The Intracoastal Waterway forms the eastern boundary of the City of Palm Coast — the Atlantic-facing barrier island (the Hammock, Hammock Dunes, Marineland) lies east of the ICW in unincorporated Flagler County, NOT in the City of Palm Coast. Florida's Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) under FS Chapter 161 runs through the barrier island, not through Palm Coast city limits. As a result, building seaward of the CCCL is a Flagler County and FDEP matter, not a Palm Coast permitting issue. Coastal-style activities inside Palm Coast — work on the Intracoastal frontage, saltwater canal system, and freshwater canal system — are regulated instead by the city's Land Development Code, the city's floodplain ordinance, SJRWMD Environmental Resource Permits, and US Army Corps of Engineers Section 10/404 permits.
Palm Coast's geography is critical to understanding which agencies regulate what. The city was platted by the ITT Community Development Corporation in 1969-1970 on the Flagler County mainland, with the Intracoastal Waterway as its eastern edge. The land east of the ICW — including the Hammock, Hammock Dunes, Painter's Hill, and Marineland — is unincorporated Flagler County (with limited municipal areas), and that is where the Atlantic-facing sandy beach-dune system and Florida's Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) sit. The CCCL under FS Chapter 161 (Beach and Shore Preservation) represents the landward limit of FDEP jurisdiction over construction that could damage the sandy beach-dune system based on 100-year storm conditions. In Flagler County the CCCL runs through the barrier-island corridor along A1A and is NOT mapped through the City of Palm Coast proper. Use FDEP's Map Direct tool (geodata.dep.state.fl.us) to confirm any specific parcel. Coastal-style activities inside Palm Coast city limits — work in or adjacent to the Intracoastal Waterway, the city's 23+ miles of ITT-era saltwater canals (with ICW access), tidal/brackish reaches, and the ~58 miles of freshwater canals — are instead regulated by: (1) the City of Palm Coast Land Development Code (Municode) and Code of Ordinances; (2) the city's Floodplain Ordinance and Florida Building Code §1612 (BFE + freeboard); (3) SJRWMD Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) under FS 373.4131 and FAC 62-330 for dredging, filling, dock construction, and stormwater treatment; (4) US Army Corps of Engineers Section 10 (Rivers and Harbors Act) and Section 404 (Clean Water Act) permits for work in waters of the United States — the ICW is a federally maintained navigable waterway; (5) State submerged lands authorization (lease, easement, or letter of consent) from the Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund under FS Chapter 253 for any structure on or over sovereign submerged lands. Hurricane Matthew (Oct 7, 2016) and Hurricane Irma (Sept 2017) drove the barrier-island erosion that complicated CCCL-permitted reconstruction east of the ICW.
Construction seaward of the CCCL anywhere in Flagler County (including the barrier island east of the Intracoastal) without a CCCL permit from FDEP is enforceable under FS 161.054 (penalties up to $10,000 per day, plus restoration). Inside Palm Coast city limits, where the CCCL does not run, unpermitted waterfront construction violates the city's Land Development Code plus state ERP and federal Corps permitting; consequences include city Stop Work orders, removal at the owner's expense, fines through the Special Magistrate (up to $500/day under FS 162.09), SJRWMD/FDEP administrative penalties (up to $10,000/day under FS 403.121), and Corps cease-and-desist orders with potential federal criminal exposure under the Clean Water Act.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Palm Coast, FL
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Palm Coast, FL
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Palm Coast, FL
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Palm Coast, FL
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Palm Coast, FL
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Palm Coast, FL
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See how Palm Coast's coastal development rules stack up against other locations.
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