Marco Island Floodplain Regulations & Reminders for Contractors

All structures on Marco Island are subject to a floodplain review as part of the building permit process.  Any structure located in a SFHA that does not meet the floodplain requirements is subject to FEMA’s Substantial Improvements/Substantial Damage (SI/SD) 50% rule, and additional paperwork is required.  The 50% rule is based on the market value of the structure and planned improvements or repair of damage cannot exceed its 50% value.  If the work or damage exceeds the 50% value, it will be considered SI/SD and will be required to be brought up to current floodplain guidelines.

• Floodplain Review is required for all permit applications for Alterations/additions or New Construction for all structures. Use this link to access Marco Island's Muni-code for Floodplain management: https://library.municode.com/fl/marco_island/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH26FL
• Any and all material below the required elevation must be flood resistant material. See FEMA Technical Bulletin 2 - below.
• The 50% rule applies to all structures located in a SFHA, when not fully compliant with the floodplain regulations.The cumulative value of work is kept on record for 5-years. 50% is determined by market value; private FEMA appraisal or Collier County Property Appraiser. See FEMA P-758 Substantial Improvement/Substantial Damage Desk Reference - below.
• Elevation certificate is the only document used to verify; the finished floor elevation, the elevation of the lowest machinery servicing the structure, if flood venting or paneling is required. Elevation Certificates that are on record with the City can be accessed using this link - https://www.cityofmarcoisland.com/building/page/elevation-certificate-search 
  • For any structure which was constructed before 1999 that has not had any work done to it that would constitute the City of Marco to ask for an elevation certificate, the City would not have an elevation certificate on record.
• You are not allowed to go vertical until the spot EC is approved.There is no 10-day grace period.
• Substantial Damage and Substantial Improvement are both applied to the 50% rule. FEMA Affidavits can be accessed with this link.  https://www.cityofmarcoisland.com/building/page/fema-balance-forms
• The Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) information is required to be referenced on the site plan.
• Any structure constructed before 09/14/1979 are considered pre-FIRM structures.
• Any structures constructed after 09/14/1979 are considered post-FIRM structures.
• Current FIRM date 05/16/2012 https://marco.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=e7c5ba49b0e5449f9e600680be2e1b75
• All datum on plans are required to reference the datum of the most current FIRM; current FIRM uses NAVD (North American Vertical Datum). https://www.cityofmarcoisland.com/building/page/ngvd-and-navd-disclaimer
• Crawlspaces, enclosures, garages, foyers, closets etc. any area below the Required Elevations are required to be flood resistant material and to be flood vented accordingly; 1 inch of flood opening to 1 square foot of garage area or 1 square foot of area coverage to 1 square foot.
• VE (Velocity Elevation) and AE (Area Elevation) zones have different construction requirements.
• Mangroves located within a VE zone are not allowed to be altered, cut or removed. DEP, Army Corps and FWC permits do not supersede, regardless if they approve an alteration, trim or removal of the mangrove.
• If you are constructing new outside the SFHA, finished floor elevations have different requirements, however plans are still required to be in NAVD datum and will require elevation certificates.
• Bathrooms are not allowed below the Required Elevation.