Lee County, FL Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Section 10-253 governs any parcel inside the 100-year floodplain or land that floods from overland flow on average once every five years or more often. Before subdividing or developing such land, the developer must submit a plan for adequate flood protection covering both sewage systems and areas meant for human occupancy, and the code sets a hard elevation floor: the first habitable floor must sit at least 18 inches above the street centerline elevation, and never less than seven feet above mean sea level, whichever is higher.

Where filling the site removes flood storage capacity, the developer must also submit a compensating storage plan sealed by a professional engineer, built to South Florida Water Management District criteria. The section is explicit that County approval of a flood-protection plan is not a guarantee of safety and creates no County liability if flooding damages the property anyway. Land showing soils, hydrology or vegetation typical of saltwater inundation or freshwater ponding triggers the separate wetlands protection standards of Chapter 14, Article IV, and any parcel touched by the Coastal Construction Control Line under Chapter 6, Article III must show that line on both the site plan and the recorded plat.

Plats and site plans for land governed by the County's flood hazard reduction article, Chapter 6, Article IV, must also print the base flood elevation in NAVD 1988 datum, so a buyer or builder can see the governing number without pulling the FIRM separately.