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

Chapter 64's Flood Resistant Development article sets the freeboard on top of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's base flood elevation. Section 64.71(A) requires every new building and every substantial improvement inside a Flood Hazard Area to be elevated, or dry floodproofed if it is non-residential, one full foot above the design flood elevation the Florida Building Code assigns to that parcel. Section 64.71(B) then limits what can go in the space that elevation creates underneath a home: access is limited to a garage door for vehicle parking, a standard exterior door for storing maintenance equipment, or a stairway or elevator reaching the living area above, and that enclosed area cannot be temperature controlled, partitioned, or finished into a separate room.

A narrower exception covers detached accessory structures under Section 64.70(B): a one-story shed or garage no larger than 600 square feet can sit below the required elevation if it is used only for parking or storage, carries flood openings meeting Florida Building Code, Residential Section R322.2, is anchored against flotation and lateral movement, and keeps its mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems, along with any flood-damage-resistant materials, above the base flood elevation plus one foot. The Floodplain Administrator, under Section 64.61, reviews development that falls outside the Florida Building Code's own scope but is still regulated by Chapter 64, and can issue a notice of violation or a stop-work order directly to the owner, the owner's agent, or whoever is performing the work.