Determinations Here Are Routine
Which changes the tone of the whole conversation. In much of the country a substantial damage determination is a rare event that catches everyone by surprise. Across Pinellas the local programmes make them regularly and the process is familiar to the departments running it.
For an owner that cuts both ways. The answer arrives faster and with less confusion, and it is also less likely to be overlooked. A damaged building in a mapped zone here will be assessed. The full position is on our page covering the fifty per cent rule.
Does a Fire Really Get Treated the Same as Flood Damage?
On the Islands the Requirements Go Further
Coastal high hazard areas, the V Zones, carry additional constraints. Only pilings, columns or other open foundations are permitted, which means bringing a substantially damaged building into compliance there is a more substantial undertaking than elevating on fill or on a closed foundation would be.
Where that applies, the gap between repairing below the threshold and crossing it becomes very large indeed, and establishing the cost to full repair accurately matters more than almost anywhere.
Is the Structure Value the Same Fight Here?
We publish no zone determinations, elevation conclusions or structure values for individual Pinellas properties. Each city administers its own floodplain programme and the county property appraiser holds the structure figures.
Many Cities, Many Programmes
St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, Dunedin, Safety Harbor, Oldsmar, Seminole, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach and others each administer their own building and floodplain functions, alongside unincorporated county areas.
The rule they apply comes from the same federal and state framework, so the substance is consistent. What differs is process, timing and how readily a department will discuss a likely determination before an application is made.
The Certificate Matters Most Here
A great deal of Pinellas housing has been elevated, some of it long ago and some after more recent events. Where the lowest floor including mechanical and electrical equipment sits at or above the required level, the building is compliant and can be repaired without the rule applying.
Owners who hold that certificate and understand what it does are in a materially stronger position than owners who do not, and a buyer who has not asked for it is pricing a risk you may be able to remove.
Pinellas in Context
Where mapping is finely divided but exposure lower, see our page about Town 'n' Country and west Hillsborough. Where expensive land makes the threshold easy to cross inside the city, see our page for South Tampa.
The Numbers on the Most Exposed Ground
The threshold is 50 per cent of structure market value excluding land, from 44 CFR section 59.1, with FEMA P-758 as the guidance and FEMA 311 the residential estimator communities use.
The roof rule adds a second threshold of 25 per cent in any 12-month period under Chapter 7 Section 706, with the exception at Florida Statutes section 553.844 for roofs built to the 2007 code, effective 1 March 2009.
Pinellas Questions
Will a Determination Definitely Be Made?
On a damaged building in a mapped zone here it should be expected. The community is responsible for making one regardless of the repair work proposed.
What Does Compliance Mean in a V Zone?
Only pilings, columns or other open foundations are permitted, so it is a more substantial undertaking than elevating elsewhere. Your city will explain what applies.
Will You Buy on the Beaches?
Yes, across Pinellas and the islands. Where you hold a certificate showing compliance we will tell you the property is worth more than a buyer pricing elevation risk will offer.