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Policies, Regulations, and Ordinances

The following are links to the written ordinance numbers which amend specific plans for the management of Flood Hazards originally established by Ordinance No. 154,405. The specific plan is intended to provide for the establishment, management, and regulatory control of flood hazard areas. Objectives of the plan include:

  1. To protect human life and health.
  2. To forestall, to the extent possible, flood-related disaster from any cause.
  3. To provide a means by which public and private development is planned in such a manner as to avoid or otherwise minimize flood-related risks to residents and structures on or near hillside areas, as well as upstream or downstream of any project.
  4. To minimize expenditures of public money for costly flood control projects.
  5. To minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding and generally undertaken at the expense of the general public.
  6. To provide the authority under which special programs can be devised in order to provide for the relief from flood-related hazards.
  7. To minimize prolonged business interruption.
  8. To minimize damage to public facilities and utilities such as water and gas mains, electric, telephone and sewer lines, streets and bridges located in areas of special flood hazard.
  9. To help maintain a stable tax base by providing for the second use and development of areas of special flood hazard so as to minimize future blight areas.
  10. To assure that potential buyers and renters are notified when property is located in an area of special flood hazard; and,
  11. To assure that those who occupy the areas of special flood hazard assume responsibility for their actions.

The specific plan was approved on September 17th, 1980 and came after the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 and Flood Disaster protection Act of 1973. The City adopted this ordinance to join NFIP.
Click on the following text to view the following ordinance: Ordinance #154405

Amended the ordinance #154405 in 1988.
Click on the following text to view the following ordinance: Ordinance #163913

Amended the Specific Plan for the Management of Flood Hazards established by Ordinance # 154405 and amended by Ordinance # 163913. The Ordinance #172081 was approved in 1998.
Click on the following text to view the following ordinance: Ordinance #172081

The ordinance was revised again in 2021, Ord. 186952 became effective on 4/19/2021.

An Ordinance amending Subsection B of Section 19.07, and adding new Subsection C and D to, the Los Angeles Municipal Code to revise the basic fee, structure of the Flood Hazard Compliance Check Fee and to add two additional fees for documentation required by the Los Angeles Specific Plan for Management of Flood Hazards (Ordinance 186952) and the National Flood Insurance Program. The Ordinance #180063 was approved in 2008.
Click on the following text to view the following ordinance: Ordinance #180063

Ordinance codifying or increasing Bureau of Engineering fees and charges, and codifying fee tables to assist in indentifying BOE fees and charges.
Click on the following text to view the following ordinance: Ordinance #182237