WallDockDeck
Ocean Ridge · Palm Beach County

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

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

Ocean Ridge counts improvements over two years, from the first permit after 10 July 2017, against the 50% substantial-improvement line, and treats two floods in ten years averaging 25% of value as substantial damage. No extra freeboard number appears. Successive permits within any two-year stretch are therefore added together.

Source: Ocean Ridge Code Subpart B LDC Ch. 66 Art. II Flood Damage Prevention, Sec. 66-25; 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 improvementTwo-year period, cumulative cost of 50% or more; accumulation begins with the first improvement permitted after July 10, 2017 - Sec. 66-25.
Substantial damage50 percent, plus flood damage on two occasions in a ten-year period averaging 25 percent - Sec. 66-25.
DeterminationsThe floodplain administrator must review previous permits for improvements and repairs, and previous flood-damage repair permits, when deciding whether work is a substantial improvement or repair of substantial damage - Sec. 66-18.
Where the rules sitLand Development Code Chapter 66 Environmental Regulations, Article II Flood Damage Prevention.
More trigger points$733,000 building value -> $366,500 trigger.
FEMA flood mapFEMA's Community Status Book (report dated 3 Oct 2026) lists Ocean Ridge as NFIP community 125134 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 flood hazard boundary map 18 Sep 1970; first FIRM 9 Apr 1971; regular NFIP program since 9 Apr 1971; entered CRS 1 Oct 1992.
Flood insurance discountCRS class 6 - 20% off NFIP premiums for policies in the Special Flood Hazard Area (class in effect 1 Apr 2021).
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 BeachDelray BeachPalm BeachJupiterPalm BeachWest Palm Beach

Other questions about Ocean Ridge

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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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