Floodplain administration

Floods are the most common natural disaster. They happen when water overflows onto land that is usually dry—often due to heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt, or a storm surge. Here in Delta County, it’s important to understand how floods start and how to protect yourself and your property.

Delta County as well as local municipalities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Through this partnership, the county provides information on flood risks, flood insurance coverage, flood safety measures, and local floodplains. We aim to help Delta County residents stay informed, prepared, and protected from flooding.

For current information on the flooding threats throughout Colorado, please visit the Colorado Flood Threat Bulletin web page.

Floodplain Permits

The Delta County Planning and Community Development Department is where you can get a Floodplain Permit for your property if you live in unincorporated Delta County. For residents who live within the City of Delta or the Towns of Cedaredge, Hotchkiss, Paonia or Crawford, you need to contact your local City/Town Hall and the floodplain administrator to determine what their permit requirements are.  The Delta County Planning Department only issues floodplain permits for unincorporated Delta County.  For a list of floodplain administrators for Delta County please visit the Colorado Water Conservation Board's Colorado Hazard Mapping and Risk MAP Portal. 

If you plan on building in a designated floodplain or floodway in unincorporated Delta County, you must have a Floodplain Development Permit. This includes any construction or activity that changes the land's basic character, use, or topography, such as building or substantial improvement of a structure, mining, filling, excavation, or drilling operations, and more. You need to use the Application Checklist and apply for a Floodplain Permit Application   to comply with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regulations and be eligible for flood insurance.

The Delta County Land Use Code has Floodplain Regulations as an annex. If you are seeking to build a home or other structure which will be connected to a septic system and that is within the floodplain, you must also obtain a permit from the Delta County Environmental Health  before installing any septic system. It's your responsibility to ensure you get this determination. You can easily search for the floodplain status if you're planning to build in or near a floodplain.

The Floodplain Regulations are described in the Delta County Land Use Code.

The floodplain application fee is $250.00.

Floodplain Maps & Resources:

Delta County GIS webpage: Updated floodplain maps are accessible online.

Colorado Hazard Mapping website: Provides additional flood risk and hazard mapping data.

FEMA Floodplain Insurance Program website:  Visit for detailed information on floodplain designations, floodways, and insurance rate zones and to learn about the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

For an on-site review of floodplain maps, you may also visit the Delta County Planning Department during regular business hours.