All development in the floodplain requires a floodplain development permit and compliance with floodplain regulations. These regula­tions protect you and your neighbor from increased flood hazards due to development.

Here is some basic guidance:

• Check with the Community Development Department at 360.740.2696 before you build, alter, regrade, or fill on your property. If you are in the floodplain, you are required to get a permit. Talk over what you want to do and make sure you can meet all the regulatory requirements.
• The County’s home elevation guide has a summary of the rules for elevating a building and modifying a crawlspace that will help protect the building from flood damage.
• Berms and other barriers are prohibited if they divert water onto other proper­ties. Play it safe and don’t move dirt without a permit.
• Call the Community Development Department if you see construction or filling without a permit. An unper­mit­ted project may increase flooding on your property or your neighbors.
• Our floodplain regulations are in Chapter 15.35 of the Lewis County Code.
• These rules only impact new development. They do not affect existing buildings unless the building will undergo a substantial improvement or is making repairs due to substantial damage.
• Substantial improvement: A substantial improvement is where the cost of the improvements, remodeling, or addition is more than 50% of the value of the building. A substantial improvement project must meet the construction standards for a new building in the Special Flood Hazard Area.
• Substantial damage: Repairs to a substantially damaged building that exceed 50% of the building’s pre-damage value are also considered substantial improvements. It does not matter if the building was damaged by a flood, fire, accident or other reason. In Lewis County, the cost of improvements or repairs is tracked cumulatively for five years.
• Call the Community Development Department at 360.740.2696 to find out more about these rules or see more details in FEMA's guidance and website.

Elevation Certificates

An elevation certificate documents the elevation of a home in comparison to the base flood elevation. The certificate has multiple purposes, including documenting that a home was constructed in compliance with floodplain regulations, providing the home’s elevation to insurance agents to support lower flood insurance rates, and demonstrating how well protected a home is from future flooding. Community Development has elevation certificates on record for most homes built within the past 20-30 years. Before calling Community Development, check on the Lewis County GIS Web Map to see if there is a certificate on file for the property in question. The elevation certificate data can be found under the “Zoning & Permitting” category.

Questions?

Contact the Community Development Department:
125 NW Chehalis Ave. Chehalis, WA
360.740.2696
doyle.sanford@lewiscountywa.gov