Clay County, FL Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)
Key Facts
- Elevation standard
- Base flood elevation plus 1 foot, or design flood elevation
- Applies to
- Lowest floors and below-grade basement floors
- Exception
- Non-below-grade enclosed areas follow R322.2.2
- Excluded zone type
- Coastal A Zones use a different standard
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. No. 2014-4, effective Feb. 11, 2014
Summary
Clay County's local amendment to the Florida Building Code, Residential requires the lowest floor of any building in a flood hazard area outside a Coastal A Zone to sit at or above the base flood elevation plus one foot, or the design flood elevation, whichever is higher.
R322.2.1 Elevation requirements. 1.Buildings and structures in flood hazard areas not designated as Coastal A Zones shall have the lowest floors elevated to or above the base flood elevation plus 1 foot or the design flood elevation, whichever is higher.2.Basement floors that are below grade on all sides shall be elevated to or above the base flood elevation plus 1 foot or the design flood elevation, whichever is higher. Exception: Enclosed areas below the design flood elevation, including basements whose floors are not below grade on all sides, shall meet the requirements of Section R322.2.2.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 86).
Full Breakdown
73(5), and was adopted by Ordinance No. 2014-4 on February 11, 2014. 1 requires that buildings and structures in flood hazard areas not designated as Coastal A Zones have their lowest floors elevated to or above the base flood elevation plus one foot, or the design flood elevation, whichever is higher. The same one-foot-above-freeboard standard applies to basement floors that are below grade on all sides. 1. This freeboard requirement works together with § 6-142's flood hazard variance provisions, which route any request to deviate from these elevation standards through the variance procedures of Article XIII of the Clay County Land Development Code, and with § 6-141's bar on using the affidavit-based permitting shortcut to sidestep flood load and flood-resistant construction requirements.
Builders and homeowners in Clay County's mapped flood zones, which include low-lying areas near the St. Johns and Black Creek river systems, must design the finished floor elevation to this local one-foot freeboard standard, not merely to the base flood elevation itself.
Violations & Fines
Constructing a building in a flood hazard area below the required elevation is enforced as a Florida Building Code violation under chapter 6, prosecuted as a second-degree misdemeanor under § 6-5 and punishable under F.S. § 775.082 or § 775.083. The building official may revoke or deny a certificate of occupancy under §§ 6-45 and 6-59 for a structure that fails to meet the elevation requirement of § 6-143.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high above base flood elevation must a new home be built in Clay County?
Does the one-foot freeboard rule apply to basements?
Can I get a variance from Clay County's flood elevation requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clay County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Clay County to another location·View the Florida hurricane preparedness overview
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