County residents reminded to seek permits for spring projects [The Meridian Star, Miss.]

Mar. 30—As temperatures warm and residents begin to plan spring projects, Lauderdale County Supervisor Wayman Newell is reminding residents to get the proper permits before beginning home improvements.

Permits, Newell said, are not meant to be punitive, and following the proper procedures is important to protect both the homeowner and the community.

Lauderdale County requires a permit for one very simple reason, Newell said: flood insurance.

"In 1992, we had to get a flood damage prevention ordinance," he said. "Anything that was in a flood area before 1992 was grandfathered in, but if you went there and added on to something, you must get a permit and it had to be out of the flood zone."

Newell said getting the permit is part of the compliance process with the National Flood Insurance Program, which is run through FEMA. Permits protect the homeowner by showing additions or remodels were built in accordance with the flood damage prevention ordinance.

Without the permit, he said, Lauderdale County residents would have a hard time getting flood insurance.

"If you build it in a flood zone and something happens, the whole county could lose our flood insurance because of one person," he said.

Kathy Lumas, who works in Lauderdale County's Permit Office, said the permits are a way to regulate new construction and make sure it complies with FEMA's requirements for the National Flood Insurance Program.

"If we don't participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, people in Lauderdale County would not be able to buy flood insurance," she said. "To regulate that, that's why we require the permit."

FEMA sets the rules concerning who and who cannot buy flood insurance, and The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency makes sure that counties are in compliance, Lumas said. Lauderdale County doesn't make the rules, but it's responsible for enforcing them.

Lauderdale County permits aren't expensive, a maximum of $75, and don't require a lot of paperwork, Lumas said. For homes outside of a flood zone, permits run from $15-$25.

When a resident calls or comes by the permit office, employees can help them find out if their home is in a flood zone or not. If not, there are no special building requirements. If the property is in a flood zone, the permit office can walk residents through what needs to be done.

Homeowners have an interest in complying with the flood ordinance, Lumas said. Any federally regulated lender will require flood insurance for properties in a flood zone before they'll approve a mortgage.

Getting a permit, Newell said, is a quick, inexpensive process that can save homeowners the headache of having to bring structures into compliance or demolish them down the road.

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