Below-Grade Parking Requirements

for Buildings Located in Special Flood Hazard Areas

in accordance with the

National Flood Insurance Program

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

FEDERAL INSURANCE ADMINISTRATION

FIA-TB-6

4/93
Key Word/Subject Index:

This index allows the user to quickly locate key words and subjects in this Technical Bulletin. The Technical Bulletin User’s Guide (printed separately) provides references to key

words and subjects throughout the Technical Bulletins. For definitions of selected terms,

refer to the Glossary at the end of this bulletin.

Key Word/Subject Page

Below-grade parking garage, considered a basement 1

Below-grade parking garage, defined 1

Below-grade parking in A and V zones, when allowed, requirements for 2

Floodproofing, below-grade parking beneath non-residential buildings,

design requirements for 4

Floodproofing, recognition of for insurance rating purposes 4

Any comments on the Technical Bulletins should be directed to:

FEMA/FIA

Office of Loss Reduction

Technical Standards Division

500 C St., SW, Room 417

Washington, D.C. 20472

Technical Bulletin 6-93 replaces Technical Bulletin 90-2 (draft) “Below Grade Parking Garages.”

Graphic design based on the Japanese print The Greal Wave Off Karmgawa, by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-

1849), Asiatic collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
TECHNICAL BULLETIN 6-93

Below-Grade Parking Requirements

for Buildings Located In Special Flood Hazard Areas

in accordance with the

National Flood Insurance Program

Introduction

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide technical guidance on the National Flood Insurance

Program (NFIP) floodplain management requirements for below-grade parking garages for nonresidential buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAS) shown on Flood Insurance Rate

Maps (FIRMs).

Below-grade parking garages are commonly found in large engineered commercial buildings and

are used for parking and access to the above-grade floors of the building. Flooding of these

enclosed areas may result in significant damage to the building and any mechanical, electrical, or

other utility equipment located there, such as ventilation equipment, lighting, elevator equipment, and drainage pumps. The garage walls, which often are major structural components of

the building’s foundation, are also susceptible to flood damage. The potential for injury to

anyone in the garage, the potential for damage to parked cars, and the safety issue of removing

parked cars when flooding threatens are important design considerations.

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Note: Users of this bulletin are advised that it provides guidance that must be used in

conjunction with Technical Bulletin 3, “Non-Residential Floodproofing — Requirements

and Certification.” The conditions and requirements set forth in both bulletins must be met

for any below-grade parking garage to be in compliance with the minimum requirements of

the NFIP regulations. A Floodproofing Certificate for Non-Residential Structures must be

completed for any building in an SFHA with below-grade parking.

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NFIP Regulations

The NFIP regulations provide direction concerning whether or not below-grade parking is

permitted in SFHAS, both coastal and riverine. For the purposes of the NFIP, below-grade

parking is considered a basement. A basement is defined as any area of a building having its

floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides. The following subsections provide applicable

excerpts from the NFIP regulations.

Below-Grade Parking Garages in Residential Buildings in A Zones

Section 60.3(c)(2) of the NFIP regulations states that a community shall:

“Require that all new construction and substantial improvements of residential structures

within Zones A1-A30, AE and AH on the community’s FIRM have the lowest floor (including basement) elevated to or above the base flood level... ”

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Under the NFIP, a below-grade parking garage is considered a basement if it is below grade on

all sides. Therefore, the construction of below- grade parking garages is prohibited beneath

residential buildings in Zones A1-A30, AE, and AH.

Section 60.3(c)(7) of the NFIP regulations deals with residential buildings in Zone AO (sheet

flow with depths of 1 to 3 feet) requirements. Section 60.3(c)(7) states that a community shall:

“Require within any AO zone on the community’s FIRM that all new construction and

substantial improvements of residential structures have the lowest floor (including basement) elevated above the highest adjacent grade at least as high as the depth number

specified in feet on the community’s FIRM (at least two feet if no depth number is specified).”

Therefore, below-grade parking garages beneath residential buildings in Zone AO are prohibited.

Below-Grade Parking Garages in Non-Residential Buildings in A Zones

Section 60.3(c)(3) of the NFIP regulations states that a community shall:

“Require that all new construction and substantial improvements of non-residential structures within Zones AI-A30, AE, and AH on the community’s FIRM (i) have the lowest

floor (including basement) elevated to or above the base flood level, or (ii) together with

attendant utility and sanitary facilities, be designed so that below the base flood level the

structure is waterlight with walls substantially impermeable to the passage of water and

with structural components having the capability of resisting hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads and effects of buoyancy. ”

Below-grade parking garages are permitted beneath non-residential buildings in Zones A1-A30,

AE, and AH provided the building (including the parking garage) is floodproofed to the base

flood level in accordance with the design performance standards provided above in Section

60.3(c) (3)(ii). Onlv below-grade parking garages {in non-residential buildings) that are dry

floodmoofed are permitted u nder the NFIP. Guidance on floodproofing is provided in the

FEMA manual “Floodproofing Non-Residential Structures” and in Technical Bulletin 3, “NonResidential Floodproofing — Requirements and Certification.”

