How to build on wetlands in Florida is the first consideration buyers should consider when looking to purchase vacant land to build their new home.
Wetlands are environmentally protected land that cannot be built upon or even disturbed without a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FL DEP). County and/or municipal (where applicable) governments could also require a permit to do anything with environmentally protected land.
There isn’t much vacant land left in Central Florida zoned for single family residences or agriculture that doesn’t have some wetlands on it. Many parcels are 100% wetlands.
Below is some information to help determine if a property may have wetlands and each county’s zoning department website or staff can then let you know the requirements to build on any specific parcel of land. Please note that the county website resources are informational and may not be 100% reliable. It’s a good, cursory first check.
When you’re ready to make an offer on a property, please contact us at 407-564-2758. We would be glad to do that for you and negotiate terms on your behalf.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FL DEP)
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is an excellent resource. The following information was provided by them that’s been very helpful for several of our customers.
The FL DEP defines wetlands as “those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or ground water at a frequency and a duration sufficient to support, and under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soils. Soils present in wetlands generally are classified as hydric or alluvial, or possess characteristics that are associated with reducing soil conditions.”
If you have already determined the extent of wetlands on the property through an environmental survey and have site plans for development, FL DEP can verify the wetland line during our permitting process. If you have available uplands, to meet reduction and elimination criteria for development, we will request that building is in the uplands prior to any wetland impacts. If only a small, isolated section of wetlands is impacted, there is the possibility the activity would be exempt.
Elimination and Reduction of Impacts
FL DEP Wetland Guidance on Mitigation
The application fee for an Individual Permit is $420, if submitted via US Mail or email, or $320 if submitted using the department’s electronic business portal. The cost to purchase mitigation credits and be granted only the permit to build by the FL DEP can be substantial. This can vary by supply and demand of mitigation credits for a given geographic area. In 2018, I was told the cost was $120,000 per acre in the Econ River Basin area of Chuluota. Additional costs include county and/or local municipality permitting, trucking out muck, and bringing in fill dirt suitable to build a single family home upon. More information can be found at Wetlands Mitigation and Mitigation Banking.
