2025-0147
INTRODUCED BY: MATTHEW JEWELL, PARISH PRESIDENT
(DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING & ZONING)
ORDINANCE NO. __________
Title
An ordinance to amend the St. Charles Parish Zoning Ordinance of 1981, Appendix A, as amended, Section XX. Flood damage prevention. E. Provisions for Flood Hazard Reduction: 2. Specific Standards: a. Residential construction:, to allow wet floodproofing residential accessory buildings up to 600 sq. ft.
Body
WHEREAS, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requires St. Charles Parish to enforce the General and Specific Standards in Section XX of the Zoning Ordinance; and,
WHEREAS, the Specific Standard for residential accessory buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA), is that any accessory building over 144 sq. ft. must be elevated to or above the base flood elevation; and,
WHEREAS, FEMA POLICY: Floodplain Management Requirements for Agricultural Structures and Accessory Structures (#104-008-03) allows wet-floodproofing of residential accessory buildings in “A” zones when they are “small and represent a minimal investment”; and,
WHEREAS, FEMA interprets small as up to 600 sq. ft., the size of a two-car garage; and,
WHEREAS, 600 sq. ft. is much larger than the Parish’s current maximum sq. ft. of 144 sq. ft. for using this money-saving technique; and,
WHEREAS, the St. Charles Parish Council wishes to give residents more options to comply with NFIP requirements by increasing the Parish’s maximum sq. ft. for wet-floodproofing of residential accessory buildings up to 600 sq. ft.
THE ST. CHARLES PARISH COUNCIL HEREBY ORDAINS:
SECTION I. The St. Charles Parish Zoning Ordinance of 1981, Appendix A, Section XX. Flood damage prevention. E. Provisions for Flood Hazard Reduction: 2. Specific Standards: a. Residential construction: is amended as follows with new text in underline and deleted text in strikethrough:
Residential construction: New construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated to or above the base flood elevation, plus any additional elevation required by the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code. Accessory buildings, having less than one hundred forty-five (145) six-hundred-one (601) square feet of floor area, may be constructed below the base flood elevation in A-zones but must be unfinished on the interior, constructed with flood-resistant materials below the base flood elevation, used only for storage, and anchored to resist flotation, collapse and lateral movement.
The foregoing ordinance having been submitted to a vote, the vote thereon was as follows:
And the ordinance was declared adopted this ______ day of __________, 2025, to become effective five (5) days after publication in the Official Journal.
CHAIRMAN:
SECRETARY:
DLVD/PARISH PRESIDENT:
APPROVED : DISAPPROVED:
PARISH PRESIDENT:
RETD/SECRETARY:
AT: RECD BY: