Coral Gables, FL Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)
Key Facts
- Critical facilities
- 500-year flood elevation + 1 ft
- Ordinary buildings
- ASCE 24 base flood elevation
- Enforcer
- Development Services floodplain administrator
- Governing law
- Ch. 113, Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 2021-18, 3-23-2021
Summary
Coral Gables requires critical facilities in flood hazard areas to be elevated or dry floodproofed to the 500-year flood elevation plus one foot, a foot above the state's base-flood minimum.
Critical facilities. Critical facilities shall be elevated or dry floodproofed to or above the 500-year (0.2 percent) flood elevation plus one foot.(7)Cumulative substantial improvement. In the Florida Building Code, Building and Florida Building Code, Existing Building, Section 202 definitions for the term "substantial improvement" shall be as follows: Substantial improvement. Any combination of repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, alteration, addition, or other improvement of a building or structure taking place during a five-year period, the cumulative cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the building or structure before the improvement or repair is started. The period of accumulation begins when the first improvement or repair of each building is permitted. If the structure has incurred "substantial damage," any repairs are considered substantial improvement regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not, however, include either:
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Fee Schedule: Supplement 2 | Zoning Code: Supplement 1 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 25 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
The city's Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (Ch. 113) locally amends the Florida Building Code's flood provisions. Ordinary buildings need only meet the ASCE 24 base flood elevation standard adopted statewide, but hospitals, police and fire stations, emergency operations centers, and other critical facilities must clear the rarer 500-year (0.2-percent-annual-chance) flood elevation plus one foot of freeboard. The floodplain administrator, housed in the Development Services Department at 405 Biltmore Way, reviews FEMA elevation certificates at foundation and final inspection and can require a registered design professional's sealed design before a permit issues.
Violations & Fines
Building without the required elevation certification is presumed a code violation; the floodplain administrator can issue stop-work orders and notices of violation, with penalties as prescribed by law for unlawful continuance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a "critical facility" under Coral Gables' flood rules?
Does the extra one-foot freeboard apply to ordinary homes?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coral Gables
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Coral Gables to another location·View the Florida hurricane preparedness overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Flood Elevation in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Miami-Dade County handle flood elevation.