DACF Home → Bureaus & Programs → Maine Floodplain Management Program → Which Floodplain Management Ordinance is Right for My Town?
Which Floodplain Management Ordinance is Right for My Town?
The ordinance requirement is determined by the type of flood hazard identification map that has been provided to your community by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The more detailed the flood maps, the more detailed the community's floodplain management regulations must be. The National Flood Insurance Program Regulations at 44 CFR, Part 60.3 further tie the type and scope of minimum local regulations to the type of map.
If the effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or Flood Hazard Boundary Map for your community:
- is an 11" x 17" "Flat Map" also known as an "Approximate Method Map" without base flood elevations. The Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) are identified with a capital letter A without any number following the letter (i.e. A Zone), or,
- is a Z fold map without any base flood elevations (if there are any flood elevations anywhere on any of the map panels, even though the majority of the zones are A zones then it is not a (b) community), or,
- is listed in the FEMA Community Status Book as Minimally flood prone (an M is next to the community's map effective date in the Status Book), your community should adopt a 60.3(b) Floodplain Management Ordinance (PDF 200KB).
If the effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for your community:
- is a Z fold map with base flood elevations having Special Flood Hazard Areas identified as A, AE, or A1-30, and,
- there are base flood elevations anywhere on any of the map panels, your community needs this ordinance, and,
- there is no identified regulatory floodway or coastal high hazard area, your community should adopt a 60.3(c) Floodplain Management Ordinance (PDF 464KB). If your community is coastal, adoption of a coastal 60.3(c) Coastal Floodplain Management Ordinance (PDF 519KB) is appropriate
If the effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for your community has:
- any Flood Hazard Areas identified with an AE, A1-A30, AH and/or AO Zone, AND
- has the "floodway" portion of the floodplain delineated on the FIRM with a cross hatched pattern, OR
- has a separate set of Flood Boundary and Floodway Maps delineating the floodway portion of the floodplain as a non shaded area, your community should adopt a 60.3(d) Floodplain Management Ordinance (PDF 464KB). If your community is coastal, adoption of a 60.3(d) Coastal Floodplain Management Ordinance (PDF 519KB) is appropriate.
If the effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for your community has any coastal Special Flood Hazard Areas identified as a VE or V1-30 Zone, your community should adopt a 60.3(e) Floodplain Management Ordinance (PDF 591KB).
If your community has a delineated Limit of Moderate Wave Action (LiMWA) line, which denotes the area of 1.5’ – 3’ foot wave heights. It is mandatory to enforce V Zone standards in these Coastal A Zones if your community has adopted the state building code. Otherwise, enforcement is optional. 60.3(e) LIMWA Floodplain Management Ordinance (PDF 340KB).
Please Note: All ordinances must be customized prior to being considered complete. If the ordinance has not been customized by us, please send it to us for review prior to any public hearing. If you have any questions concerning which type of ordinance is appropriate for your community or would like general information about floodplain management, please contact us.