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Miami Shores · Miami-Dade County

What flood zone is Miami Shores in, and what does it require?

BFE +1 ft (state code)no extra village freeboard found

Miami Shores Village counts improvements over one year: any combination of work in a one-year period reaching 50% of market value is a substantial improvement. No extra freeboard number appears in its flood chapter, so the Florida Building Code floor applies.

Source: Miami Shores Village Code of Ordinances Ch. 8.5 Flood Damage Prevention, Sec. 8.5-55 (Ord. No. 705-14); 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 improvementOne-year period, cumulative cost of 50% or more, starting with the first improvement - Sec. 8.5-55.
Substantial damage50 percent of market value - Sec. 8.5-55.
Chapter historyChapter 8.5 was adopted by Ord. No. 705-14 on 21 Oct 2014 and runs to sixteen articles, including separate ones on tanks and on recreational vehicles and park trailers.
Seaward of the CCCLBuildings extending seaward of the coastal construction control line must meet the more restrictive of FBC Building 3109 and 1612 or FBC Residential R322; minor and non-habitable major structures under F.S. 161.54 follow ASCE 24 - Sec. 8.5-57.
Code-exempt structuresBuildings exempt from the Florida Building Code are built to ASCE 24 - Sec. 8.5-56.
FEMA flood mapFEMA's Community Status Book (report dated 3 Oct 2026) lists Miami Shores as NFIP community 120652 with a current effective FIRM dated 11 Sep 2009. Zones are set parcel by parcel, so no single zone covers the whole city - check your own address.
NFIP historyFEMA record: first FIRM 29 Sep 1972; regular NFIP program since 29 Sep 1972; entered CRS 1 Oct 2000.
Flood insurance discountCRS class 6 - 20% off NFIP premiums for policies in the Special Flood Hazard Area (class in effect 1 Oct 2024).
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 Miami-Dade County, and where each city departs from it.

Miami-Dade CountySeawall requirements county-wide

The same question, nearby

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

Miami-DadeMiami BeachMiami-DadeCoral GablesMiami-DadeKey BiscayneMiami-DadeMiami

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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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