New flood maps would end mandatory flood insurance for thousands of Fairbanks properties

New federal flood maps would take 2,343 more structures out of the Fairbanks North Star Borough's high-risk flood zone than they put in, ending a mandatory flood insurance requirement for thousands of property owners. The Planning Commission holds a public hearing Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 6 pm on the ordinance adopting the maps, then sends a recommendation to the Assembly.

The revised maps would take out 2,881 structures and bring in 538 when they take effect Jan. 8, 2027. About 11,500 properties, roughly a fifth of the borough, sit in the zone under the current maps, so about a quarter of them would come out.

Being inside the zone matters because a structure there with a federally backed mortgage has to carry flood insurance. Owners of the 538 structures moving in would face that requirement for the first time if their mortgage is federally backed. Nobody appealed the new boundaries; the appeal window closed Dec. 15 with no filings.

The borough asked for the remapping after the 2014 maps swept thousands of properties into the zone. Newer lidar elevation data and two-dimensional flood modeling redrew the lines. Property owners can look up what changes for their own parcel at www.fnsb.gov/floodmap.

The ordinance, sponsored by Mayor Grier Hopkins, also rewrites borough rules on floodways, crawlspaces and accessory structures to match federal standards. FEMA issued its final determination on the maps July 8, and the borough has to adopt them by Jan. 8 to stay in the National Flood Insurance Program.