Section 60.3(c)(8) of the NFIP regulations deals with non-residential buildings in Zone AO (sheet

flow with depths of 1 to 3 feet) requirements. Section 60.3(c)(8) states that a community shall:

“Require within any AO zone on the community’s FIRM that all new construction and

substantial improvements of nonresidential structures (i) have the lowest floor (including

basement) elevated above the highest adjacent grade at least as high as the depth number

specified in feet on the community’s FIRM (at least two feet if no depth number is specified), or (ii) together with attendant utility and sanitary facilities be completely

floodproofed to that (base flood) level to meet the floodproofing standard specified in

Section 60.3(c)(3) (ii).”

Therefore, below-grade parking garages are permitted beneath non-residential buildings in Zone

AO provided the building (including the parking garage) is floodproofed to the base flood level in

accordance with the design performance standards of Section 60.3 (c)(3 )(ii). Because of the

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severe damage that can be caused by velocity waters and debris, below-grade parking garages are

not recommended in AO zones where velocities have been identified.

Section 60.3(c)(4) further states:

“...that where a non-residential structure is intended to be made waterlight below the base

flood level, i) a registered professional engineer or architect shall develop and/or review

structural design, specifications, and plans for the construction, and shall certify that the

design and methods of construction are in accordance with accepted standards of practice

for meeting the applicable provisions of paragraph (c)(3)(ii) or (c)(8)(ii) of this section.”

The floodproofing of a below-grade parking garage and any other portion of a building below the

base flood elevation (BFE) must be certified to meet the standards of Section 60.3(c)(3). Additional guidance on this certification requirement can be found in Technical Bulletin 3, “NonResidential Floodproofing — Requirements and Certification.”

Below-Grade Parking Garages in V Zones

Section 60.3(e)(4) of the NFIP regulations states that a community shall:

“Provide that all new construction and substantial improvements in Zones V1-V30 and VE,

and also in Zone V if base flood elevation data is available, on the community’s FIRM, are

elevated on pilings and columns so that (i) the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural

member of the lowest floor (excluding the pilings or columns) is elevated to or above the

base flood level.”

The floor of a below-grade parking garage would be considered the “lowest floor” of a V-zone

building under the NFIP (since the lowest horizontal structural member would be the footing of the

garage) and could not meet the above requirement. Therefore, below-gradeparking garages are

prohibited beneath all residential and non-residential buildings in V zones.

It should be noted that Technical Bulletins provide guidance on the minimum requirements

of the NFIP regulations. Community or State requirements that exceed those of the NFIP

take precedence. Design professionals should contact the community to determine whether

more restrictive local or State regulations apply to the building or site in question. All

applicable standards of the State or local building code must also be met for any building in

a flood hazard area.

Designing a Floodproofed Below-Grade parking Garage

All below-grade parking garages must be dry-floodproofed; therefore, hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces must be considered in the design. In most designs, the loadings on the above-grade

portion of the building are transferred to the structural elements of the below-grade parking garage.

Therefore, any structural failure in the parking garage may well result in a failure of the entire
building. FEMA’s Technical Bulletin 3, “Non-Residential Floodproofing — Requirements and

Certification,” must be consulted for necessary guidance on floodproofing designs for belowgrade parking garages.

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Note: While the NFIP regulations require that non-residential buildings be floodproofed only

to the BFE, flood insurance rating procedures include a freeboard, or level of safety criterion.

When a floodproofed building is rated for flood insurance, the level of flood protection is

assumed at 1 foot below the top elevation of the floodproofing. For rating purposes, the

NFIP requires that non-residential buildings be floodproofed to 1 foot above the BFE in order

to receive rating credit for the floodproofing design.

A critical element in any floodproofing design for a below-grade parking garage is the point

where the garage entrance ramp meets the street grade. The best method of protecting a dryfloodproofed garage from floodwaters is to design the garage entry to be above BFE. The entry

can also be brought up and over a ramp of fill dirt placed above the BFE. In some cases, however, the garage entry must meet street grade at an elevation below the BFE. Such a design

requires that a high-strength flood shield that can withstand the high hydrostatic pressure be

installed so that floodwaters will not enter the dry-floodproofed garage.

Any portions of a floodproofing design that entail human intervention (such as placing a flood

shield) greatly increase the potential for loss of life and property damage during a flood. A

sufficient number of emergency exits must be available so that anyone in the garage will not be

trapped by rising floodwaters, and a warning and evacuation plan must be developed and tested

so that it can be readily implemented when a flood threatens.

below-grade garages as stated in Technical Bulletin 3, which

evacuation plans.

