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Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
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In 2012, the Board of County Commissioners formed a Flood Control Zone District by Resolution 2012-081 and voters approved funding for the district. The District serves residents in both unincorporated areas and incorporated towns and cities by providing technical assistance and implementing flood-reduction projects and programs.
District activities include:
Additional information is available in the Flood Control Zone District 6-Year Work Plan.
Floodplain development is managed by the local jurisdiction where the activity occurs. All communities that are in the National Flood Insurance Program must require permits for activities that occur within the Special Flood Hazard Area; which is the area that has a 1% chance or greater of flooding each year (also known as the 100-year floodplain).
Visit www.floodsmart.gov for information about the National Flood Insurance Program.
Floodplain development permits are required prior to beginning any work on improved or unimproved real estate within the 100-year floodplain. This includes, but is not limited to, buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations or storage of equipment or materials located within the areas of special flood hazard.
Floodplain permits applications for floodplain development activities within unincorporated Kittitas County can be found on the Fees and Applications page.
How to use COMPAS to determine if your property is in the floodplain.
Elevation Certificate Search
FEMA Updates Kittitas County Flood Maps 04/12/2021
On March 24th, 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) notified Kittitas County that they had made a final flood hazard determination regarding new regulatory flood maps for Kittitas County. With this notification, Kittitas County now has certainty that proposed changes to Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMS) will take effect on September 24th, 2021. You can visit the map comparison tool and search for your address to see how the map update will affect property. Please note that the 1981 floodway designation and the 2018 update to the Currier Creek floodplain map are not shown on this map: Flood Map Comparison
FEMA Grants Kittitas County Reduction in Flood Insurance 04/28/2020
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) enables communities to lower flood insurance rates. This month FEMA notified Kittitas County that, due to their effective floodplain management, Kittitas County would retain its Class 6 rating. This rating reduces flood insurance premiums by 20 percent.
Notice of Availability of Service to Provide Flood Map Information
Upon request, staff from the Kittitas County Flood Control Zone District provides information about whether a property is within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), which zone it is in, and the base flood elevation. Much of this information is also available on our COMPAS online mapping service and at FEMA’s Mapping Service Center. If you would like to request this information, please call 509-962-7523. We will need the parcel number or street address. There is no charge for this service.