Lee County, FL Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)

Lee County administers its own floodplain management article, Chapter 6, Article IV of the Land Development Code, for every parcel wholly or partly within a FEMA-mapped flood hazard area. Section 6-433 requires anyone proposing development there, including buildings and structures otherwise exempt from the Florida Building Code, to apply to the county's Floodplain Administrator and obtain a floodplain development permit or approval before construction, and no permit issues until the applicant satisfies the article and every other applicable code. For manufactured and replacement manufactured homes, Section 6-493 sets the county's own numeric elevation standard: the lowest floor must sit at or above the base flood elevation plus one foot in ordinary flood hazard areas, or, in a coastal high-hazard area designated Zone V, the bottom of the home's frame must be at or above the base flood elevation plus one foot.

Where FEMA's maps do not list a base flood elevation for a parcel, an 'approximate Zone A' area, Section 6-445 lets the Floodplain Administrator require the applicant to submit engineered elevation data, or set the elevation at two feet above the highest adjacent grade if there is no evidence flooding runs deeper. Before permitting an addition, repair or renovation, Section 6-424 requires the Floodplain Administrator to compare the market value of the structure to the cost of the work; if that comparison shows the project is a 'substantial improvement' or repairs 'substantial damage,' the whole structure must be brought up to the Florida Building Code's current flood-resistant construction standards, not just the new work.