Crawl-space rules added to flood regulations
Development requirements for crawl spaces in Flathead County’s flood fringe or regulated flood hazard area are among the flood-plain regulation revisions that will be considered this month by the county Planning Board.
The Planning and Zoning Office has revised the regulations in order for the county to continue to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program.
The state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and Federal Emergency Management Agency are requiring the county to revise regulations to better align with state model flood-plain hazard management regulations.
The Planning Board will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, in the second-floor conference room of the South Campus Building, 40 11th St. W. in Kalispell.
Many of the revisions deal with housekeeping changes, such as adding detailed duties and responsibilities of the floodplain administrator, along with more definitions of flood-plain terms.
A new section on crawl spaces also includes new rules for foundation wall enclosures. New language in the regulations outlines required dimensions and drainage system requirements for crawl spaces.
A new chapter on regulated flood hazard areas within the lake and lakeshore protection zone notes that permitted projects regulated by the county lakeshore rules may also need to obtain a flood-plain development permit for activities the flood-plain administrator finds will have a significant impact on the regulated flood hazard area.
Flood-plain and flood-way regulations consist of local requirements for any development located in a special flood hazard area as identified on the flood insurance rate map. Flathead County adopted new maps late last year following additional detailed studies on some of the county’s flood hazard areas, according to Planning Director Mark Mussman.
“One result of officially adopting these new flood insurance rate map panels is that the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation gave Flathead County one year to revise the flood-plain regulations so they are more in line with the state’s model regulations,” Mussman said in a memorandum to the Planning Board.
Flood-plain regulations are different from any other land-use regulations administered by the county because they are required to meet minimum state and federal requirements, Mussman said.
Written comments on the proposed revisions may be submitted in person, by mail at 40 11th St. W., Suite 220, Kalispell, MT 59901, or by email at planning.zoning@flathead.mt.gov.
A draft of the revisions is available at the Planning and Zoning Office and online at https://flathead.mt.gov/planning_zoning.
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.