Floodplain Documents/Information

Flooding in Corbin City

Corbin City sits on the Tuckahoe River, and much of the city is river floodplain and tidal marsh. The Tuckahoe rises and falls with the tide, so we can flood from coastal storms and high tides as well as from heavy rain upstream. The worst flooding happens when both come at once. Roads often go under water before houses do, so you can be cut off even if your property stays dry.

Am I in a flood zone? You can check your own address for free on FEMA's website at msc.fema.gov. Type in your address and it will show you the flood map for your property.

What the colors mean:

● Blue areas on the map (Zones A, AE, AH, AO, V or VE) — high risk. If you have a mortgage, your lender will require flood insurance.

● Brown areas on the map (Zone X shaded) — moderate risk. Insurance is not required, but your property can still flood.

● Everything else (Zone X unshaded) — lower risk. This does not mean no risk. About one out of every four flood insurance claims in the country comes from outside the high-risk zones.

Being in a high-risk zone means there is about a 1-in-100 chance of flooding in any given year. Over a 30-year mortgage, that works out to about a 1-in-4 chance. Bigger floods happen too, and so does flooding outside the mapped areas.

Where the flood maps come from

Our flood maps come from FEMA and date from 1981. Because the maps are old, treat them as a floor and not a full picture: if the map shows you outside the high-risk zone, your lender probably won't require flood insurance, but that doesn't mean your property won't flood. Paper copies are at the City Clerk's Office, 316 Route 50.

Planning a Project? Start With a Zoning Permit.

If your property is in a flood zone, you may need a flood permit from the City before you start work. This is separate from a zoning or building permit, and you may need it even for jobs that don't require a building permit.

People are usually surprised by how much this covers. File for a zoning permit before you:

● Build or add on to a house or garage

● Put up a shed, deck, patio, fence, or pool

● Pour a driveway or a retaining wall

● Add a propane or fuel tank

● Bring in fill, regrade your yard, or dig

● Store materials or equipment on the property

If you aren't sure whether your project counts, file for a zoning permit. The application is how your project gets reviewed and how you find out in writing what applies to it. It is much cheaper than tearing out finished work.

The 50% rule

This is the one that catches people, so it's worth reading twice.

If you fix up your building, or repair damage to it, and the work costs half of what the building itself is worth, then the entire building has to be brought up to today's flood standards. In most cases that means the building has to be raised.

A few things to know:

● "What the building is worth" means the building only. Not the land.

● It applies to damage from anything — flood, fire, wind, a tree coming down. Not just flooding.

● It applies no matter how old the building is.

● This is a federal rule. The City cannot waive it or make an exception.

The Floodplain Administrator decides whether a project hits the 50% mark and puts that decision in writing. If you're planning a big renovation, file for your zoning permit before you sign a contract, not after.

How high do I have to build?

In Corbin City you have to build one foot above the flood level. That extra height is called freeboard. Along the Tuckahoe River the state has set its own flood elevations, and those are often higher than the FEMA number. When they are, the state number is the one that controls.

Don't assume the number on the FEMA map is the number you build to. The height that applies to your project is set when your permit is reviewed.

A suggestion, not a requirement: think about having a surveyor prepare an Elevation Certificate before you design anything. It's a form that records exactly how high your building and lot sit. Getting it early means you aren't starting a project without knowing where the line is. Once construction begins, a surveyor has to certify the height anyway — once when the lowest floor goes in, and again before the final inspection.

Other agencies may need to approve it too

Most projects near the river also need approval from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The state has mapped its own flood area along the Tuckahoe, and it's often wider than FEMA's, so you can be outside the FEMA zone and still need a state permit. Wetlands and the Army Corps of Engineers may also come into it. Each is a separate agency with its own application — see dep.nj.gov/wlm/lrp/flood-hazard-areas.

The City can't issue a flood permit until those approvals are in hand. You must meet all agency requirements.

If you want to know whether a state permit applies to your property, NJDEP explains it at dep.nj.gov/wlm/lrp/permit-applicability.

What if I can't build what I want?

