Does That Pretty Little Stream in the Backyard Put You in a Flood Plain?
The Charlotte NC area is a beautiful landscape of rolling hills, forests and streams. 
It is also an area of abundant rainfall most years. Some of the area’s streams are subject to flooding during especially heavy rains.
If you are a Charlotte NC home buyer, you should check to see whether that pretty little stream in the backyard of the property you’re considering lies within a flood plain zone. The purpose of this particular due diligence is not only to see whether the property might flood but also to check for any restrictions on what you can do along the stream.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services maintains maps of the federal (FEMA) flood plains as well as Mecklenburg County designated water quality buffers. Mecklenburg County water quality buffers are naturally vegetated areas of land along lakes and streams. The purpose of these buffers is to protect water quality by allowing the vegetation to filter out pollutants from the storm water that flows across the buffer. Mecklenburg County has three types of buffers with different restrictions.
Why should a Charlotte NC home buyer be aware of the flood zones and buffers on a property?
- Your lender might require that you purchase flood insurance even if the house itself is not located within the FEMA flood plain.
- You will not be allowed to put a permanent structure in the flood zone or buffer areas.
- The water quality buffer regulations may affect your ability to construct a swimming pool, repair a septic system, remove trees and vegetation, or create any type of pathway through the buffer zone.
- Flood zone maps are updated as new development changes the amount of storm water along streams. It is possible that the property you buy today with a small flood zone or buffer can have greater flood zone coverage in the future on an updated map.
How can a Charlotte NC home buyer find out whether a property is subject to flood zone regulations?
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services has released a new 3-D Interactive Floodzone Map that shows flood zones in each watershed of the county. In addition, the map shows the expected depth of floodwater and the annual chance of flooding. Only two watersheds in the county currently have depth and chance information. The county is updating the map for all watersheds currently. Click here to see the Interactive Floodzone Map.
- There is another Charlotte-Mecklenburg mapping system called GeoPortal that provides a wealth of information about each property including whether the property is in the county water quality buffers. Click here to access the GeoPortal mapping system.
Learn more about due diligence when purchasing a Charlotte NC property.
Want to know more about Charlotte NC properties and neighborhoods? Visit www.CarolinaSmallTownLiving.com.
Copyright 2011. Carol Fox. Allen Tate Realtors. *Does That Pretty Little Stream Put You in a Flood Plain?*
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