We are consulting with a subject matter expert on this one. Please allow more time to answer this question.
Per FEMA P-348 (3.2.3): although difficult to achieve, an alternative provided by NFIP regulations allows equipment to be located below the BFE, provided that the equipment is designed, constructed, and installed to “prevent water from entering or accumulating within the components during conditions of flooding.” Please note that specially designed equipment is not permitted below
The Coastal Construction Manual course addresses this topic. Per TB-4 (3.2), elevator shafts must resist flood loads. In Zone A, shafts are not required to have flood openings; in Zone V and Coastal A Zones, shafts are not required to have breakaway walls. In addition, (6.1) to minimize flood damage, elevator shafts/enclosures must be designed
Yes. According to ASCE 24-14 (9.3): In Coastal High Hazard Areas, Coastal A Zones, and other High Risk Flood Hazard Areas, concrete slabs used as parking pads, enclosure floors, landings, decks, walkways, patios, and similar uses shall be permitted beneath or adjacent to structures, provided the concrete slabs are designed and constructed as described below:
No. We are not aware of any additional EC boxes that need to address breakaway wall concerns.
TB-9 (3.3): The 2015 and later editions of the IRC and the 2014 edition of ASCE 24 require flood openings in breakaway walls in both Zone A (including Coastal A Zones) and Zone V. Breakaway walls with flood openings must be designed to fail under the base flood specified by the NFIP regulations and building
A list of utility services, machinery and equipment that must be elevated to the DFE can be found in FEMA P-348, Protecting Building Utility Systems from Flood Damage, Edition 2, February 2017. If these services, machinery and equipment cannot be elevated, then the NFIP states they must be designed and constructed to prevent entry and
Illustrations can be found in the following publications: (FEMA Technical Bulletin 9) https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_nfip-technical-bulletin-9-09292021.pdf (FEMA P-55, Volume I) https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-08/fema55_voli_combined.pdf
Yes, this is a FEMA concern regarding breakaway walls. Additionally, ASCE 24-14, Section 4.6.1 (Breakaway Walls) requires breakaway walls to fail before or during base flood conditions without impacting loads on foundations and without producing damaging debris.
Prescriptive breakaway walls are code compliant, with resistance between 10 and 20 psf. If the breakaway resistance exceeds 20 psf, then an engineer must certify that the wall will fail under base load loads with no damage to the structure. Frangible building elements are ones that are designed to break into small pieces that will
© 2025 City of Malibu