Sample Floodplain Management Ordinances for Minnesota

There are six different sample floodplain management ordinances that incorporate both federal and state regulations. The sample ordinance your community should use depends on the type of maps prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for your community, and whether you have just "A Zones" (areas where no detailed studies have been done to determine flood elevations), or have all detailed studies where a separate "floodway" and "flood fringe" are shown, or have all three "districts".

Note: These sample ordinances were updated 10/1/05 (and replace the 1/1/2004 sample ordinances, and the earlier 1990 sample ordinances). Most of the changes/amendments were required by FEMA to reflect changes in laws and policies, and to reference updated technical bulletins. DNR Waters also included changes/amendments for clarification/housekeeping purposes.

3 Districts-2 Maps Sample Ordinance
Available as a Microsoft Word ® file.

Use this sample ordinance if your community has:

1. Both a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and a "Flood Boundary and Floodway" Map (2 types of map - usually the maps have dates older than 1988), AND
2. the two maps will have detailed study areas (i.e. generally Zones AE or A1-30) showing Floodway and Flood Fringe, and A Zones (areas with no flood elevations or floodways determined); called "3 districts" since treated as three different districts in ordinance: (a) floodway, (b) flood fringe and (c) A Zones ("general floodplain" in ordinance).

2 Districts-2 Maps Sample Ordinance
Available as a Microsoft Word ® file.

Use this sample ordinance if your community has:

1. Both a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and a "Flood Boundary and Floodway" Map (2 types of map - usually the maps have dates older than 1988), AND
2. Only detailed study areas (i.e., generally Zones AE or A1-A30) showing Floodway and Flood Fringe (i.e., NO "A Zones") called "2 districts" since only (a) floodway, and (b) flood fringe districts in ordinance.

3 Districts-1 Map Sample Ordinance
Available as a Microsoft Word ® file.

Use this sample ordinance if your community has:

1. Only a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM); (usually the map dates are 1988 or more recent), AND
2. Detailed study areas (i.e., generally Zones AE) showing Floodway and Flood Fringe, and A Zones (areas with no flood elevations or floodways determined); called "3 districts" since treated as three different districts in ordinance:(a) floodway, (b) flood fringe and (c) A Zones ("general floodplain" districts in ordinance).

2 Districts-1 Map Sample Ordinance
Available as a Microsoft Word ® file.

Use this sample ordinance if your community has:

1. Only a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM); (usually the map dates are 1988 or more recent), AND
2. Only detailed study areas (i.e., generally Zones AE) showing Floodway and Flood Fringe (i.e., NO "A Zones") called "2 districts" since only (a) floodway, and (b) flood fringe districts in ordinance.

General Floodplain District (does not allow floodproofing and conditional uses)
Available as a Microsoft Word ® file.

Use this sample ordinance if you had an old Flood Hazard Boundary Map that was converted to a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), and the map only shows "A zones" (areas that do not have flood elevations or floodways determined). These maps usually have original map dates in the 1970's and were converted to FIRMs in the mid-1980's.

General Floodplain District (allows floodproofing and conditional uses)
Available as a Microsoft Word ® file.

Use this sample ordinance if you had an old Flood Hazard Boundary Map that was converted to a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), and the map only shows "A zones" (areas that do not have flood elevations or floodways determined), and your community wants to allow alternatives to elevating on fill, involving various floodproofing methods, that can only be allowed with conditional use permits. These maps usually have original map dates in the 1970's and were converted to FIRMs in the mid-1980's.

Prohibitive Floodplain Ordinance
Available as a Microsoft Word ® file.

Use this sample ordinance if your community has a FEMA flood risk map, but has limited existing and potential development within the mapped floodplain.

Sample Ordinance for Community with no FEMA map identifying flood hazard areas
Available as a Microsoft Word ® file.

Use this sample ordinance if your community does not have a FEMA flood risk map, or if there are no flood risk areas within your boundaries on a countywide FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map.

Ordinance Certification Checklist
Available as a Microsoft Word ® file.

Communities should use this checklist to help demonstrate all the required and recommended procedural ordinance adoption steps have been taken.

Contact your Area Hydrologist or the DNR Waters Floodplain Unit staff if you have questions.