Douglas County is a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This program provides subsidized flood insurance for all property owners, provided that the local government institutes adequate land use and development control measures for preventing and reducing property damage from flooding. In addition, Douglas County must ensure that projects within the floodplain comply with FEMA regulations and the Douglas County Zoning and Land Use Regulations. Douglas County participates in the Community Rating System (CRS). The CRS is a subset of the NFIP. It is a voluntary incentive program, which recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities which exceed the minimum NFIP requirements.
1. Reduce flood losses
2. Facilitate accurate insurance rating
3. Promote the awareness of flood insurance.
Community participation in the CRS is in addition to participation in the NFIP. Participation in the NFIP does not automatically include participation in the CRS.Douglas County has a CRS ranking of 7, which qualifies residents for a 15% discount on flood insurance premiums for properties in the regulated floodplain.
Floodplain Management
UPDATE (1/27/2021)
Douglas County is in the process of obtaining new Floodplain maps from KDA-DWR/FEMA. We are expecting to receive these updates maps by mid-2021. We are predicting that the amount of floodplain to increase, and many properties along the edge of existing floodplain could be mapped into the floodplain. Once Zoning and Codes has more information, we will be mailing property owners who we believe will be impacted.
A message from the Division of Water Resources:
We are planning to hold kick-off meetings in the near future. That being said, I believe KDA-DWR/FEMA are close to completing some initial Base Level Engineering modeling for the watershed, and we were able to obtain the Data Development funds in our FY20 grant for Douglas County. Keep in mind it would be an initial draft and subject to change in Data Development. -DWR
Floodplain Mapping Tools
Understanding where floodplain exists is the first step for all property owners, developers, and prospective buyers to make informed decisions. Click any of the links below to discover where the floodplain exists in relation to your property:
Zoning Regulations, Mitigation, and Risk Assessment
Want to build/modify an existing structure, build a new structure, or move soil? Check out the interactive map to ensure your property is not in the regulated floodplain. If so, review the floodplain regulations or contact Zoning and Codes.
Floodplain Zoning Regulations: View the Floodplain section of the Douglas County Zoning Regulations, adopted February 2020.
Zoning Regulations: View the Douglas County Zoning Regulations, adopted February 2020.
FEMA Homeowners Guide to Retrofitting: voluntarily elevating structures and appliances, storing important paperwork in airtight containers and storing above base-flood elevation (BFE), and more. Contact Zoning and Codes to ensure your proposed retrofit conforms with the IRC 2012.
Flood Damage Calculator: determine the amount of damage a single inch of water can do to your property
Links and Resources
What is the NFIP?: Learn how the National Flood Insurance Program helps insure renters, homeowners, and business owners.
Floodsmart.gov: the one stop shop for all your floodplain explanations, what-to-do, how-to's, flood maps, and insurance questions.
Get Flood Insurance: Ask your insurance agent if you are covered for flood damage. Renters should buy flood insurance for their contents. Take advantage of a low-cost Preferred Risk Policy.
Not just Property, but People: No one thinks it can happen to them, until it does. When this worse case scenario happens, having a "what-if" plan can save the lives of you and your loved ones.
Protecting Floodways and Open Space: See what Douglas County is doing to preserve open space and the importance open space has on reducing the likelihood of flood damage.
Douglas County Watershed information: More information coming soon!
Douglas County Certified Floodplain Manager
Tonya Voigt, CFM, Zoning Director
785-331-1325
Other Important Contacts
View contact information for various Division of Water Resources personnel and our regional FEMA contact.
FEMA Publications
A list of floodplain and development related documents published by FEMA.
Our Location
3755 East 25th Street, Lawrence, KS 66046, USA
Phone(s): 785-331-1343
