Substantial Damage / Improvement

According to the City of Lake Alfred Unified Land Development Code, building permits are required for most structures including accessory structures such as sheds or docks. Use the Applications and Forms page to apply for a building permit.

50% Rule

Under this rule, if your structure is damaged or improved by 50% or more based on the structure's market value, it will have to comply with current floodplain management rules.

What This Means

The Unified Land Development Code includes provisions for development within Flood-Prone Areas. It also includes a Substantial Damage/Substantial Improvement rule.

The purpose of substantial damage and substantial improvement and substantial damage regulations (The 50% Rule) is to ensure that lives and increased investment in flood prone areas will be protected from flooding. This is important for residents and business owners to know because many structures built before these rules were created do not meet the required floodplain management regulations.

If your home has flood damage, Build Back Stronger (PDF).

Elevation Certificates

If the 50% rule were applied to these structures, they would have to be elevated to comply with current rules. It is important that everyone knows this rule, the elevation of their structures, and how that elevation compares with the current standard. This is one reason an Elevation Certificate is so important for all property owners to have.

The City and the County keep copies of all elevation certificates that it receives.

To find out if your property is in a flood zone, to request a copy of an existing Elevation Certificate, or for other flood protection information, please call the City of Lake Alfred at 863-291-5748 or County's Floodplain Management Program at 863-534-6767.