Highlands County, FL Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)
FEMA flood zone rules in Highlands County, FL, also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules, determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Key Facts
- Basis for flood maps
- FIS for Highlands County, dated Nov. 18, 2015
- Permit required for
- Any development wholly/partly in a flood hazard area
- Records location
- Development Services, 501 S. Commerce Ave., Sebring
- Kissimmee River overlay
- 1 dwelling unit per 10 gross acres, unvested land
- Exempt buildings still permitted
- Farm buildings, chickees still need flood permit
Summary
Any development wholly or partly inside a mapped flood hazard area in unincorporated Highlands County, from subdividing land to installing a pool, falls under the county's Floodplain Management Ordinance. Highlands County Code §§ 12.12.500(B) and 12.12.504(A) require a flood hazard development permit or approval before that work can begin, issued by the floodplain administrator and building official together.
B.Scope. The provisions of this division shall apply to all development that is wholly within or partially within any flood hazard area, including but not limited to the subdivision of land; filling, grading, and other site improvements and utility installations; construction, alteration, remodeling, enlargement, improvement, replacement, repair, relocation or demolition of buildings, structures, and facilities that are exempt from the Florida Building Code ... and any other development. ... A.Permits required. Any owner or owner's authorized agent (hereinafter "applicant") who intends to undertake any development activity within the scope of this division, including buildings, structures and facilities exempt from the Florida Building Code, which is wholly within or partially within any flood hazard area shall first make application to the floodplain administrator, and the building official if applicable, and shall obtain the required permit(s) and/or approval(s). No such permit or approval shall be issued until compliance with the requirements of this division and all other applicable codes and regulations has been satisfied.
Full Breakdown
501 applies the ordinance to all flood hazard areas established by the Flood Insurance Study for Highlands County and Incorporated Areas, dated November 18, 2015, and its accompanying flood insurance rate maps, which are adopted by reference and kept on file at the Development Services Department, 501 South Commerce Avenue, Sebring. Where field-surveyed topography shows ground below the applicable base flood elevation, even outside a mapped special flood hazard area, the property is still treated as a flood hazard area subject to the ordinance. S.
Army Corps of Engineers, FDEP and the South Florida Water Management District for tracts over 20 acres or land clearing over ten acres. 504(C) establishes the flood hazard development permit itself: for subdivisions and manufactured home parks the application goes to the county engineer with the improvement plan, while for individual structures it accompanies the final site plan, and no structure or land may be located, extended, converted or altered without full compliance. 504(D) if they sit in a flood hazard area.
Violations & Fines
Under section 12.12.508, any development regulated by the ordinance that proceeds without a permit, conflicts with an issued permit, or fails to fully comply is a violation, and a structure lacking required elevation documentation or design certifications is presumed to be in violation until the paperwork is produced. The floodplain administrator can issue a notice of violation or a stop-work order, and anyone who continues work after being served faces penalties prescribed by law.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a county permit to install a pool if my lot is in a flood zone?
How does the county decide which properties are in a flood hazard area?
Are there special rules for land along the Kissimmee River?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Highlands County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Highlands County to another location·View the Florida environmental rules overview
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