insurance Rate Map; and

all subsequent amendments and revisions to the FIRM.

Regulated Flood Hazard Areas in the nontidal floodplain are designated on the FIRM as “Special Flood Hazard Areas”.

The flood elevations for these areas correspond to the base-flood elevations specified in the Flood Insurance Study.

Regulated Flood Hazard Areas in the tidal floodplain are designated on the FIRM as Zones AE, V, VE, and X.

The flood elevations for Zones V and VE are as shown in the Flood Insurance Study’s Table 4 {“Transect Data”}, under the column heading “Zone Designation and BFE”.

The flood elevations for Shaded Zone X (“areas of 0.2% annual chance flood”) and for Zones A and AE are those shown in the Flood Insurance Study’s Table 4 {“Transect Data”}, under the column heading “0.2% Annual Chance”.

provide the best available data for flood elevations;

require the applicant to obtain available information from Federal, State, or other sources; or

require the applicant to establish Regulated Flood Hazard Areas and design-flood elevations as set forth in <cite data-path="|7|§2-5">§ 2-5 {“Changes to District”} of this subtitle</cite>.

there are changes through natural or other causes to flood elevations and boundaries; or

changes are indicated by detailed hydrologic and hydraulic information and studies.

overseeing and implementing the City’s floodplain program;

responding to all requests and inquiries by the Administrator of the National Flood Insurance Program;

reviewing applications to determine whether the proposed uses and other activities will be reasonably safe from flooding;

reviewing elevation certificates and requiring incomplete or deficient certificates to be corrected; and

keeping all files required by the National Flood Insurance Program.