| For more than 30 years, most local jurisdictions have participated in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) by adopting and enforcing floodplain management ordinances or regulations. The NFIP was created as a partnership: The federal government makes NFIP flood insurance and other federal assistance available to residents and businesses, and communities agree to regulate mapped flood hazard areas to reduce future flood damage.
With the publication of the International Building Code, the International Residential Code, the International Existing Building Code, and the rest of the International Codes (I-Codes), the opportunity exists for communities to integrate building safety and floodplain management. This guide, Reducing Flood Losses through the International Codes: Meeting the Requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program, will help communities decide how best to accomplish that integration in order to initiate or continue participation in the NFIP.
The 2003 editions of the I-Codes (and modifications approved in 2004) contain provisions that meet the minimum flood-resistant design and construction requirements of the NFIP. It is important to note, however, that adoption of one or more of the codes, by themselves, may not address all NFIP requirements. Crosswalks of the NFIP regulations and the I-Codes, including Appendix G of the International Building Code, have been prepared and included in this guide.
Chapter 1 presents a brief overview of the NFIP, including the benefits of participation and the implications of choosing not to participate.
Chapter 2 outlines some broad approaches to managing flood hazard areas.
Chapter 3 is a collection of topics on the implications of adopting the I-Codes for participation in the NFIP.
Chapter 4 outlines certain responsibilities that communities assume when they participate in the NFIP.
Chapter 5 addresses several important considerations related to state requirements.
Chapter 6 outlines a straightforward process, using worksheets, to help communities assess how their current approaches to regulating development in flood hazard areas and building permits compare with the NFIP requirements.
Appendices include references and online resources (Appendix A), crosswalks of the NFIP requirements with the International Building Code (Appendix B) and the International Residential Code (Appendix C), contact information for FEMA and state offices, and sample plan review and inspection checklists. |
