Open House — Tuesday, August 11, 2026, 4:00–7:00 PM
Lafayette County Multipurpose Arena, 70 F.D. Buddy East Parkway, Oxford, MS 38655. Drop in any time. Staff from FEMA, MDEQ, Waggoner Engineering, and Lafayette County will look up your property with you and answer your questions. No appointment or registration is needed.
What is happening
FEMA, working with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and Waggoner Engineering, completed a new engineering study of the Yocona Watershed and the Little Tallahatchie Watershed in Lafayette County. The study used updated ground elevation data and modern modeling to re-measure how far water spreads and how high it rises during a major flood.
Because the science is better than it was when the current maps were drawn in 2012, the flood boundaries have moved. On June 10, 2026 FEMA published Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) reflecting the new findings. 607 parcels in Lafayette County have a change to their base flood elevation (BFE), their Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) boundary, or both.
Counts describe the whole parcel. Many parcels are only partly inside a flood zone, and the map may show two or three different zones on a single tract of land.
These maps are not yet in effect. The Preliminary FIRMs are a proposal. They become the official regulatory maps roughly 18 months from release, after a public comment and appeal period and a formal FEMA determination. Nothing about your insurance or your building requirements changes today.
Where the changes are
Every affected parcel in the county is plotted below, colored by the kind of change. The changes follow the creeks and branches that were studied — Goose Valley, Yellow Leaf, Burney Branch, Berry Branch, Taylor Creek, and their tributaries. Zoom in to find your area, and click any dot for details.
Each dot marks the center of a parcel, not the flood boundary itself — use the parcel lookup below for the actual mapped zones. Dots are placed from the county assessor’s 2024 parcel data.
Look up your property
Search by parcel number, street address, road name, or the creek nearest you, then choose View map to open the FEMA exhibit for that parcel — an aerial photograph with the proposed flood zones drawn over it, alongside the current and preliminary zone listings.
| Parcel number | Site address | Change | Map |
|---|
Can’t find your property, or the address looks wrong? Some parcels are listed with no site address because the county record has none, and a few addresses in the assessor’s data are out of date. Search by parcel number instead, or bring your parcel number to the open house and staff will pull up your map.
What the flood zone letters mean
| Zone | What it means |
|---|---|
| A | High risk. 1% annual chance of flooding. No base flood elevation was ever calculated — these were approximate, unstudied areas. |
| AE | High risk, with a published base flood elevation. Same 1% annual chance, but the study now tells you exactly how high the water is expected to rise. |
| AE w/ |
Regulatory floodway. The channel and adjacent land that must stay clear to carry flood water. Development here is tightly restricted. |
| X (shaded) | Moderate risk. Between the 1% and 0.2% annual chance floodplain (often called the 500-year floodplain). |
| X | Minimal risk. Outside the mapped floodplain. |
The most common change here: A to AE
Most Lafayette County parcels in this study were previously Zone A — high risk, but never engineered, so no flood elevation existed. The new study produces Zone AE with an actual base flood elevation.
The risk category did not change. What changed is that the number now exists. That is usually good news: with a known BFE, an elevation certificate can show your building sits above the flood level, which often lowers a flood insurance premium compared with unrated Zone A.
“Special Flood Hazard Area” (SFHA)
SFHA is the umbrella term for all the high-risk zones — anything starting with A or V. It is the line that triggers the federal flood insurance requirement and the county’s floodplain building rules.
What happens next, and when
- August 11, 2026Public open house
Drop-in event at the Lafayette County Multipurpose Arena, 4:00–7:00 PM. See your property on the new maps and talk with the engineers who did the study.
- Expected fall 202690-day appeal and comment period
FEMA formally opens the statutory 90-day window by publishing notice in the Federal Register and twice in a local newspaper. During this window, any property owner or lessee may appeal the proposed flood elevations or boundaries using scientific or technical evidence, or submit a comment about other map issues such as a misspelled road name. Watch this page and the local paper for the start date.
- After appeals are resolvedLetter of Final Determination
FEMA issues the Letter of Final Determination to the county, which starts a six-month compliance period for adopting the updated maps and floodplain ordinance.
- Approximately late 2027New maps become effective
The Preliminary FIRMs become the official regulatory maps. Insurance requirements and building standards are based on them from that date forward.
Come to the open house
70 F.D. Buddy East Parkway
Oxford, MS 38655 Get directions
What to expect
This is a come-and-go event, not a presentation. There is no set start time and nothing to sign up for — arrive whenever it suits you and stay as long as you need.
Who will be there
- FEMA Region 4 mapping staff
- MDEQ floodplain management staff
- Waggoner Engineering — the engineers who performed the study
- Lafayette County floodplain administration
- Flood insurance specialists
What to bring
- Your parcel number or street address
- Your current flood insurance declarations page, if you have a policy
- An elevation certificate, if one has ever been prepared for your building
- Any survey or engineering data you believe contradicts the new maps
What this means for flood insurance and your mortgage
If your property moves into a high-risk area
Once the new maps take effect, federally regulated or insured lenders must require flood insurance on buildings in a Special Flood Hazard Area. Your lender, not the county, enforces this. If you have no mortgage, insurance is not required — but the flood risk the map describes is real either way.
