Floodplain Management

In order to minimize the threat to life and property from flooding and erosion hazards, the goal of the Floodplain Management Division is to provide residents of unincorporated Pima County with up to date floodplain information, establish appropriate development requirements and provide timely assistance to individuals with drainage questions or concerns. This includes ensuring that any new development within the floodplain is safe from flooding and erosion hazards, does not adversely impact adjacent properties and maintains the integrity of the floodplain.

In order to minimize the threat to life and property from flooding and erosion hazards, the goal of the Floodplain Management Division is to provide residents of unincorporated Pima County with up to date floodplain information, establish appropriate development requirements and provide timely assistance to individuals with drainage questions or concerns. This includes ensuring that any new development within the floodplain is safe from flooding and erosion hazards, does not adversely impact adjacent properties and maintains the integrity of the floodplain. Another important goal is protecting natural resources within flood prone areas. Floodplains typically support important riparian ecosystems and associated wildlife. These riparian areas are also important for their role in mitigating flood hazards by maintaining stable flood flow conditions, providing natural erosion control, as well as by promoting recharge into underground aquifers. As such, it is beneficial to all residents of Pima County that these critical resources are protected and maintained. One of the ways Floodplain Management accomplishes these goals is by implementing floodplain regulations contained in the Pima County Floodplain Management Ordinance. The Ordinance was developed to conform with the National Flood Insurance Program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which allows residents of Pima County to receive flood insurance. In addition, the Ordinance includes provisions regarding the construction of buildings and other man-made structures within regulatory floodplains. The Ordinance applies only to those areas prone to flooding where the peak discharge is 100 cubic feet per second or greater, or prone to sheet flooding. In other areas, the Ordinance does not apply, however other ordinances such as the Grading Ordinance may apply. Floodplain Information The District encourages residents to become familiar with the flood-related hazards impacting their property or property that they are considering purchasing. District staff is available to discuss flood hazard issues at our customer service counters. In addition, some flood hazard information is available online: Flood Hazard Map and Information page. Elevation Certificates - Check to see if the District has an Elevation Certificate on file for your property.  You can request floodplain status information for a parcel by either faxing or mailing a floodplain status request to us. To process a fax request, you should fill out the online Flood Hazard Information Form. The old PDF version of the Flood Hazard Information Form (PDF) may also be completed. Letters of Map Revision (LOMRs) Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs) Note: Specific questions about the flood hazard map, the Flood Hazard Information Sheet and/or the regulatory status of a wash cannot be answered via e-mail or over the phone. Please visit our office with this type of question. Other detailed questions may also require you to visit our office, where we may more accurately serve you with the wide array of resources at our disposal. If you wish, feel free to call us to determine whether or not you need to come into our office for service. The District phone number is 520-724-4600. Flood Insurance If your home is in a federally-mapped floodplain and you finance it with a loan backed by the federal government, flood insurance is mandatory. Even when not required, the District recommends purchasing flood insurance for any structure that may be impacted by flooding. Prior to purchasing a new home or property always confirm the floodplain status of the property. You can either do this yourself by contacting our office or ask your realtor to provide the information. Additional information can be found on the Flood Insurance page. 9 1 1 3 Drainage Complaints Floodprone Land Acquisition Program Floodplain Management Goals & Practices Flood Insurance Permits Low Impact Development Flood Safety Links Find out if You're in a Floodplain Flood Insurance / Community Rating System (CRS) Historical Flood Events in Pima County Myths and Facts About Flooding Public Outreach Some Do's and Don'ts in Floodplain Areas What to Do in the Event of a Flood PIMA COUNTY WEATHER Government Websites by CivicPlus® []