North Carolina General Statutes 143-215.56. Delineation of flood hazard areas and 100-year floodplains; powers of Department; powers of local governments and of the Department
(a) For the purpose of delineating a flood hazard area and evaluating the possibility of flood damages, a local government may:
(1) Request technical assistance from the competent State and federal agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, the North Carolina Geodetic Survey, the North Carolina Geological Survey, and the U.S. Geological Survey, or successor agencies.
Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 143-215.56
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- standards: means such measure or measures of the quality of water and air as are established by the Commission pursuant to N. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-213
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
(2) Utilize the reports and data supplied by federal and State agencies as the basis for the exercise by local ordinance or resolution of the powers and responsibilities conferred on responsible local governments by this Part.
(b) The Department shall provide advice and assistance to any local government having responsibilities under this Part. In exercising this function the Department may furnish manuals, suggested standards, plans, and other technical data; conduct training programs; give advice and assistance with respect to delineation of flood hazard areas and the development of appropriate ordinances; and provide any other advice and assistance that the Department deems appropriate. The Department shall send a copy of every rule adopted to implement this Part to the governing body of each local government in the State.
(c) A local government may delineate any flood hazard area subject to its regulation by showing it on a map or drawing, by a written description, or any combination thereof, to be designated appropriately and filed permanently with the clerk of superior court and with the register of deeds in the county where the land lies. A local government may also delineate a flood hazard area by reference to a map prepared pursuant to the National Flood Insurance Program. Alterations in the lines delineated shall be indicated by appropriate entries upon or addition to the appropriate map, drawing, or description. Entries or additions shall be made by or under the direction of the clerk of superior court. Photographic, typed or other copies of the map, drawing, or description, certified by the clerk of superior court, shall be admitted in evidence in all courts and shall have the same force and effect as would the original map or description. A local government may provide for the redrawing of any map. A redrawn map shall supersede for all purposes the earlier map or maps that it is designated to replace upon the filing and approval thereof as designated and provided above.
(d) The Department may prepare a floodplain map that identifies the 100-year floodplain and base flood elevations for an area for the purposes of this Part if all of the following conditions apply:
(1) The 100-year floodplain and base flood elevations for the area are not identified on a floodplain map prepared pursuant to the National Flood Insurance Program within the previous five years.
(2) The Department determines that the 100-year floodplain and the base flood elevations for the area need to be identified and the use of the area regulated in accordance with the requirements of this Part in order to prevent damage from flooding.
(3) The Department prepares the floodplain map in accordance with the federal standards required for maps to be accepted for use in administering the National Flood Insurance Program.
(e) Prior to preparing a floodplain map pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, the Department shall advise each local government whose jurisdiction includes a portion of the area to be mapped.
(f) Upon completing a floodplain map pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, the Department shall both:
(1) Provide copies of the floodplain map to every local government whose jurisdiction includes a portion of the 100-year floodplain identified on the floodplain map.
(2) Submit the floodplain map to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for approval for use in administering the National Flood Insurance Program.
(g) Upon approval of a floodplain map prepared pursuant to subsection (d) of this section by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for use in administering the National Flood Insurance Program, it shall be the responsibility of each local government whose jurisdiction includes a portion of the 100-year floodplain identified in the floodplain map to incorporate the revised map into its floodplain ordinance.
(h) To the extent permitted by National Flood Insurance Program requirements, a professionally supervised dam removal, as defined in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-215.25, that complies with the requirements of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-215.27(c) shall not be required to submit a Letter of Map Revision to the Department. (1971, c. 1167, s. 3; 1973, c. 621, ss. 6, 7; c. 1262, s. 23; 1977, c. 374, s. 2; c. 771, s. 4; 1987, c. 827, ss. 154, 184; 2000-150, s. 1; 2002-165, s. 1.6; 2011-145, s. 19.1(g); 2017-145, s. 1(e).)