Orlando, FL Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Citywide freeboard
- 18 in. above street crown minimum
- Applies
- all locations, incl. outside flood hazard areas
- Accessory structures below BFE
- ≤600 sq ft, 1-story only
- Utilities in accessory structures
- BFE + 1 ft. minimum
- Water wells
- 1 ft. above base flood elevation (§63.228(c))
- Design standard
- ASCE 24 for exempt structures
Summary
Orlando requires the lowest floor of every new building, citywide, to sit at least 18 inches above the crown of the nearest street, or higher if the Florida Building Code demands more, under City Code § 63.226(d). This freeboard rule applies at all locations, including outside any mapped special flood hazard area, and comes paired with a site-drainage requirement.
(d)Building elevation and drainage. At all locations in the City, including outside of mapped special flood hazard areas:1.For buildings, lowest floors shall be at or above eighteen (18) inches above the crown of the nearest street or the elevation required by the Florida Building Code, whichever is higher.2.Site plans for new buildings shall account for drainage from adjacent streets and adjacent properties, and shall show positive drainage away from buildings to approved points of collection without creating a hazard or drainage problem on adjacent properties.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 92).
Full Breakdown
226 of the Floodplain Regulations sets the City's building-elevation standards. Subsection (a) requires structures exempt from the Florida Building Code to be designed and built to ASCE 24's flood-load and flood-resistant construction requirements. Subsection (b) allows accessory structures below the base flood elevation only if they're used solely for parking or storage, are one story and no larger than 600 square feet, include Florida Building Code flood openings, are anchored against flotation, and use flood-damage-resistant materials and elevated mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems at least one foot above the base flood elevation.
Subsection (d), the freeboard rule, applies everywhere in the City, not just inside mapped flood hazard areas: every new building's lowest floor must sit at least 18 inches above the crown of the nearest street, or higher if the Florida Building Code's own elevation requirement is greater, and site plans must show positive drainage carrying stormwater away from the building to an approved collection point without creating problems for neighboring properties. Subsection (e) separately requires any area storing hazardous materials to be elevated to or above the Florida Building Code's lowest-floor elevation or dry floodproofed. 231(c) requires elevated above-ground tanks to reach the design flood elevation.
Violations & Fines
Building a new structure with its lowest floor below the 18-inch-above-street-crown minimum, or below the Florida Building Code's flood elevation if that's higher, violates § 63.226(d) and can be cited under § 63.224's floodplain violations provision. The City can deny building-permit sign-off, require plan revisions raising the finished floor elevation, or pursue code enforcement against noncompliant construction, including accessory structures placed below the base flood elevation without meeting subsection (b)'s exemption conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high above the street must a new Orlando building's floor be?
Can I build a storage shed below the base flood elevation in Orlando?
Does Orlando's building-elevation rule apply outside the flood zone?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orlando
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Orlando to another location·View the Florida environmental rules overview
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