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Ground coloring
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Tape‑measured at two sunroom points: floor is 2′ 3.46″ above ground mid‑deck and 1′ 11⅝″ at the corner — both give a sunroom floor ≈ 12.9 ft; the main floor is 6 in higher ≈ 13.4 ft, clearing the 13 ft rule (ground from LiDAR, not a survey). Checking these hides the ground numbers to reduce clutter — re‑check “Ground height” to compare.
FEMA zones — what they mean
AE — high risk (this house)
1‑in‑100 chance of flooding in any given year — about a 26% chance over a 30‑year mortgage. Flood insurance is usually required with a mortgage, and the 12 / 13 ft floor‑height rules apply.
X (shaded) — moderate risk
1‑in‑500 chance per year. No insurance mandate, no floor‑height rule. Starts on the higher ground uphill (north).
X — minimal risk
Outside both flood zones.
VE — coastal high hazard
Same 1%‑a‑year flood but with damaging waves; the strictest building rules (pilings etc.). Only along the shoreline — it does not reach this lot.
Open water — Fishers Island Sound
Source: FEMA FIRM 09011C, effective 2026‑05‑25.
The flood rules, in plain english
FEMA sets one flood height for this whole property: 12 ft above sea level (the “Base Flood Elevation”, BFE). Stonington adds a safety foot: living floors must sit at 13 ft or higher. These are heights, not places — the same 12 / 13 ft applies everywhere on the parcel, so there’s no “safer corner” of the lot to move to. What varies across the map is only how high the ground is. Each mapped FEMA area carries its own BFE (a nearby AE area is 11 ft; the shorefront VE bands are 13–15 ft) — turn on “FEMA flood zones” to see every area’s BFE printed on the map, or hover anywhere to read it.
ground below the 12 ft flood level (underwater in a base flood)
edge of that area — ground at exactly 12 ft
ground surface at exactly 13 ft
The red‑tinted side of the line (downhill — the house side) is where the ground is below the flood level — in a base flood the yard would sit under roughly 1–4 ft of water. The house passes or fails the rules by its floor height: est. first floor ≈ 12.9 ft ≈ 0.9 ft above the flood level and essentially right at the town’s 13 ft minimum.
Key numbers (ft above sea level)
| FEMA flood zone | AE (high risk) |
| Flood level (BFE) same everywhere on this parcel | 12.0 ft |
| Town min. living‑floor height (BFE + 1, in force) | 13.0 ft |
| Est. first floor (from photo) | ≈ 12.9 ft |
| Sunroom floor (tape‑measured, 2 spots) | ≈ 12.9 ft |
| Main floor (sunroom + 6 in) | ≈ 13.4 ft |
| Ground under house | 7.9 – 10.9 ft |
Bottom line: the first floor sits ≈ 0.9 ft above the flood level and essentially right at the town’s 13 ft minimum (nominally 0.1 ft under — within measurement error; a surveyed Elevation Certificate would settle it). Tape measurements at the sunroom point slightly higher: sunroom floor ≈ 12.9 ft and main floor ≈ 13.4 ft — clearing the 13 ft rule (still LiDAR‑based ground, not a survey). The ground itself is 1–4 ft below the flood level everywhere on the lot.
Planning estimates from CT 1‑ft LiDAR contours (±0.5–1 ft) and a photo — not a survey. The parcel line and building footprint are separate mapping‑grade GIS layers, so tiny overlaps (house, deck and shed edges crossing the lot line by a foot or so) are normal digitizing offset, not a real encroachment. Only a surveyed FEMA Elevation Certificate legally establishes the floor elevation. A proposed increase to BFE+3 (15 ft) was tabled indefinitely in July 2025.
House photo (north / road face)
