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Wilton Manors · Broward County

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

+2 ft above BFE (and 6 ft NAVD)minimum freeboard; maximum 4 ft

Wilton Manors writes the largest fixed freeboard among the Broward cities here: at least 2 feet above base flood elevation and never lower than 6 feet NAVD88, and owners may go up to 4 feet above BFE without it counting against zoning height. Improvements are added up over five years. Where BFE plus 2 ft would fall below 6 ft NAVD88, the 6 ft figure governs instead.

Source: Wilton Manors Code of Ordinances Ch. 9 Flood Prevention and Protection, Sec. 9-55 and Art. II definitions (Ord. No. 2020-004); 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

FreeboardHighest of 6 ft NAVD or the minimum freeboard; minimum freeboard = 2 ft above BFE, maximum = 4 ft above BFE, not counted against district height - Sec. 9-55(1).
Substantial improvementFive-year cumulative period at 50%, starting with the first improvement after May 26, 2020 - Ch. 9 definitions (Ord. No. 2020-004).
Chapter historyChapter 9 was amended in its entirety by Ord. No. 2020-004, adopted 26 May 2020.
More trigger points$377,000 building value -> $188,500 trigger; $509,000 building value -> $254,500 trigger.
Freeboard arithmeticA lot with a mapped BFE of 3 ft NAVD88 needs at least 6 ft NAVD88 (the 6 ft floor beats 3 + 2 = 5 ft) and may build up to 7 ft (BFE + 4) without the extra height counting toward zoning.
FEMA flood mapFEMA's Community Status Book (report dated 3 Oct 2026) lists Wilton Manors as NFIP community 125156 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 27 Oct 1972; first FIRM 27 Oct 1972; regular NFIP program since 27 Oct 1972.
Flood insurance discountWilton Manors has no CRS entry in FEMA's report, so NFIP policies there get no Community Rating System discount.
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.

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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.

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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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