This bill seeks to improve floodplain management in North Dakota by establishing new definitions and responsibilities for local governing bodies, including county commissioners, city governing bodies, and township supervisors. It introduces definitions for "floodplain management" and "floodplain management ordinance," and mandates that any ordinances enacted must be submitted to the Department of Water Resources for a central repository. The bill clarifies that these ordinances will apply to all individuals and properties within the jurisdictions, with specific exceptions for areas under city zoning jurisdiction and Indian country.

Additionally, the bill amends existing laws to integrate floodplain management into emergency management frameworks and allows townships to exercise floodplain management authority through a written resolution. Townships can relinquish this authority back to the county with a notice period of sixty days. The bill also requires townships to defend and indemnify the county against claims related to noncompliance with flood management laws if they revert to county management. Furthermore, it establishes a publicly accessible electronic repository for local floodplain management ordinances and emphasizes that townships do not need to activate their zoning authority before enacting floodplain management ordinances, thereby facilitating a more efficient local governance process.

Statutes affected:
PREFILED: 11-33-03, 40-05-01, 40-47-03, 58-03-12, 61-16.2-02
Adopted by the Senate State and Local Government Committee: 11-33-03, 40-05-01, 40-47-03, 58-03-12, 61-16.2-02
FIRST ENGROSSMENT: 11-33-03, 40-05-01, 40-47-03, 58-03-12, 61-16.2-02
Enrollment: 11-33-03, 40-05-01, 40-47-03, 58-03-12, 61-16.2-02
INTRODUCED: 11-33-03, 40-05-01, 40-47-03, 58-03-12, 61-16.2-02