Palm Coast, FL Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)

Palm Coast and Flagler County are within the northeast Florida pine flatwoods ecosystem, characterized by longleaf and slash pine overstory with a saw palmetto, gallberry, fetterbush, and wax myrtle understory - a fuel complex highly susceptible to fast-moving surface and crown fires under drought conditions. The 1998 Florida Wildfires (peak season May-July 1998) consumed approximately 500,000 acres statewide and burned heavily through Flagler County, causing mass evacuations from Palm Coast and the surrounding area. That experience drove the city in 2001 to enact the Wildfire Hazard Mitigation Ordinance codified at Chapter 25, Article IV of the City Code, requiring bush-hog mowing of brush on undeveloped lots within 30 feet of any existing residential structure. The Florida Forest Service (FFS) Bunnell District, covering Flagler, St. Johns, and Putnam counties, is the wildfire authority having jurisdiction; it monitors the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) - a 0-800 soil-moisture-deficit index - and issues pile-burn authorizations under FS Chapter 590 and FAC Chapter 5I-2. Flagler County uses its authority under Chapter 12, Flagler County Code, and FS § 252.38(3) to declare emergency burn bans for seven-day periods (extendable in seven-day intervals). Recent burn bans include June 5-12, 2024 (Flagler County drift-smoke alert), and April 23, 2025, extended through May 14, 2025. During burn bans the activities prohibited countywide include discharge/use of fireworks, sparklers, flares, or other items containing any explosive compound; open burning including the use of fire pits and containers; outdoor cookers and grills unless continuously attended by an adult; throwing matches, cigarettes, or other burning materials from vehicles; and parking vehicles with catalytic converters in high grassy areas. The City of Palm Coast Emergency Management page advises residents to develop a Wildfire Action Plan including a defensible-space buffer, evacuation route, and 72-hour go-bag. The Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) places northeast Florida in a 140-150 mph design wind zone, which influences structural standards but is separate from wildfire mitigation. Palm Coast has not adopted the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) as a separate code, but its Chapter 25, Article IV brush ordinance functions as the city's WUI mitigation framework.