Highlands County, FL Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)
Key Facts
- Default elevation
- 2 ft above highest adjacent grade, Zone A
- Applies when
- FIRM shows Zone A with no published BFE
- First choice
- Applicant-supplied engineering data preferred
- Larger parcels
- 50+ lots or 5+ acres need established BFE
- Administered by
- Floodplain administrator, Development Services
Summary
Where FEMA's flood maps mark a Highlands County property as an approximate Zone A but give no base flood elevation, the floodplain administrator must still pin down a design elevation before a storm-damaged or new structure can be rebuilt. Highlands County Code § 12.12.505(B) defaults to two feet above the highest adjacent grade when no better engineering data exists.
B.Information in flood hazard areas without base flood elevations (approximate Zone A). Where flood hazard areas are delineated on the FIRM and base flood elevation data have not been provided, the floodplain administrator shall:1.Require the applicant to include base flood elevation data prepared in accordance with currently accepted engineering practices.2.Obtain, review, and provide to applicants base flood elevation and floodway data available from a federal or state agency or other source ... 3.Where base flood elevation and floodway data are not available from another source ... b.Specify that the base flood elevation is two feet above the highest adjacent grade at the location of the development, provided there is no evidence indicating flood depths have been or may be greater than two feet.
Full Breakdown
505 requires site plans and construction documents for flood hazard area development to delineate flood zones, base flood elevations and ground elevations, and it applies extra scrutiny when a parcel has more than 50 lots or exceeds five acres. Subsection (B) addresses the common post-storm rebuilding problem of a lot mapped in approximate Zone A with no published base flood elevation: the floodplain administrator must first require the applicant to develop base flood elevation data using accepted engineering practices, then try to obtain that data from a federal or state agency, and only if no such data exists and no better information is available may the administrator fall back on the two-foot-above-highest-adjacent-grade default, so long as there is no evidence that flood depths in the area have run deeper than two feet.
Subsection (C) adds that any development inside a designated floodway needs an engineer-certified encroachment analysis proving it will not raise base flood elevations, and any hydrologic or hydraulic study used to change a base flood elevation, floodway boundary, or flood hazard area line must go to FEMA for a letter of map change, at the applicant's cost. 511(B), giving builders in unmapped Zone A areas a concrete number to design and rebuild to during hurricane recovery.
Violations & Fines
A structure built without the elevation data required by section 12.12.505 or without the elevation certificate documenting compliance is presumed to be in violation of the Floodplain Management Ordinance under section 12.12.508, and the floodplain administrator may issue a stop-work order or notice of violation; continuing work after such notice subjects the responsible party to penalties prescribed by law.
Frequently Asked Questions
My FIRM shows my Highlands County lot in Zone A with no elevation number. What elevation do I build to?
Do I have to pay for a flood study to rebuild after a storm?
What if my rebuild is in a mapped floodway rather than approximate Zone A?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Highlands County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Highlands County to another location·View the Florida hurricane preparedness overview
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