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Riviera Beach · Palm Beach County

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

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

Riviera Beach's Chapter 25 uses the plain 50% substantial-improvement test without a look-back period and sets no freeboard for ordinary buildings, so the Florida Building Code floor applies. Critical facilities must be at BFE plus 3 feet. Each project stands alone in the calculation - earlier permits are not added in.

Source: Riviera Beach Code of Ordinances Ch. 25 Floodplain Management, Secs. 25-21, 25-31; 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 - Sec. 25-21.
Critical facilitiesLowest floor at BFE plus three feet - Sec. 25-31 (Ord. Nos. 4088, 4175).
Accessory structuresFlood damage-resistant materials below BFE + 1 ft and mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems at or above BFE + 1 ft - Sec. 25-31.
No-BFE areasThe BFE may be specified as two feet above the highest adjacent grade where no data exist - Sec. 25-5.
More trigger points$169,000 building value -> $84,500 trigger; $287,000 building value -> $143,500 trigger; $339,000 building value -> $169,500 trigger.
FEMA flood mapFEMA's Community Status Book (report dated 3 Oct 2026) lists Riviera Beach as NFIP community 125142 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 27 Sep 1972; regular NFIP program since 22 Sep 1972; entered CRS 1 May 2016.
Flood insurance discountCRS class 8 - 10% 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 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 Riviera 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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