Act before the maps take effect. If you buy a policy while your property is still mapped as low risk, you may qualify for a lower-cost Preferred Risk Policy and for “grandfathered” rating that can carry forward after the maps change. Waiting until the maps are effective usually costs more. Talk to an insurance agent well before the effective date.
If your property moves out of a high-risk area
Your lender may no longer require flood insurance. Consider keeping a policy anyway: FEMA reports that roughly a third of National Flood Insurance Program claims over the past decade came from outside high-risk zones, and a low-cost Preferred Risk Policy is usually available. Removal from the map lowers the requirement, not the water.
If you already carry a policy
Nothing changes right now. When the new maps take effect, ask your agent to review your rating — a newly published base flood elevation plus an elevation certificate can change your premium in either direction, and grandfathering rules may apply.
Flood damage is not covered by a standard homeowner’s policy. There is normally a 30-day waiting period before a new flood policy takes effect.
Your options if you disagree with the new map
A preliminary map is a proposal, and there are established ways to challenge it. Lafayette County wants the maps to be right — if the study missed something at your property, we want to know.
1. Appeal during the 90-day appeal period
Once FEMA opens the statutory appeal window, an owner or lessee who believes the proposed flood elevations or boundaries are scientifically or technically incorrect may file an appeal through the county. Appeals must be supported by data — typically a survey or hydrologic and hydraulic analysis prepared by a licensed professional engineer or surveyor — not by opinion or by the absence of past flooding. Non-technical problems, such as a wrong road name or a misplaced corporate limit, are submitted as comments during the same window.
2. Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA)
If your building or lot sits on naturally high ground above the base flood elevation but the mapped boundary includes it, a licensed surveyor can prepare an elevation certificate and you can request a LOMA from FEMA to remove the structure or parcel from the SFHA. There is no FEMA fee for a LOMA; you pay only for the survey. A LOMA can be requested at any time, before or after the maps take effect.
3. Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F)
If a lot was raised with engineered fill above the base flood elevation, a LOMR-F can remove it from the SFHA. A FEMA review fee applies.
Before you hire anyone, come to the open house or call the county floodplain administrator. In many cases we can tell you quickly whether an appeal or a LOMA is likely to succeed, which saves you the cost of a survey that will not change the outcome.
Frequently asked questions
My property has never flooded. Why is it on the map now?
The map does not record where water has been; it estimates where water would go in a flood with a 1% chance of happening in any given year. A property can go decades without flooding and still sit in that area. The new study also used far more accurate ground elevation data than the 2012 maps, so boundaries that were rough approximations are now measured.
Does this change my property taxes or assessed value?
The flood map has no direct effect on your assessment. It is a federal floodplain map, not a tax document.
Do I have to buy flood insurance right now?
No. The preliminary maps are not in effect, so no new requirement applies today. If your property is moving into a high-risk area, though, buying before the effective date can lock in lower-cost rating — so it is worth calling an agent now rather than later.
What is a base flood elevation (BFE)?
The height floodwater is expected to reach during the 1%-annual-chance flood, given in feet above sea level. Comparing your building’s lowest floor elevation to the BFE determines your flood risk rating and, for new construction, how high you must build.
My parcel shows several zones. Which one applies to me?
Flood zones follow terrain, not property lines, so a single tract commonly contains two or three zones. What matters for insurance is the zone at your building; what matters for construction is the zone where you intend to build. Bring your parcel number to the open house and staff can show you exactly where the lines fall.
What does “regulatory floodway” mean for me?
The floodway is the part of the floodplain that has to stay open to carry flood water downstream. Filling or building in it can raise flood levels on neighboring property, so development there requires engineering analysis showing no increase in flood heights. Existing buildings may remain; substantial improvements and new construction are restricted. If your parcel is newly in the floodway, talk to the county before planning any work.
I’m selling or buying property here. What do I disclose?
The preliminary maps are public information and are commonly reviewed in real estate transactions even before they take effect. Lenders may consider preliminary data when underwriting. Buyers should ask which zone a property falls in on both the current and the preliminary maps.
Where can I see the official maps themselves?
FEMA’s Map Service Center hosts the effective FIRMs, the preliminary FIRMs, and the Flood Insurance Study reports: msc.fema.gov. Use the “Search All Products” tab for preliminary products. Paper copies are available for review at the county floodplain administrator’s office.
Questions? Contact us
Lafayette County Floodplain Administrator
Larry Britt
300 North Lamar Boulevard
Oxford, MS 38655
Phone: (662) 234-1763
Email: lb@elliottbritt.com
If you cannot attend the open house but want to discuss your property, please get in touch. We would rather answer your questions now, while the maps can still be corrected.
Helpful links
- FEMA Map Service Center — effective and preliminary maps
- FloodSmart.gov — National Flood Insurance Program
- Change your flood zone (LOMA / LOMR)
- How a flood map study works
- Mississippi Dept. of Environmental Quality
Lafayette County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program. Our goal
is that local flood risk is properly quantified, mapped, communicated, and understood by everyone
affected; that life and property are protected and insured to the greatest extent possible; and
that every member of the community has a voice in the flood mapping process.
This page summarizes data taken from FEMA’s Preliminary FIRM parcel exhibits dated
June 10, 2026, prepared for Lafayette County by Waggoner Engineering. It is provided for public
information. The official Flood Insurance Rate Maps and Flood Insurance Study published by FEMA
govern in the event of any discrepancy.