Program Information

The St. Joseph County Voluntary Floodplain Home Buyout Program is administered by the County’s Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Growth through the Division of Public Works. With assistance of the St. Joseph County Drainage Board and the Emergency Management Agency (SJCEMA), it is funded with two Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants and local matching funds.  The totals for both programs are:

Each program will provide those owners of selected homes with the opportunity to sell their property to the County at its Fair Market Value (FMV), as established by two independent and qualified appraisals.  Once offers are accepted and transaction is completed, the house will then be demolished by the County and returned to open green space in perpetuity in accordance with FEMA guidelines, designed to hold floodwater.

Why Buyouts?

Buyouts are an effective tool for long-term damage reduction.  For homes that were built prior to flood hazard building regulations, buyouts permanently reduce the hazard of the loss of life and property from an future significant flood events.

For the community’s taxpayers, buyouts reduce the future public costs to the County, State, and federal agencies that provide evacuation, emergency shelter, and debris removal services.  In addition, buyouts provide the added benefit of improving local flood storage and conveyance, while enhancing habitats for plants and animals and improving water quality.  

All buyouts for these two programs are strictly voluntary and typically take 1-2 years from start of application process to acquisition and demolition of property.