Environmental Rules in Fort Lauderdale, FL (2026)
4 verified environmental rules for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Every lot and parcel in Fort Lauderdale pays a stormwater management utility fee under Code section 28-195, sorted into one of three customer categories by property type. The fee funds the pipes, canals and retention basins that make up the city's drainage system, and section 28-198 turns an unpaid bill into a property lien.
Fort Lauderdale Stormwater Utility Fee Program
Some RestrictionsFort Lauderdale, FL, Code of Ordinances ch. 28, art. IV, secs. 28-191(b), 28-195(a), 28-198(a) (Ord. No. C-92-34, 7-21-92; Ord. No. C-20-18, 6-16-20)
The city is hereby authorized to impose a stormwater management program assessment to fund the planning, construction, operation, maintenance, and administration of a public stormwater management system upon benefited parcels at a rate of assessment based on the special benefit accruing to such parcel from the provision of a stormwater management system. [...] A stormwater fee is hereby imposed...
Flood Zones
Fort Lauderdale maps its flood hazard areas from the FEMA-based Flood Insurance Study for Broward County and its Flood Insurance Rate Maps, adopted by reference in City Code Sec. 14-3. Any development, wholly or partly inside a mapped flood hazard area, needs a floodplain development permit from the floodplain administrator under Sec. 14-5 before work begins.
Fort Lauderdale Flood Hazard Area Development Permits
Some RestrictionsFort Lauderdale Code of Ordinances ch. 14, sec. 14-3(b)-(c) (Ord. No. C-14-26, § 2, 6-17-14; Ord. No. C-22-13, § 28, 4-19-22; Ord. No. C-23-46, § 2, 12-19-23)
Sec. 14-3. - Applicability. (b)Areas to which this chapter applies. This chapter shall apply to all flood hazard areas within the City of Fort Lauderdale as established in section 14-3(c) of this chapter.(c)Basis for establishing flood hazard areas. The Flood Insurance Study for Broward County, Florida and Incorporated Areas dated August 18, 2014, and all subsequent amendments and revisions, an...
Boat Dock Permits
Fort Lauderdale prohibits private docks on city-owned waterway frontage, including street ends, municipal parks and licensed dock areas, unless the city commission grants a dock permit by resolution under Code of Ordinances Sec. 8-144. Only owners of a qualifying upland parcel directly across the street from that public property may apply, and the permit requires an administrative fee, a recorded survey, and a covenant running with the land.
Fort Lauderdale Dock Permits on Public Waterway Property
Significant RestrictionsFort Lauderdale, FL, Code of Ordinances ch. 8, art. IV, div. 2, Sec. 8-144 (Private use of public property abutting waterways)
The city commission, by resolution duly adopted, may grant a dock permit for the use by private persons of certain public property abutting or touching a waterway, including some public property described in section 8-143 as set forth herein, except: (i) areas being utilized as municipal docks for which docking fees are being charged and collected and those areas under license by the city; (ii)...
Flood Elevation Requirements
Buildings and structures in Fort Lauderdale that are exempt from the Florida Building Code, including substantial improvements, must be designed and built to the flood-resistant construction requirements of ASCE 24 under Code Sec. 14-10(a). Critical facilities that must sit in a special flood hazard area face a tougher bar under Sec. 14-11(4): elevation to the base flood elevation plus three feet, or the 500-year flood elevation, whichever is higher.
Fort Lauderdale Base Flood Elevation Construction Rule
Some RestrictionsFort Lauderdale Code of Ordinances ch. 14, secs. 14-10(a), 14-11(4) (Ord. No. C-14-26, § 2, 6-17-14; Ord. No. C-17-06, § 3, 4-4-17; Ord. No. C-23-46, § 1, 12-19-23)
Sec. 14-10(a): Design and construction of buildings, structures and facilities exempt from the Florida Building Code. Pursuant to section 14-5(c) of this chapter, buildings, structures, and facilities that are exempt from the Florida Building Code, including substantial improvement or repair of substantial damage of such buildings, structures and facilities, shall be designed and constructed in...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Fort Lauderdale city rules.
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