Coastal Georgia Roof Wind-Code & FEMA Flood-Zone Reference
A free, by-area reference of the ultimate design wind speeds and FEMA flood zones that bear on roofing across Savannah and Coastal Georgia — spanning Chatham, Bryan, Effingham, Liberty, Glynn, and Bulloch counties. Every row states where its figure came from, links the county building department and the FEMA FIRM map you can check it against, and shows an em-dash where we have no sourced figure at all.
Ultimate design wind speed (mph)
The ultimate design wind speed is the 3-second-gust wind the structure must be designed to resist under ASCE 7, as adopted by the Georgia building code. For roofing it drives the fastening pattern: a 130–140 mph zone calls for a 6-nail pattern on every shingle, ring-shank nails, sealed hip-and-ridge cap, and reinforced starter strips — baseline coastal specs, not upgrades. Read the small print under each figure before you rely on it: a linked county or city document means the jurisdiction publishes that number itself, a plan-submittal label means the city asks for plans designed to that figure without saying whether it is an ultimate or a basic speed, and an italic note means it is the figure from our own area page rather than a code citation.
FEMA flood zone (AE / VE / X)
FEMA flood zones come from the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). AE is a 1%-annual-chance Special Flood Hazard Area; VE is the highest coastal tier with velocity wave action; X is outside the mapped high-risk floodplain. Flood zone governs the lowest finished floor — but in AE/VE the roof becomes the first defense against wind-driven rain. Flood zone is parcel-specific; always confirm yours on the FIRM map.
By-Area Wind-Code & Flood-Zone Reference
Where an area has no published flood-zone designation in our data, the FEMA column shows an em-dash (“—”) and defers to the FEMA FIRM map and county building department — we never assert a zone we cannot source. The wind column works the same way: a linked county or city document means the jurisdiction publishes that figure itself, a plan-submittal label means the city requires plans designed to that figure but does not say whether it is an ultimate speed (so we do not print it as one), an italic note means it is the number carried on our own area page and has not been checked against a published design criterion, and an em-dash means we have no sourced figure and you should ask the building department.
| Area | Ultimate design wind speed (mph) | FEMA flood zone | Source / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Savannah (Chatham County)Chatham County | — per Chatham County building deptNo sourced figure. We found no design wind speed published by Chatham County or the City of Savannah, so we do not print one. The design wind speed on your permit governs — confirm the figure with Chatham County Building Safety, or with the City of Savannah inside city limits, before you specify a fastening schedule. | —Parcel-specific — verify on the FEMA FIRM map; downtown river blocks differ from inland. | Savannah (Chatham County) roofingChatham County code |
| Tybee IslandChatham County | 140 mphultimate design wind speed under ASCE 7-16; exposure category D on oceanfrontAs stated on our own Tybee Island page — not verified against a design criterion published by Chatham County. Confirm before specifying. | AE / VEMost of the island sits in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas AE or VE. | Tybee Island roofingChatham County code |
| Wilmington IslandChatham County | 140 mphultimate (Bull River / marsh-front exposure)As stated on our own Wilmington Island page — not verified against a design criterion published by Chatham County. Confirm before specifying. | —Many marsh- and Bull River-facing 31410 parcels carry coastal flood designations — verify the parcel on the FIRM map. | Wilmington Island roofingChatham County code |
| Whitemarsh IslandChatham County | 140 mphultimate (tidal-creek marsh corridor)As stated on our own Whitemarsh Island page — not verified against a design criterion published by Chatham County. Confirm before specifying. | —Many 31410 parcels along the tidal creeks carry coastal FEMA flood designations — verify the parcel on the FIRM map. | Whitemarsh Island roofingChatham County code |
| Isle of HopeChatham County | 140 mphultimate wind zone (very high salt exposure)As stated on our own Isle of Hope page — not verified against a design criterion published by Chatham County. Confirm before specifying. | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Isle of Hope roofingChatham County code |
| Skidaway Island / The LandingsChatham County | 140 mphultimate design wind zoneAs stated on our own Skidaway Island / The Landings page — not verified against a design criterion published by Chatham County. Confirm before specifying. | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Skidaway Island / The Landings roofingChatham County code |
