Hillsborough County, FL Environmental Rules: Coastal Development (2026)

Hillsborough County is not among the 25 Florida counties with a state-designated Coastal Construction Control Line under F.S. 161.053; the program applies only where Gulf or Atlantic sandy beaches face open-ocean storm wave fields, and Hillsborough's shoreline is interior Tampa Bay. Coastal development is therefore regulated locally rather than by FDEP CCCL permits. Land Development Code Part 3.04.00 sets the Coastal High Hazard Area (CHHA) framework, with the CHHA defined as the area below the Category 1 SLOSH storm surge line. Future Land Use Policy 6.01.8 (Plan Hillsborough Comprehensive Plan) prohibits new hospitals, nursing homes, adult congregate living facilities, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and long-term acute care facilities inside the CHHA, with a narrow exemption for freestanding emergency rooms. Construction in the Special Flood Hazard Area (V Zones, Coastal A Zones, AE Zones) must comply with the Hillsborough County Construction Code (County Code Chapter 8), the Land Development Code, ASCE 24 (Flood Resistant Design and Construction), the 2023 Florida Building Code, and the National Flood Insurance Program; the most restrictive standard applies. Three elevation certificates are required: at construction-drawing submittal, after foundation, and before certificate of occupancy (signed and sealed site plans or foundation surveys may substitute). V Zones, Coastal A Zones, and parcels with muck or organic soils, erosion, or scour issues may trigger a geotechnical report by a Florida Registered Professional Engineer. Below-elevation enclosed areas are limited to vehicle parking, building access, or storage, must use flood-resistant materials, and must be equipped with engineered flood vents to automatically equalize hydrostatic pressure; enclosures cannot be finished into separate, temperature-controlled rooms when 6+ feet above grade. Construction in regulatory floodways requires a no-rise impact analysis, and manufactured homes are generally prohibited in floodways. Commercial buildings may use dry floodproofing with a Floodproofing Certificate from a registered Florida engineer or architect. The 2023 FBC ultimate design wind speed (Vult) for Hillsborough is approximately 140 mph in much of the county (Wind-Borne Debris Region threshold), driving impact-rated opening protection requirements under FBC R301.2.1.2. Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace administer their own coastal/flood codes within their incorporated boundaries.