flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Florida preparing to adjust to new building elevation requirements

Codes and Standards

Florida preparing to adjust to new building elevation requirements

New floodplain maps and state code changes loom.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | May 30, 2017
Florida preparing to adjust to new building elevation requirements

Photo: Pixabay

Changes to the Florida Building Code and new floodplain maps will mean buildings in the state will have to be built at higher elevations.

Nonresidential buildings will have to be built at 9.5 feet, two feet higher than current requirements. Houses will have to be built at 8.5 feet, a foot higher than what is currently required.

The state building code is expected to incorporate the changes in December after adoption by the Florida Legislature. In Palm Beach, new FEMA maps and changes to the town’s flood ordinances and zoning code must be adopted by early October for the town to remain eligible for federal funds through the National Flood Insurance Program. 

Palm Beach officials recently indicated that businesses and residents who have secured building permits but have not yet started construction may build to the higher elevation without facing a penalty.

Related Stories

| Sep 26, 2013

OSHA encourages comments on respirable crystalline silica rules

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s proposed rulemaking for respirable crystalline silica has been published in the Federal Register.

| Sep 26, 2013

EPA’s final rule on updated ASTM standard likely to be withdrawn

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to withdraw a direct final ruleissued in Augustregarding an ASTM standard for Phase I Environmental Site.

| Sep 26, 2013

A primer on RoofPoint green-rating system for commercial roofs

The RoofPoint green-rating system can be used to construct more energy-efficient and sustainable commercial roofs.

| Sep 26, 2013

ConsensusDocs releases updated federal subcontract to help construction firms perform federal work

The newly revised ConsensusDocs standard subcontract (ConsensusDocs 752 for federal work) will make it easier for general contractors and subcontractors to perform federal work.

| Sep 18, 2013

Proposed Boston casino development approval will depend partly on sustainability

The movement toward green building has been slow to catch on in the casino industry, but that could change with Suffolk Downs, which plans to build a $1 billion casino in Boston.

| Sep 18, 2013

Regulations could ease firefighters’ fear of roof solar panels

The local fire chief says solar panels are partly to blame after a 300,000 sf refrigerated warehouse in Delanco, N.J., burned down.

| Sep 18, 2013

New AISC design guide on structural stainless steel now available

For the first time in the U.S., design professionals now have an authoritative resource on structural stainless steel with AISC Steel Design Guide No. 27, Structural Stainless Steel.

| Sep 18, 2013

DBIA’s ‘Design-Build Done Right’ best practices project seeks industry input

The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) is seeking industry input on its project to create a design-build best practices document.

| Sep 11, 2013

USGBC Florida Chapter survey to help contractors adopt sustainable practices

Contractors in Florida could benefit from a data collection project by the state's chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.

| Sep 11, 2013

Disability, vet hiring standards for contractors are goals, not quotas

Contractors that fall short of new federal hiring rules concerning veterans and disabled persons will not necessarily incur penalties, says Patricia Shiu, director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021