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

Sec. 82-33 amends section 1612.4.2 of the Florida Building Code, Building, to set Ocala's freeboard: the minimum elevation for ordinary new construction is the base flood elevation plus one foot (305 mm) or the elevation required by ASCE 24, whichever is higher, adopted under the authority F.S. § 553.73(5) gives cities to strengthen flood-resistance rules for National Flood Insurance Program compliance. New critical facilities, defined in Chapter 90, must clear base flood elevation plus two feet under this section. The residential side of the code carries the same one-foot floor: Sec.

82-33(c) amends Florida Building Code, Residential Section R322.2.1 so that homes in flood hazard areas outside Coastal A Zones must have their lowest floor at or above base flood elevation plus one foot or the design flood elevation, whichever is higher, with a separate rule for AO shallow-flooding zones based on the FIRM depth number plus one foot, or three feet minimum if no depth number is published. Chapter 90's own flood-resistant construction article goes further for critical facilities that fall outside the Florida Building Code's scope: Sec.

90-20(b) requires those to be sited outside the special flood hazard area where feasible, and if no feasible outside site exists, the lowest floor must clear base flood elevation by three feet or the ASCE 24 elevation, whichever is higher, plus floodproofing against toxic-substance release and elevated access routes.