WallDockDeck
Miami · Miami-Dade County

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

+1 ft above BFEresidential lowest floor freeboard

The City of Miami requires residential lowest floors at the base flood elevation plus one foot of freeboard. It counts improvements over two years, and five years inside coastal high hazard areas, when testing the 50% substantial-improvement line.

Source: City of Miami Code of Ordinances Ch. 20 Flood Damage Prevention, Secs. 20-1, 20-4; 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

FreeboardResidential new construction or substantial improvement: lowest floor at or above BFE (100-year flood) plus one foot of freeboard; nonresidential the same or dry floodproofed to that level - Sec. 20-4(a)-(b).
Substantial improvementCumulative cost over a two-year period of 50% or more; the accumulation period in a coastal high hazard area is five years - Sec. 20-1.
Minimum finished gradeMiami-Dade County flood criteria maps or the crown of the adjacent road, whichever is higher - Sec. 20-1.
Nonresidential optionIf a nonresidential lowest floor is below BFE, the building with its utility and sanitary facilities must be dry floodproofed to BFE (100-year flood) plus one foot - Sec. 20-4(b).
Permit plansPlans must include Miami-Dade County flood criteria, crown-of-road data, flood hazard area and BFE; as-built elevations are certified in NAVD 88 by a registered land surveyor or professional engineer - Sec. 20-3.
FEMA flood mapFEMA's Community Status Book (report dated 3 Oct 2026) lists Miami as NFIP community 120650 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 1994.
Flood insurance discountCRS class 6 - 20% off NFIP premiums for policies in the Special Flood Hazard Area (class in effect 1 Oct 2022).
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-DadeSurfside

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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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