The Map Is Finer Than the Neighbourhood
The defining feature of a fire file on this side of the county. There is very little elevation change between the bay and the inland edge here, which means flood zone boundaries are drawn on small differences in ground level rather than on obvious features.
The practical consequence is that a neighbour's answer is worthless. Parcels on opposite sides of the same street can sit differently, and the fifty per cent rule applies to one and not the other. The full position is on our page covering the fifty per cent rule.
What Is the First Thing to Do?
Where the Rule Applies, the Whole House Is In Play
Worth being clear about what compliance means, because owners expect a requirement about the damaged part and it is not that.
Where a structure is substantially damaged, it must be brought into full compliance with the floodplain management regulations and the Florida Building Code. For a house below the required level that means elevating the whole building to or above the base flood elevation with the freeboard the code adds, not merely repairing what burned to a higher standard.
Does It Matter Which Part of the House Burned?
We publish no flood zone determinations, elevation conclusions or structure values for individual properties on this side of the county. The floodplain administrator, a licensed surveyor and the property appraiser hold those respectively.
Newer Housing, Older Assumption
Much of the housing here dates from the growth decades and is built on slab with engineered roof trusses and floor systems. Owners frequently assume that newer construction means the flood rule does not reach them.
The rule does not care about the age of the building. It cares about where the parcel sits and how the lowest floor relates to the base flood elevation. A newer house built at grade in a mapped zone is squarely inside it.
The Certificate Is Worth Finding
Some of the housing here was built to elevation standards and some was not. Where the lowest floor including electrical and mechanical equipment already sits at or above the required level, the building is compliant and the rule falls away.
An elevation certificate demonstrates that, and it may be in your closing documents or your flood insurance file. Where it is not, a surveyor can produce one, and on a parcel inside the mapping it is the highest-value expenditure available.
West Hillsborough in Context
Where inland ground means the rule reaches less, see our page about Brandon, Riverview and east Hillsborough. Where exposure is greatest in the region, see our page for Pinellas County and the beaches.
The Provisions Behind a West Hillsborough File
Substantial damage is defined at 44 CFR section 59.1 as damage of any origin costing 50 per cent or more of the structure's pre-damage market value to repair, and FEMA P-758 is the desk reference communities apply.
The roof threshold of 25 per cent in any 12-month period sits at Chapter 7 Section 706, with the exception at Florida Statutes section 553.844 for roofs built to the 2007 code, effective 1 March 2009.
West Hillsborough Questions
My House Is Newer. Does the Rule Still Apply?
Yes, if the parcel is in a mapped zone and the lowest floor is below the required level. Age of construction is not the test.
My Neighbour Was Told They Were Fine.
On this side of the county that proves nothing about your parcel. The mapping is finely divided and the lookup is free.
Will You Buy in Town 'n' Country?
Yes, across west Hillsborough. The flood position affects the figure and it does not stop us buying.