| Dutch IslandChatham County | 140 mphultimate wind (Skidaway Narrows dock-front)As stated on our own Dutch Island page — not verified against a design criterion published by Chatham County. Confirm before specifying. | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Dutch Island roofingChatham County code |
| Garden CityChatham County | — per Chatham County building deptWind-borne-debris region, but no sourced wind speed: we found no published design wind speed for Garden City or Chatham County, so we do not print one. The design wind speed on your permit governs — confirm the figure with the City of Garden City inside city limits, or with Chatham County Building Safety outside them, before you specify a fastening schedule. | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map; confirm city vs. county jurisdiction. | Garden City roofingChatham County code |
| Port WentworthChatham County | — per Chatham County building deptCoastal wind-borne-debris jurisdiction, but no sourced wind speed: we found no published design wind speed for Port Wentworth or Chatham County, so we do not print one. The design wind speed on your permit governs — confirm the figure with the City of Port Wentworth inside city limits, or with Chatham County Building Safety outside them, before you specify a fastening schedule. | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Port Wentworth roofingChatham County code |
| BloomingdaleChatham County | — per Chatham County building deptNo sourced figure (rural western Chatham, ZIP 31302). We found no published design wind speed for Bloomingdale or Chatham County, so we do not print one. The design wind speed on your permit governs — confirm the figure with Chatham County Building Safety before you specify a fastening schedule. | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Bloomingdale roofingChatham County code |
| Richmond HillBryan County | — no ultimate figure foundPlan-submittal requirement (ultimate or basic not stated):130 MPH wind zoneThe City of Richmond Hill asks for architectural plans "designed to meet the 130 MPH wind zone, stamped and signed by an engineer and/or architect". Its permit packet does not say whether 130 MPH is an ultimate or a basic wind speed, so we do not print it as an ultimate figure. This applies to permits the city issues; we found no published figure for unincorporated Bryan County.City of Richmond Hill Residential Building Permit Application Packet | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Richmond Hill roofingBryan County code |
| Ford PlantationBryan County | — per Bryan County building deptNo sourced figure (Ogeechee River salt corridor). We found no design wind speed published by Bryan County, so we do not print one. The design wind speed on your permit governs — confirm the figure with the office that issues your permit before you specify a fastening schedule. | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Ford Plantation roofingBryan County code |
| PembrokeBryan County | — per Bryan County building deptNo sourced figure (inland North Bryan, ZIP 31321). We found no published design wind speed for Pembroke or Bryan County, so we do not print one. The design wind speed on your permit governs — confirm the figure with the office that issues your permit before you specify a fastening schedule. | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Pembroke roofingBryan County code |
| Kilkenny BluffBryan County | 140 mphultimate wind (Kilkenny Creek deepwater dock community)As stated on our own Kilkenny Bluff page — not verified against a design criterion published by Bryan County. Confirm before specifying. | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Kilkenny Bluff roofingBryan County code |
| RinconEffingham County | 130 mphultimate design wind speed published by Effingham County for the region, Exposure CEffingham County Building Application Requirements | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Rincon roofingEffingham County code |
| GuytonEffingham County | 130 mphultimate design wind speed published by Effingham County, Exposure C — inside Guyton city limits the City of Guyton issues the permitEffingham County Building Application Requirements | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Guyton roofingEffingham County code |
| SpringfieldEffingham County | 130 mphultimate design wind speed published by Effingham County, Exposure C (inland; surge is not the governing hazard)Effingham County Building Application Requirements | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Springfield roofingEffingham County code |
