Gulfport, FL Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Sec. 01 of the floodplain management ordinance splits elevation duties between two standards. Buildings and structures the Florida Building Code covers, including substantial improvements or repairs of substantial damage, must meet the flood load and flood-resistant construction requirements of the Florida Building Code itself, per subsection (a). Buildings, structures, and facilities exempt from the Florida Building Code under Sec. 03, such as railroads, farm buildings, and temporary construction sheds, instead follow ASCE 24 under subsection (b). 2; in coastal high hazard Zone V/VE, they cannot sit below an elevated building and cannot exceed 100 square feet.

Every qualifying accessory structure must be anchored against flotation and lateral movement, built of flood damage-resistant materials below base flood elevation plus one foot, and have its mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems, including fixtures, elevated to or above base flood elevation plus one foot. Sec. 02 defines freeboard as the added height above a flood level, such as base flood elevation, built in as a safety factor against unknown risks like wave action and urbanization effects. The design flood elevation used in these calculations follows the community's FEMA flood hazard map, with Zone AO defaulting to two feet of depth where the map lists no depth number.