Make sure you can even build in the flood plain.

FEMA has rules about elevation above the flood plain to purchase flood insurance, especially on new construction.

My parents have purchased property where part of it is in the flood plain...they are not able to build or even "touch" any area in the flood plain. (100 year flood plain) Fortunately for them they have enough property to build elsewhere without touching the flood plain.

I second brickeyee's suggestion, they may not be able to build in the flood plain at all.

We built in a flood plain. Our 3/4 acre lot is about a half mile from a major river. We were required to bring in enough dirt to get it out of the 100 yr flood plain so that we didn't have to carry flood insurance. We added another 6 inches of dirt above the 100 yr flood line. The dirt costs were high -- around 45K. But absolutely no water issues -- in fact, we don't even have a sump hole. The soil here is mostly sand which drains well and we are so high up that we've had major rains and flooding around us, but no in our lower level.

shelly_k -- That's pretty amazing! Here, you cannot do that. You can't *alter* the plain. If a lot of people did what you did, lower areas would flood; the water has to go somewhere. We couldn't even distribute dirt from excavating our crawls on the portion of our house that's in 100-year flood plain. The dirt had to be trucked away.

The owners of the lot should donate the lot to the town as conservation land and take whatever tax write-off they can. If I was the neighbor in front of this flag lot it might be worth it to pay a small/reasonable price to add this lot to my lot. Of course, not such a good deal for the current lot owners!

I wouldn't think any responsible insurance company would insure a home built like that in a flood plain. I certainly hope not since the rest of us would foot the bill in case of disaster. And that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen!

I have to say - I really don't think a 3000 ft structure placed on a 40k+ sq ft lot is going to alter the flow of water significantly. You are not going to flood nearby previously safe houses. Things could be done to improve the flow of water in the lot to compensate for the small potential daming effect.

That being said, it would seem unlikely that this would ever get approved but these things seems to be up to local interpretation.

I am building in a flood plain (on pilings) and the rules are sometimes a bit extreme. There is no way something like this would be allowed down here. Nor would bringing in dirt to alter flood plains - that is unbelievable. Our jurisdiction requires better protection than the federal flood insurance program. Obviously this house is unlikely to qualify for federal flood insurance.

Thanks, all. The point about being UNABLE to INSURE it may put 'end' to the project. Requiring the owner to cover any damages due to his construction may prove an impossibility. (He could also sue, saying that is an unreasonable burden. Ugg.)

chispa -- Yes, I have hopes that the donation/tax relief idea will win out here. Some days I feel like calling the guy's bluff and saying, "Sure, here's your permit. It's contingent on you actually building the thing, insuring it, and living in it for X years. You can do that or donate the lot."

David -- How difficult is it for you to insure your house on stilts? (BTW, some of this 'lot' is ALWAYS under water except in a drought.)

There is a ton of misinformation in this thread.

If you community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the community will have a floodplain development ordinance. You need to read this ordinance, I am sure your building department is the one that enforces it and issues permits for construction in the floodplain. And no, FEMA does not prevent construction in the floodplain.

If your community participates in the NFIP, and you build in compliance with this ordinance, you will be able to easily obtain flood insurance.

Now then, the wisdom of doing so, I will choose not to interject my opinion.

KCMO KEN is correct. We are in the process of building a home on the coast in NJ and the regs are controlled mainly by the local town. We were lucky that the rules are some what easier if you had an existing home and are replacing it rather than starting with a vacant lot. I will say it is a major p.i.a. We are the gc on the home and it does take time. Thankfully it is our second home so time is not an issue

@chisue so what ever happened with this project? curious if anything was approved or built

Bottoms farmers here. I was always under the impression it had to be stilts, or you bring in shat tons of soil to raise the site. Isn't flood insurance insanely expensive, and it only replaces a certain percentage of the home value?