Pinellas County, FL Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Section 158-22 applies chapter 158 to flood hazard areas within all unincorporated Pinellas County, county-owned property/easements/rights-of-way outside the unincorporated area, and any activity affecting floodplains in those areas. Section 158-23 adopts the FEMA flood insurance study for Pinellas County dated August 24, 2021, and the accompanying flood insurance rate maps (FIRM) by reference as the minimum basis for the flood hazard determination, supplemented by locally determined data such as the county's stormwater master plan and the RESTORE Act Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Vulnerability Assessment (2021) when conflicts arise.

Under § 158-61, no land or structure may be developed in a flood hazard area until zoning clearances, building permits, land development permits, habitat permits and other approvals are issued, and more restrictive state or local rules take precedence. Section 158-62 requires a floodplain development permit or approval for development activity not subject to the Florida Building Code, including exempt buildings/structures, and the floodplain administrator may require a floodplain permit in addition to a building permit depending on the project. The board of county commissioners' findings of fact in § 158-44 explain the rationale: floodprone lands store and convey floodwater, recharge groundwater, and regulate flood elevation and discharge timing, and unmanaged development in them raises the risk of loss of life, property damage, and expensive rescue and infrastructure-repair costs.

A building lacking documentation of the lowest-floor elevation or other required design certifications is presumed to be in violation until that documentation is supplied (§ 158-131).