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Delray Beach · Palm Beach County

What flood zone is Delray Beach in, and what does it require?

BFE +1 ft (state code)no extra city freeboard for buildings found

Delray Beach keeps its flood rules in Chapter 10 of the land development regulations, uses the plain 50% substantial-improvement test, and lets owners add freeboard above the minimum under LDR Section 4.3.4(J)(2). Manufactured homes go to BFE plus 1 foot. Chapter 10 pairs the flood rules with the city's coastal construction rules, so beachfront projects answer to both halves of that chapter.

Source: Delray Beach Land Development Regulations Ch. 10 Flood Damage Control Districts and Coastal Construction; FEMA Community Status Book, Florida (www.fema.gov/cis/FL.html, report 10/03/2026); 2023 Florida Building Code, Residential R322.2.1, R322.3.2; 44 CFR 59.1; FEMA Flood Map Service Center · Verified 2026-10

The detail

Substantial improvement / damage50 percent of market value, no cumulative period - LDR Ch. 10 definitions (Ord. No. 32-16).
Manufactured homesBottom of lowest horizontal member at BFE plus one foot or the FBC level, whichever is higher - LDR 10.3.4(D).
Extra freeboard'Additional freeboard elevation is allowed per Section 4.3.4(J)(2)' - LDR 10.3.4(D).
Manufactured-home enclosuresEnclosed areas below elevated manufactured homes follow FBC Residential R322.2 or R322.3 - LDR 10.3.4(E).
More trigger points$517,000 building value -> $258,500 trigger.
FEMA flood mapFEMA's Community Status Book (report dated 3 Oct 2026) lists Delray Beach as NFIP community 125102 with a current effective FIRM dated 20 Dec 2024. Zones are set parcel by parcel, so no single zone covers the whole city - check your own address.
NFIP historyFEMA record: first FIRM 9 Apr 1971; regular NFIP program since 9 Apr 1971; entered CRS 1 Oct 1994.
Flood insurance discountCRS class 6 - 20% off NFIP premiums for policies in the Special Flood Hazard Area (class in effect 1 Oct 2020).
State minimum2023 Florida Building Code, Residential R322.2.1 and R322.3.2 - lowest floor (A zones) or bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member (V and Coastal A zones) at BFE + 1 ft or the design flood elevation, whichever is higher.
Look up your zoneEnter the address in FEMA's Flood Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov), the official public source for FIRMs; an elevation certificate shows how your floor compares with the BFE.

Your city's height sheet

The elevation your city requires, the datum it is measured in, and the section of code that says so. One page.

Available for the cities whose rule we have verified and sourced.

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The county rule behind this

What applies across Palm Beach County, and where each city departs from it.

Palm Beach CountySeawall requirements county-wide

The same question, nearby

The rule changes at the city line, not the county line.

Palm BeachBoca RatonPalm BeachJupiterPalm BeachWest Palm Beach

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Twelve signs a seawall is failing

What to look for, where to look for it, and what it means when you find it. Walk your wall in twenty minutes.

A screening sheet for owners, not an engineering inspection.

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