If you own a home near a creek, stream or river, you should know about a couple of important changes to the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and to the City of Atlanta's Flood Ordinance.
FEMA is conducting a study to update the Flood Insurance Rate Maps for the City of Atlanta, based on the recent flood event in 2009. The new maps are projected to be available in 2012.
In 2010, FEMA revised some of the maps for the in town Atlanta neighborhoods. If you live in the following areas, you may want to check the status of your property by going to the FEMA website:
Brookwood Hills |
Ansley |
Sherwood Forest |
Peachtree Battle |
Peachtree Hills |
Haynes Manor |
Hanover West |
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In February of 2010, the City of Atlanta issued new Flood Area Regulations governing construction activities in the floodplain. (City of Atlanta Code of Ordinances, Part II, Article VI, Sec. 74.201-208). You must now have a licensed architect or engineer certify the design's compliance with the City's Flood Area Regulations if the project is located within the floodplain. The new ordinance is quite restrictive, and imposes, among other things, two important rules affecting homeowners:
1. If you have a home in a flood plain, the total construction dollars spent on improvements will be capped at 50% of the value of your home (exclusive of the land value), cumulatively, over 10 years. This cap also includes maintenance items, such as a new roof.
2. If you propose to spend more than 50% of the home's value, exclusive of the land, on any one construction project, you must bring the project into compliance with the new regulations for the floodplain. In most cases this means elevating the structure and building a new foundation. See the residence for an example of a successful house-lifting project.
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