| HinesvilleLiberty County | — per Liberty County building deptNo sourced figure. We have not read a published ultimate design wind speed for Liberty County — ask the county building department before you specify a fastening schedule. | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Hinesville roofingLiberty County code |
| Hampton Island PreserveLiberty County | 140 mphultimate wind zone (North Newport River corridor)As stated on our own Hampton Island Preserve page — not verified against a design criterion published by Liberty County. Confirm before specifying. | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Hampton Island Preserve roofingLiberty County code |
| BrunswickGlynn County | 140 mphultimate wind zone under ASCE 7 (coastal A zone; ZIPs 31520, 31525)As stated on our own Brunswick page — not verified against a design criterion published by Glynn County. Confirm before specifying. | AE / VEBay Street Marina, riverfront blocks, and most of downtown fall in FEMA AE, with VE wrapping the immediate waterfront. | Brunswick roofingGlynn County code |
| StatesboroBulloch County | 118 mphStated by the City of Statesboro in its note on IRC R301.2.1.1, the wind-design limit set by the ultimate design wind speed: "Statesboro is generally at 118mph & not in a special hazard area". From its summary of the 2024 codes it enforces beginning January 1, 2026. Applies to permits the City of Statesboro issues, not to unincorporated Bulloch County, for which we found no published figure.City of Statesboro Building Inspections — Residential Code Updates | —Verify the parcel on the FEMA FIRM map. | Statesboro roofingBulloch County code |
What Each Figure Means for Roofing
Inland & suburban (Chatham/Bryan/Effingham/Liberty)
Mainland figures differ by jurisdiction. Effingham County publishes “130 M.P.H. (ultimate)”, Exposure C, as its own requirement, and further inland the City of Statesboro says “Statesboro is generally at 118mph”. For Chatham, Liberty and the rest of Bryan (the City of Richmond Hill's plan-submittal figure is in its row) we found no published design wind speed, so the design wind speed on your permit governs — confirm it with the county building department. Fastening pattern: 6-nail on every shingle, ring-shank nails, sealed hip-and-ridge cap, reinforced starter strips. Synthetic or peel-and-stick underlayment handles the long-duration tropical rain that arrives with these systems.
Barrier islands & direct-coast (Tybee, Wilmington, Brunswick)
Open-coastline exposure pushes the design wind speed to 140 mph (exposure category D on oceanfront). The fastening floor is the same 6-nail pattern, plus marine-grade fasteners — 316 stainless and Galvalume substrate — because salt drift, not just wind, decides how long the assembly lasts.
FEMA AE / VE flood footprint
In a Special Flood Hazard Area, the roof is the building's first line of defense before surge reaches the wall sheathing. Penetration sealing assumes horizontal wind-driven rain, ridge venting uses storm collars, and rooftop equipment gets stainless tie-downs. Always confirm your parcel on the FIRM map.
Sources & Methodology
The framework behind this page is the ASCE 7-16 ultimate design wind speed adopted under the Georgia building code, together with the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) — both adopted and enforced locally by the county building departments of Chatham, Bryan, Effingham, Liberty, Glynn, and Bulloch. What this page is not is a reproduction of the ASCE 7-16 wind map itself, which we have not licensed.
A note on accuracy: two jurisdictions in this table publish their own figure, and their rows link straight to it — Effingham County states that “the new wind requirement for our region is 130 M.P.H. (ultimate)”, Exposure C, and the City of Statesboro that “Statesboro is generally at 118mph & not in a special hazard area”. A third, the City of Richmond Hill, requires plans “designed to meet the 130 MPH wind zone” but does not say whether that is an ultimate or a basic speed, so its row shows a plan-submittal requirement and an em-dash in the ultimate column. Every other wind figure here is the number carried on our own area page: it is what we build to, not a code citation, and those rows say so in as many words. Where we have no sourced figure at all, the column shows an em-dash and defers to the county building department — we do not estimate, round, or guess. Design criteria and flood maps are revised periodically; for permitting or design, verify the current figure for your exact parcel with the authorities below.
Jurisdiction documents quoted in the table
- Effingham County — Building Application Requirements — Guyton, Rincon and Springfield: 130 mph (ultimate), Exposure C. Read September 29, 2026.
- City of Statesboro Building Inspections — Residential Code Updates (2024 codes, beginning January 1, 2026) — permits the City of Statesboro issues: “Statesboro is generally at 118mph”. Read September 29, 2026.
