Project Guidance

Links

This page contains project guidance for most projects. Click any link below to go directly to that section or scroll the page to view all.

• Vacant Land
• Flood Zone
• Building Projects
• Mobile Home Requirements
• Other Permitting Information

Vacant Land

Franklin County Zoning Information

Most questions regarding vacant land are actually zoning questions. Please visit the Franklin County Zoning Department website for more information or click one of the links below:

• Armory Rentals
• Buildable Lots
• Building Without a Permit or Board Approval
• Camper Trailers - Travel Trailers - Recreational Vehicles (RV) - Fifth Wheels
• Cell Towers
• Comprehensive Plan
• Encroachment
• Golf Carts
• Metal Buildings
• Secondary Structures
• Short Term Rentals
• Signage
• Tiny Homes
• Turtle Lighting
• Water & Sewer Availability
• Wetlands

Frequently Asked Questions

• Power poles are not permitted on vacant lots per our zoning ordinance.
• Fill is not permitted on residential lots, except for the house pad. Fill to elevate your lot is strictly prohibited.
• To confirm water and sewer availability, you will need to check with the water and sewer department for your area.
• If water and sewer are not available, contact the Franklin County Health Department for well and septic permitting.

Links

• Franklin County Zoning Page
• Interactive Zoning Map

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Flood Zone

Identify Your Flood Zone

You can request a flood zone verification by completing a flood zone verification form and emailing it to permits@franklincountyflorida.com

You can select your parcel on the flood map for a flood report.

Links

• Northwest Florida Water Management District
• Documents

Your Flood Zone Determines Building Height Requirements

The flood zone, base flood elevation, and grade of a property determines the minimum height requirements for new structures. Base flood elevation (BFE) is defined by FEMA as the elevation of surface water resulting from a flood that has a 1% chance of equaling or exceeding that level in any given year. The State of Florida requires new structures to be built to BFE+1ft (or more). Please see our flood information page for more details.

• X Flood Zone - Top of the lowest floor must be at or above 1 foot above highest adjacent grade

• Shaded X Flood Zone - Top of the lowest floor must be at or above 2 feet above Highest adjacent grade

• Unrated A Zone - Top of the lowest floor must be at or above 3 feet above highest adjacent grade or you may have your surveyor identify the BFE and build to BFE+1 foot or higher.

• Rated A Zone - Top of the lowest floor must be at or above BFE+1 foot. An elevation certificate is required for an exact number.

• V Zone - Bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member must be at BFE+1 foot. An elevation certificate is required for an exact number.

  • V Zones have MANY ADDITIONAL requirements that you should be aware of prior to starting your project. You should discuss these additional requirements with your builder.

Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) and Flood Insurance

• Property within unrated A, rated A, or V/VE flood zones are considered a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).
• Most lenders have a mandatory flood insurance purchase requirement for structures built in a SFHA.
• Structures built outside of the SFHA (flood zone X, or shaded X) DO NOT have the mandatory flood insurance purchase requirement, however you may still want to consider the additional coverage.
• Over 25% of flood insurance claims are properties in an “X” flood zone.
• Structures built within multiple flood zones will be required to meet the requirements for the more restrictive flood zone.

Elevation certificates (EC)

• Elevation certificates (EC) are required for all new building in a special flood hazard area.

  • There are 3 types of ECs that are required

    • Pre-Construction - Required as part of the permit application packet.
    • Building Under-Construction - Required when the foundation is completed.
    • Finished Construction - Required prior to Certificate of Occupancy

• The EC must be completed by a surveyor, engineer, or architect.

• The EC is used to ensure that a home is built above base flood elevation + 1 foot.

• It is important to submit all ECs at the appropriate time to ensure that your project is built in compliance with the requirements.

• The EC also has useful information that may help reduce your flood insurance.

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Building Projects

• Permits are required for all projects over $1,000.00 or 100 Sq ft. ALL PROJECTS IN A SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD AREA REQUIRE A PERMIT.

• Site prep, dock, and seawall permits are issued by the zoning department. Check out the zoning page for more information.

• Demo permits are required in order to maintain compliance with FEMA regulations. These are a quick one-page application and are absolutely FREE.

• Franklin County follows the most current edition of the Florida Building Code.

• Buildings may not exceed 47 feet from the finished grade.

• Site plans must be drawn to scale on the survey. It must show all existing and proposed development on the property and show that all setbacks are met.

• Prefabricated storage buildings are not rated for habitable space and cannot be used for a home. This also violates Franklin County zoning codes.

• DP 50 windows are required for all of unincorporated Franklin County.

• St. George Island requires impact windows.

• Metal roofs require 26-gauge metal

• Wind load requirements

  • St. George Island: 140mph
  • Rest of unincorporated Franklin County: 130mph

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Mobile Home Requirements

• Any mobile home from out of the county must be wind zone III
• Any mobile home being placed within 1500 feet of the Gulf of Mexico must be wind zone III exposure D.
• Mobile homes moved within the county are not required to be wind zone III, however you will need a letter stating where it is moving from and where it will be moving to.
• Mobile homes can be moved to lots zoned R-2 or R-4
• Mobile homes in a special flood hazard area are required to have an engineered blocking plan.
• Block foundations over 67” high require an engineered foundation plan, footers, and must have rebar and poured concrete reinforcements inside of the block foundation.
• Mobile homes are not permitted in a V zone.
• Mobile homes are not permitted on St. George Island.

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Other Permitting Information

• You can use our CitizenServe Portal to find any permits 2006 and beyond.

• Permit record request:

  • For fastest service you can mail, hand deliver, or email the permit record request form (found in documents tab) to permits@franklincountyflorida.com.
  • Requests are also accepted by phone.
  • Our office is in the process of digitizing all older permit files. Files that have not yet been digitized will require longer processing time.

If you have a question that you do not see answered here, please email us at permits@franklincountyflorida.com.

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