Building or Remodeling in Miami Beach: Historic Districts, Design Review and Flood Rules

Miami Beach is a barrier island with world-famous architecture sitting a few feet above the water. Those two facts drive almost every construction rule in the city: protect the historic buildings, and get everything higher.

If you are renovating a house, a condo or a small commercial building in Miami Beach, this is what to plan for before you design.

Two design boards, depending on where you are

Historic review is common here, because large parts of the city, including much of South Beach, sit in locally designated historic districts. Board hearings are public, and items such as total demolition of an older home or an addition to a historic house can draw comments from preservation groups. Build board time into the schedule, and design the exterior around the district's character from the start.

The 50 percent rule, Miami Beach style

Nearly all of Miami Beach is in a FEMA flood zone, and many older buildings sit below today's required elevation. When the cost of improvements or repairs reaches 50 percent of the building's market value, the whole structure must be brought up to the flood rules for new construction. The city spells out how it calculates that:

• A rolling one-year window. The city adds the job values of all City of Miami Beach building permits on the property over the past year. Splitting a renovation into back-to-back permits does not get around the rule.
• Market value. The denominator is the value set by the Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser, or a certified appraisal using depreciated replacement cost.
• If you cross 50 percent. Every aspect of the structure must be made compliant, which typically means elevating it, using flood-resistant materials below the flood elevation and adding flood vents.

For an older house, this one rule often decides between a careful renovation that stays under the threshold and a full rebuild. Our post on the 50 percent rule explains how costs are counted.

Building higher: freeboard

For new homes, the city requires the finished floor to sit above the base flood elevation plus freeboard, an extra safety margin. Under the city's resilience standards, the minimum base flood elevation is 8.0 feet NGVD (6.44 feet NAVD), and freeboard must be at least 1 foot and no more than 5 feet. Ground floors of new buildings are also designed with enough height to be raised in the future as streets are raised. The higher floor changes everything from driveway slopes to stairs and entry design, so it belongs in the first sketch, not the last.

Seawalls

In January 2021 the City Commission adopted its seawall standards:

• Height. New seawalls must reach 5.7 feet NAVD, or 4 feet NAVD if built to support a future raise to 5.7.
• When existing walls must be upgraded. When the property has new construction or a substantial improvement.
• Failing seawalls. Owners have up to 730 days to bring a failing seawall into compliance, and private seawalls must be maintained so they do not flood neighbors or the street. Violations can bring daily fines of $250, or $500 for repeat violations.
• Permits. Seawall replacement needs permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the State of Florida, Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami Beach, so start early.

Salt air and older buildings

Constant ocean exposure speeds up corrosion of the steel inside concrete, which shows up as cracking and spalling on balconies, slab edges and columns. Older condo and apartment buildings go through Miami-Dade County's recertification and, for condos three habitable stories or taller, Florida's milestone inspection, followed by repair deadlines. Our post on milestone inspection repairs covers what happens after the engineer's report, and our condo renovation guide covers remodeling a unit.

On the beach

Significant work on the ocean side of Florida's Coastal Construction Control Line needs a state permit in addition to the city permit, and lighting visible from the beach matters during sea turtle nesting season. See our post on building near the beach. Like all of Miami-Dade, Miami Beach is in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so windows, doors and roofing need Miami-Dade product approvals; our guide on looking up an NOA shows how to check them.

The order that works

1. Confirm whether the property is in a historic district or is a historic site, and which board, if any, reviews it.
2. Get the flood zone, base flood elevation and an elevation certificate, and add up any permits pulled in the past year.
3. Decide early whether the project stays under 50 percent or is designed as a full flood-compliant renovation or rebuild.
4. For waterfront lots, have the seawall inspected and plan its permits alongside the house.
5. Go through board review, then the building permit, then construction and inspections.

The bottom line

Miami Beach rewards projects that start with the right questions: which board, how high, how much over the past year, and what about the seawall. Answer those before design and the rest of the process is manageable. We handle home renovations, new homes, impact windows and doors and concrete restoration across Miami Beach and the rest of Miami-Dade. Tell us about your property.