Floodplain Bylaw Update 2025

New Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and Flood Insurance Studies (FIS) reports will become effective on July 8, 2025.  

Dunstable needs to adopt these maps and make sure that our floodplain regulations meet the minimum NFIP requirements before that date.  The spring Town Meeting, to be held on May 12th, will contain Article#19 on the warrant for consideration and approval.  

See the "Article_21_Floodplain-ProposedBylaw_041425.pdf" attachment below for the proposed amendment content.

See https://www.dunstable-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4361/f/uploads/zoning_bylaws_complete_amended_7-17-24_2.pdf section 15.2. Floodplain District for the existing bylaw.

Resources for the Community

See the Map Changes: See how the flood zones are changing in your area, use the FEMA Region 1 Pending vs Effective NFHL Tool (zoom in to your location and you can drag the vertical bar in the middle to see the changes)

• Info for Homeowners:  How these map changes might affect flood insurance, see the FEMA | NFIP Map Changes and Flood Insurance: What Property Owners Need to Know Brochure. 
  • You can order free printed copies from FEMA.  
  • You can also find helpful information on flood insurance from floodsmart.gov
• The Big Picture: Need all the details about how these maps are made? Go to the FEMA Region 1 - Flood Map Updates Guide. It explains everything about the mapping process.
• Rules and Regulations: Have questions about the regulation updates? Go to the 2020 MA Model Floodplain Bylaw. Section 4 has all the details. 
  • See FAQ document that answers common questions about the bylaw,
• Open House: FEMA's going to hold a few opens houses soon to explain all of this to people in your communities. Contact the Planning Board via mailto:[email protected] for information about those to be scheduled meetings.

• Download the new maps: FEMA just published the new FIRMs and FIS dated July 8, 2025. Those can be found on the FEMA Map Service Center using the “Search All Products” feature. The new maps will be under the “Pending Tab”.

  • **For communities in Worcester County, the maps are not appearing when you search for your community, so you will have to search for “Worcester County All Jurisdictions” in the meantime. You can then download the specific FIRMs that cover your community. If you would like a list of FIRMs for your community, please let me know. FEMA is aware and is working on this issue.