Birmingham Local Research

Subsurface conditions outrank the floodplain map

Floodplain status matters where a property sits in a mapped zone, and city floodplain management administers that. The more consequential local factor is geological: much of the area sits over carbonate rock where subsurface dissolution is documented, so a void can develop below a footing with no surface sign. That makes establishing what supports the foundation a real step rather than a formality.

Official sources

• Birmingham floodplain management
• Birmingham stormwater management

Establish what supports the footing first

Citywide records cannot tell you your parcel's flood status, what the ground beneath your footing is, or what is causing the movement above it. Get the first from the city and the rest from an engineer with no stake in the repair.