Zoning for Flood Resilience: How Local Regulations Can Help Communities Weather the Storm
By Jiwon Park, Regional Land Use Planner II & Avanti Krovi, Senior Regional Land Use Planner
Pictured: Aerial View of Cohasset Cove in Town of Cohasset, MA (Adobe Stock images)
September 3, 2025 - On December 18, 2023, the Greater Boston region was hit hard by a major flooding event. Streets were filled with water, homes were damaged, and people were left wondering how to protect their neighborhoods from the increasing threat of climate change. While many people think of seawalls or storm drains when it comes to flood prevention, there’s another powerful tool already at work in your community: zoning.
Zoning laws - rules that regulate how land is used and developed - can help prevent future flood damage, guide safer development, and even support long-term goals like housing affordability. But making zoning more resilient requires thoughtful updates and a balance of priorities. At MAPC, we’re working with cities and towns to do just that.
Why Zoning Matters for Flood Resilience
Flooding is no longer just a coastal issue. Intense rainstorms, rising groundwater, and overburdened stormwater systems are impacting communities across Massachusetts—sometimes even outside officially mapped floodplains. While zoning might not be the first tool you think of when it comes to climate change, it plays a crucial role in shaping how and where buildings are constructed or redeveloped, how water flows through our neighborhoods, and how prepared we are for future climate impacts.
Read MAPC's 2023 report
Zoning also has to balance competing needs. Communities across the state need to build more housing, especially near transit, and are loosening their zoning requirements to comply with the state’s MBTA Communities law (Section 3A). With the right approach, we can meet our needs for housing, economic development, and more, while protecting residents from flooding risks.
What MAPC is Doing
MAPC has supported several communities in advancing flood-resilient zoning. Here are a few examples:
Cohasset: Updating Floodplain Zoning (2024): MAPC worked with the Town of Cohasset to update its floodplain bylaw in 2024. This zoning update ensures the town meets FEMA standards for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) using the Massachusetts State Model Floodplain Bylaw. MAPC also provided recommendations for stronger protections, such as incentives for elevating buildings, restrictions on development in flood zones, and requirements for safe access during floods.
Gloucester: Floodplain Management Policy (2019): In Gloucester, MAPC evaluated the city’s floodplain ordinance and recommended updates based on past climate assessments and best practices from other coastal communities. The result was a set of strategies - ranging from clearer enforcement language to stricter rules for flood-prone areas - that help make development safer and more climate-ready.
Hull: Incentivizing Resilient Mixed-Use Development (2010): Hull’s Nantasket Beach Overlay District is an example of how communities can use zoning to promote both resilience and economic vibrancy. The district allows developers to build taller buildings, but only if they design structures with resilient features: no habitable space on the first floor, elevated mechanical systems, and flexible first-floor spaces that can be used for pop-up markets, seasonal cafés, or public art. This approach preserves coastal character while reducing flood risk.
Norwood: Review of Subdivision Rules and Site Plan Regulations (2024): MAPC worked with the Town of Norwood to review the Town’s Subdivision Rules and Regulations and Site Plan Review Regulations. MAPC conducted a technical review and provided recommendations around smarter street design, stronger stormwater management, better tree and open space protection, and integrated site planning. More details about this work can be found in our previous blog post, linked here.
Lessons for Other Communities
Leverage State Resources: The State offers several resources for communities thinking about flood resilience. We consider the incorporation of the Massachusetts Model Floodplain Bylaw as a foundational step towards flood-resilient zoning. Other state programs that work towards flood resilience include the Coastal Resilience Grant Program, Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, and the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program. Communities can also check out data tools like ResilientMass Maps or the MA Coast Flood Risk Model (MC-FRM) to better understand flooding risk in their area.
Go Beyond the Minimum: Most communities in Massachusetts are part of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and many have updated their zoning to meet minimum requirements of the program. However, in the face of rising seas and stronger storms, communities are finding that such requirements are not enough to protect communities from current or future flooding risk. Towns and cities across the Greater Boston region are considering zoning policies that extend beyond compliance with NFIP regulations and the state building code. Examples of such policies include the elevation of buildings or utilities above future sea level projections in flood zones; limitations on new development in sensitive floodplains; the protection of natural flood storage and wetland areas; and the requirement of safe pedestrian and emergency access during floods. The State will soon be releasing the Building Flood Resilience Guide, which will offers an avenue for municipalities to adopt higher standards for flood-resilient construction, while staying in compliance with the state building code. Communities that enact more restrictive floodplain protections should consider modifying zoning requirements in areas with higher elevations to allow for more density and expanded housing and development types to ensure housing and economic development goals can still be accomplished.
Think Beyond the Floodplain: As shown in MAPC’s Water, Water Everywhere project, significant flooding often occurs outside FEMA-designated flood zones. That’s why it's critical to integrate flood-resilient principles throughout your entire zoning code, not just in overlay districts. Updates to site plan review, environmental regulations, and special permit criteria can all help. You can learn more about the comprehensive land use strategies to address flooding on the MAPC’s Climate Resilient Land Use Strategies resource page and Climate Resilience Playbook website
Be Creative and Context-Sensitive: Flood resilience doesn't have to come at the expense of other goals. Hull’s overlay district shows that communities can preserve historic character, encourage local economic activity, and protect residents from flooding, all at once. With thoughtful design, resilient zoning can support a community’s values, culture, and future.
Want to Learn More?
If your community is looking to update its zoning or explore new strategies to reduce flood risk, contact MAPC. Municipalities with local funding can contract directly with MAPC for technical assistance. If funding is a barrier, you may also consider applying to MAPC’s Technical Assistance Program (TAP), which supports projects that advance both local and regional priorities. Learn more about how to partner with us through TAP on our website.