Below-Grade parking for Mixed-Use Buildings

Such a plan is necessary for all

provides guidance on warning and

While the NFIP regulations state that dry floodproofing of below-grade parking garages is

allowed only for non-residential buildings in A zones, professionally designed buildings that

have both commercial (non-residential) and residential uses may be designed with floodproofed

below-grade parking garages. All residential-use areas of the building must be above the BFE.

An insurance agent experienced in the NFIP should be consulted during the design phase concerning the cost of insurance for a mixed-use building.

The NFIP

The NFIP was created by Congress in 1968 to provide federally backed flood insurance coverage, because flood insurance was generally unavailable from private insurance companies. The

NFIP is also intended to reduce future flood losses by identifying floodprone areas and ensuring

that new development in these areas is adequately protected from flood damage. The NFIP is

based on an agreement between the federal government and participating communities that have

been identified as floodprone. FEMA, through the Federal Insurance Administration (FIA),

makes flood insurance available to the residents of a participating community provided that the

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community adopts and enforces adequate floodplain management regulations that meet the

minimum NFIP requirements. The NFIP encourages communities to adopt floodplain management ordinances that exceed the minimum NFIP criteria. Included in the NFIP requirements,

found under Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations, are minimum building design and

construction standards for buildings located in SFHAS. Through their floodplain management

ordinances, communities adopt the NFIP design performance standards for new and substantially

improved buildings located in floodprone areas identified on FIA’s FIRMs.

Technical Bulletins

This is one of a series of Technical Bulletins FEMA has produced to provide guidance concerning the building performance standards of the NFIP. These standards are contained in Title 44 of

the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations at Section 60.3. The bulletins are intended for use primarily by State and local officials responsible for interpreting and enforcing NFIP regulations and

by members of the development community, such as design professionals and builders. New

bulletins, as well as updates of existing bulletins, are issued periodically, as necessary. The

bulletins do not create regulations; rather they provide specific guidance for complying with the

minimum requirements of existing NFIP regulations. Users of the Technical Bulletins who need

additional guidance concerning NFIP regulatory requirements should contact the Natural Hazards Branch of the appropriate FEMA regional office. The Technical Bulletin Guide, “User’s

Guide to Technical Bulletins,” lists the bulletins issued to date and provides a key word/subject

index for the entire series.

Ordering Information

Copies of the Technical Bulletins can be obtained from the appropriate FEMA regional office.

Technical Bulletins can also be ordered from the FEMA publications warehouse. Use of FEMA

Form 60-8 will result in a more timely delivery from the warehouse — the form can be obtained

from FEMA regional offices and your state’s Office of Emergency Management. Send publication requests to FEMA Publications, P.O. Box 70274, Washington, D.C. 20024.

Further Information

The following publications provide further information concerning below-grade parking garages:

1. “Answers to Questions About Substantially Damaged Buildings,” FEMA, May 1991, FEMA213.

2. “Floodproofing Non-Residential Structures,” FEMA, May 1986, FEMA-102

Glossary

Base flood — The flood that has a 1-percent probability of being equaled or exceeded in any

given year (also referred to as the 100-year flood).

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Base Flood Elevation (BFE) — The height of the base flood, usually in feet, in relation to the

National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 or other datum as specified.

Basement — Any area of a building having its floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides.

Coastal High Hazard Area — An area of special flood hazard extending from offshore to the

inland limit of a primary frontal dune along an open coast and any other area subject to highvelocity wave action from storms or seismic sources.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — The independent federal agency that, in

addition to carrying out other activities, oversees the administration of the National Flood Insurance Program.

Federal Insurance Administration (FIA) — The component of FEMA directly responsible for

administering the National Flood Insurance Program.

Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) — The insurance and floodplain management map issued

by FEMA that identifies, on the basis of detailed or approximate analyses, areas of 100- year

flood hazard in a community.

Floodprone area — Any land area susceptible to being inundated by floodwater from any

source.

Lowest floor — The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area of a building, including a basement. Any NFIP-compliant unfinished or flood-resistant enclosure useable solely for parking of

vehicles, building access, or storage (in an area other than a basement) is not considered a

building’s lowest floor.

Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) — Area delineated on a Flood Insurance Rate Map as

being subject to inundation by the base flood and designated as Zone A, AE, A1-A30, AR, AO,

AH, V, VE, or V1-V30.

Substantial damage — Damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of

restoring the structure to its before-damaged condition would equal or exceed 50 percent of the

market value of the structure before the damage occurred.

Substantial improvement — Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement

of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure

before the “start of construction” of the improvement. This term includes structures that have

incurred “substantial damage,” regardless of the actual repair work performed.