Flood Protection Information

The City of Talent encourages the businesses and residents of Talent to reduce the risk of impacts of flooding—and requires development to preserve the multiple functions provided by the floodplain.

If your property was impacted by the Almeda Fire and is within the Special Flood Hazard Zone (SFHA), please visit the city's Flood After the Fire webpage for valuable property protection resources.

Information on this page is provided solely for informational purposes only.  Please contact your insurance agent for more information specific to your policy or property.

The information on this webpage is for properties located within or adjacent to the 100-year floodplain boundary. 

On this page, you will find:

1. How to learn more about any mapped floodplains in the City.
2. How to apply to develop a property that has a mapped floodplain on it.
3. Additional steps you can take to reduce flood risk.

Floodplain mapping and related information

The City of Talent participates in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System. Because of the elevated risk in our area, the City of Talent recommends taking preventive measures to reduce risks in the event of a flood. As a public service, the City of Talent will provide you with the following information upon request:

• Whether a property is in or out of the Flood Hazard Area (FHA) as shown on the current Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) of the County.
• Additional flood insurance data for a site, such as the FIRM zone and the base flood elevation or depth, if shown on the FIRM.
• Flood insurance purchase requirements that can help people who need a mortgage or loan for a property in the SFHA.
• Elevation certificates for new and substantially improved structures in the SFHA since January 1982.
• The City of Talent updates the Flood Insurance Rate Maps as needed when revisions are made to the maps.
• The City also has information regarding FIRM maps, problems not shown on the FIRM, flood depth date, special flood related hazards, historical flood information, and natural floodplain functions.

If you would like to learn more, please tell us the street address (and, if available, the subdivision, lot and block number). We are open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Thursday. Please call Community Development (541-535-1566) or drop by the office at 110 E. Main St. There is no charge for this service. (There is also a lot of information immediately available online through Jackson County: https://jacksoncountyor.gov/departments/development_services/planning/floodplain_management/floodplain_maps.php or FEMA: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home)

Development in or near the Floodplain

It is your obligation to make sure that any development activity (including removing or placing fill) within the floodplain is properly permitted.

The City recently updated one of the key sections of our code that regulates floodplain development. You should reference both Talent Municipal Code 18.85.0202 Floodplain – Parks – Greenway overlay zone at https://talent.municipal.codes/TMC/18.85.020  AND the cities recently revised Chapter 15.15 of the municipal code. Please reference this version.

Potential flood losses include those caused by high velocity flows and erosion, and those caused by the cumulative effect of obstructions in the areas of special flood hazard. 

Floodplain Development Review: To minimize damage to structures and to public, health and safety during flood events, the City of Talent requires all new construction in the floodplain to be elevated at least two foot above the flood elevation. Where no specific elevation exists, new construction must be constructed to the standards outlined in Chapter 15.15 of the Talent Zoning Code. The City of Talent defines a substantial improvement as any repair, reconstruction, or improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds fifty percent (50%) of the market value of the structure either, before the improvement or repair is started; or, if the structure has been damaged and is being restored, before the damage occurred. 

Additional steps you can take to reduce flood risk

A. Know your flood hazard. Especially if your property is near Wagner or Bear Creek, you should know what level of flood risk is present in your area. See Floodplain mapping and related information above. Current Bear Creek flow information is available here: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/USGS-14354200/#dataTypeId=continuous-00065-0&period=P7D&showFieldMeasurements=true

B. Insure your property for your flood hazard. Ask your insurance agent if you are covered for flood damage. Renters should buy flood insurance for their contents.  Take advantage of a low-cost Preferred Risk Policy. If your property is in or near a floodplain, you should have flood insurance. In many cases, lenders require it. More information on the National Flood Insurance Program is here: https://www.cityoftalent.org/development/page/flood-insurance

C. Don’t risk your life, flood waters are dangerous! “Turn around, don’t drown.”

D. Protect your property from flooding. Consider elevating furnaces or other expensive utility equipment. When flood risk is high, the city will make sand bags at the Public Works shop (200 Suncrest Road).

E. Build responsibly.  Get a permit from the City of Talent and use licensed contractors who know the rules.

6. Protect natural floodplain functions. Participate in local river clean-up events to keep our local streams clean and providing helpful habitat, visit: https://www.stream-smart.com/bear-creek-clean-ups/ 

To help you stay safe and informed, you can also learn more about flood preparedness from these resources:

• U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC)
• U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)