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Hillsboro Beach · Broward County

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

100-yr flood criteria map floorlowest living floor level-of-service standard

Hillsboro Beach's development code sets the lowest living floor no lower than the elevation shown on the 100-year flood criteria map. Its floodplain article uses the plain 50% substantial-improvement test with no look-back period. Builders therefore read two maps: FEMA's FIRM for insurance and the county criteria map for the floor.

Source: Hillsboro Beach Code Ch. 4 Art. IV Floodplain Management Sec. 4-144; Ch. 12 Sec. 12-20; 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

Floor standardLowest living floor elevation no lower than the elevation for the area on the 100-year flood criteria map - Sec. 12-20(a) (development review level of service).
Substantial improvement / damage50 percent of market value, no cumulative period - Ch. 4 Art. IV, Sec. 4-144.
SeawallsThe town's land development code separately sets seawall height at a minimum of 5.0 ft and a maximum of 7.0 ft NAVD88 - Sec. 12-268.
More trigger points$943,000 building value -> $471,500 trigger; $781,000 building value -> $390,500 trigger.
FEMA flood mapFEMA's Community Status Book (report dated 3 Oct 2026) lists Hillsboro Beach as NFIP community 120040 with a current effective FIRM dated 31 Jul 2024. Zones are set parcel by parcel, so no single zone covers the whole city - check your own address.
NFIP historyFEMA record: first flood hazard boundary map 9 Jan 1974; first FIRM 17 Apr 1978; regular NFIP program since 17 Apr 1978; entered CRS 1 Oct 2017.
Flood insurance discountCRS class 8 - 10% off NFIP premiums for policies in the Special Flood Hazard Area (class in effect 1 Oct 2017).
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 Broward County, and where each city departs from it.

Broward CountySeawall requirements county-wide

The same question, nearby

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

BrowardFort LauderdaleBrowardPompano BeachBrowardHollywood

Other questions about Hillsboro 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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