Osage County is a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The basis of NFIP participation is the adoption and enforcement of floodplain management regulations. Osage County, as a whole, needs to enforce the ordinance in order for the County to retain its good standing status in the NFIP and for current and future flood insurance policy holders to retain their flood insurance.

The Osage County Commission voluntarily adopted a local floodplain management ordinance in 1990. What the ordinance means to floodplain property owners is that permits will be required for all development located within the floodplain to include the subdivision or building; substantial improvement or substantial damage of existing structures; placement of manufactured (mobile) homes, temporary buildings and accessory structures; agricultural structures; the parking and storage of recreational vehicles; temporary or permanent materials storage, including gas/liquid storage and sand/gravel; roads, bridges and culverts in the floodplain; filling, grading, excavating, mining and dredging; and stream alteration in the floodplain. Permits are prior to the start of any construction, development, remodeling or land disturbance activities. Any development or construction activities that occur without proper permits are considered to be violations and may result in fines up to $300 per day.

A file has been started for most structures in the floodplain. Each file contains the physical address of the structure, photographs of the structure, all appropriate permits and any other documentation relating to the existing structure. If you have permits/certificates for your structures in the floodplain, Osage County would appreciate you making a copy and sending it to our office so we can verify the status of your situation.

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This ordinance pertains to all floodplain property owners whether you have flood insurance or not, whether your property/structure floods or not and whether you’ve collected federal funding after a declared flood disaster or not- - - Osage County must enforce this ordinance in order for the county to retain its good standing status in the National Flood Insurance Program so that current and future flood insurance policy holders can retain, and acquire, flood insurance. 

You can also view the floodplain online by using Google Earth. You will need to download Google Earth and then download the FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer. Drag the FEMA NFHL v3.0.kmz layer to the Google Earth map and you’ll be able to view the floodplain.