You can ask the Land Use Board for an exception, called a variance. They are not easy to get. The board has to find that your lot's size, shape, or slope creates a real hardship, and it can only grant the smallest exception that solves the problem. Cost, convenience, appearance, personal preference, and neighbors' opinions don't count as hardship. If you do get permission to build lower than the flood level, be aware your flood insurance will cost substantially more.

What happens if I skip the permit

Building without a flood permit is a violation. Fines run up to $1,250, and every day the violation continues counts separately. Dumping in a floodplain carries fines up to $2,500. Beyond the fine, unpermitted work in a flood zone causes real problems when you go to sell or refinance, because it shows up in the title and permit history.

Flood Insurance

Your homeowner's insurance does not cover flood damage. This surprises people every single time, and it is the most expensive misunderstanding in the whole subject. Flood coverage is a separate policy.

Because Corbin City takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, anyone here can buy it — homeowners, renters, and businesses, in any zone, even if the building has flooded before.

● A home can be covered up to $250,000 for the building and $100,000 for what's inside. Those are two separate purchases. A policy bought just to satisfy a lender usually covers the building and nothing in it.

● Renters can buy coverage for their belongings. You don't have to own the building.

A new policy usually takes 30 days to kick in. Don't wait until a storm is in the forecast — by then it's too late. Buy it from an insurance agent; the City doesn't sell it, can't quote you a price, and can't recommend an agent. If you don't have one, floodsmart.gov has a free tool to find one.

Flood insurance is priced mostly on your specific building — how high it sits, what it's built on, how close it is to water — not just on the zone. So an old map doesn't automatically mean a cheap policy or an expensive one. What the map does control is whether your lender makes you buy it. A lot of properties here face real flood risk and aren't in a required-purchase area. That's a reason to buy it anyway.

When a Flood Is Coming 

Forecasts and warnings for this area come from the National Weather Service at weather.gov/phi.

A watch means flooding is possible — get ready. A warning means it's happening or about to — act now.

● Never drive through water on a road, and never drive around a barricade. Six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet. Two feet will float most cars and trucks. You can't tell how deep it is or whether the road under it is still there.

● Stay away from downed power lines and call 911. Don't go into a flooded basement if outlets or equipment are underwater.

● Keep kids away from floodwater, ditches, and storm drains. The water carries sewage and debris, and drains pull hard enough to take a child under.

After the water goes down

● Take photos of everything before you clean up or throw anything out, then call your insurance agent.

● File for a zoning permit before you hire a contractor. Repairs in a flood zone need one, and if the damage is bad enough, the 50% rule changes what your contractor is allowed to do. Finding that out first saves a lot of money and argument.

● Be careful who you hire. Storm-chasing contractors show up after every flood. Check that they're registered in New Jersey and do your own due diligence before you hand over a deposit. The City can't make recommendations.

Keep the Drains Clear

Don't put anything in a ditch, stream, or storm drain — including grass clippings and leaves. Yard waste doesn't wash away. It collects, plugs the pipe, and the water backs up into the street and onto properties upstream. Never pour paint, motor oil, antifreeze, or chemicals into a storm drain; those drains run straight to the creek with no treatment.

If your property backs up to a ditch or stream, please keep the bank clear of brush, debris, and stored material.

Report dumping, a blocked or broken drain, or work going on with no permit to city staff. Most blockages get found because a resident reported one.

More Information 

● Check your flood zone: msc.fema.gov 

● Flood insurance and finding an agent: floodsmart.gov 

● Fixing a flood map that shows your property wrong: fema.gov/flood-maps/change-your-flood-zone 

● New Jersey flood hazard area rules and permits: dep.nj.gov/wlm/lrp/flood-hazard-areas 

●County emergency information: ReadyAtlantic.org 

● Weather forecasts and warnings: weather.gov/phi

A note required by our flood ordinance: the flood rules described here are based on the best science and engineering available, but no rule can promise safety. Bigger floods than the maps show can happen. Being outside a flood zone, or getting a permit, does not mean your property won't flood, and it does not make the City responsible for flood damage. 

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