- City of Richmond Hill — Residential Building Permit Application Packet — permits the City of Richmond Hill issues: plans “designed to meet the 130 MPH wind zone” — a plan-submittal requirement that does not say ultimate or basic. Read September 29, 2026.
Wind-Code & Flood-Zone FAQ
What ultimate (ASCE 7) design wind speed applies to a roof in Chatham County, GA?
We found no design wind speed published by Chatham County or the City of Savannah, so the table prints no figure for Savannah or the mainland Chatham rows — the design wind speed on your permit governs. The county sits inside the coastal wind-borne-debris region; the barrier islands closest to open water — Tybee, Wilmington Island, and Isle of Hope — carry 140 mph, rising to 150 mph on the most exposed lots. We have not read those figures in a design criterion published by Chatham County, so treat them as the numbers we build to rather than a code citation, and confirm the figure for your parcel with the Chatham County building department before specifying fasteners.
Why are the barrier islands rated at 140 mph?
Open-coastline exposure. Our Tybee Island page carries a 140 mph ultimate design wind speed under ASCE 7-16 with exposure category D on most oceanfront lots, and Brunswick (Glynn County) likewise carries 140 mph in a coastal-A zone — figures we have not verified against a criterion published by Chatham or Glynn County, so confirm them with the building department before specifying. The principle behind them is not in doubt: the closer a roof sits to unobstructed water, the higher the design wind speed and the more demanding the fastening pattern — 6-nail with ring-shank nails rather than the older 4-nail builder standard.
What do FEMA flood zones AE, VE, and X mean for my roof?
Flood mapping mostly governs the lowest finished floor, not the roof itself — but the two are connected on the coast. AE is a Special Flood Hazard Area (1%-annual-chance flood). VE is the highest-hazard coastal tier, with velocity wave action. X is outside the mapped high-risk floodplain. In an AE/VE footprint — like Tybee Island or the Brunswick waterfront — the roof becomes the first line of defense against wind-driven rain before surge reaches the wall sheathing, so penetration sealing and storm-collar venting matter more. Look up your exact zone on the FEMA FIRM map.
How was this reference compiled, and where do the numbers come from?
Row by row, and the table says which. Two jurisdictions publish their own figure, and those rows link straight to the document: Effingham County — "The new wind requirement for our region is 130 M.P.H. (ultimate)", Exposure C — for Guyton, Rincon, and Springfield, and the City of Statesboro, whose note on the ultimate-design-wind-speed provision says "Statesboro is generally at 118mph & not in a special hazard area". The City of Richmond Hill asks for plans "designed to meet the 130 MPH wind zone" without saying whether that is an ultimate or a basic speed, so its row shows it as a plan-submittal requirement, not an ultimate figure. Every other wind figure is the number our own area page carries: it is what we build to rather than a code citation, and those rows say so. Where we have no sourced figure at all, the wind column shows an em-dash and sends you to the county building department, and the FEMA column follows the same rule. We would rather print a dash than a number we cannot stand behind.
Does a higher wind code mean a more expensive roof?
It changes the fastening spec more than the headline price. A 130 mph or 140 mph ultimate design wind speed calls for a 6-nail pattern on every shingle, ring-shank nails, sealed hip-and-ridge cap, and reinforced starter strips at every eave and rake. Those are baseline coastal specifications, not premium upgrades. The cost difference over a builder-grade 4-nail install is modest; the difference in how the roof performs in a tropical system is not.
Pair This With the Storm Record
Wind code tells you what a roof is designed to resist; the storm record shows what actually happened. See our Coastal Georgia storm roof-damage field report for neighborhood-by-storm damage, the hurricane roof preparation guide for the pre-season checklist, or browse all our Coastal Georgia roofing guides.
Want to Know Your Exact Wind Code and Flood Zone?
Request a no-obligation project estimate, or ask whether the separate $250 documented homeowner inspection can include parcel-specific wind and flood references for your agreed report scope.
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