West Palm Beach, FL Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)

Section 18-33(b) of the City Code fixes local elevation standards on top of the Florida Building Code's flood provisions. For any building as defined by the Florida Building Code located in a flood hazard area, the minimum elevation is set per ASCE 24 at the base flood elevation plus two feet, six inches above the nearest crown of road, or the design flood elevation, whichever is higher; the same standard applies specifically to one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses. Outside mapped flood hazard areas, in Zone X, buildings still must sit at or above six inches above the nearest crown of road.

Section 18-33(c) further limits enclosed areas built below the required elevation on residential structures: interior space cannot be partitioned into separate rooms except for stairwells, ramps and elevators, and access openings are limited to garage doors, a standard exterior door for storage, or a stairway/elevator to the living space above. Compliance is checked at two inspection points under Section 18-285(d) and (e): once the lowest floor is placed and before further vertical construction, the owner must submit either a Florida-licensed surveyor's sealed certification of the lowest floor's elevation or documentation of height above highest adjacent grade, and a matching final certification is due as part of the final inspection.

These elevation standards were adopted through Ordinance No. 5116-24, § 3, effective November 24, 2024, and tie into the broader Article VII floodplain rules requiring the base flood elevation itself to be drawn from the Palm Beach County Flood Insurance Study and FIRM, or set at two feet above the highest adjacent grade where no mapped data exists (§ 18-284(b)(3)b).