Know where the 50% line is before you price the job.
In a Fort Lauderdale flood zone, renovation and addition costs add up over two years. Reach half the building's value and the whole house must meet current flood rules. Aurel Feasibility screens the lot before you bid.
Move the numbers. See where the line falls.
Illustration of the Fort Lauderdale substantial-improvement test.
Illustration only. The real test uses the city's rules, the building value on record, and permits from the past two years. Thresholds from the City of Fort Lauderdale Substantial Improvement / Substantial Damage Worksheet (rev. Feb 2024).
Official sources, cited.
- Parcel record
- City GIS parcel layer (Property Appraiser attributes)
- Jurisdiction
- City boundary, cross-checked with city address records and Census
- Zoning & land use
- City zoning and future land use layers
- Flood
- FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer, cross-checked with the city's copy
- Overlays
- Historic districts, special setbacks, coastal control line
It does not evaluate setbacks, height, lot coverage or whether a project is allowed. Those need the code text, a survey and professional review. Every pilot screening is researched and written by Aurel Design Studio, not generated automatically.
Zoning is easy to look up. The 50% question isn't.
| The question | Where it's answered today | In a screening |
|---|---|---|
| What's the zoning? | City zoning map (free) | District, land use and overlays, each cited |
| Is it in a flood zone? | FEMA Flood Map Service Center (free) | FEMA zone and elevation, cross-checked with the city's copy |
| How much can I spend before the 50% rule applies? | Usually at permit review, on the city's worksheet | The building value on record and the 50% and 40% lines, before you bid |
| Do recent permits count against it? | Permit records, searched by hand | Flagged in every report; the past two years checked by hand during the pilot |
| What's missing to answer for sure? | Often discovered during permitting | Listed up front: survey, elevation certificate, appraisal |
Source: City of Fort Lauderdale, Substantial Improvement / Substantial Damage Worksheet (rev. Feb 2024) ↗
Four steps.
Submit the address
Tell us the property, the project and what documents exist.
Confirm scope
We check the property is in the pilot city. Nothing starts until you approve.
We research
Official sources, researched and written by the studio.
Receive the report
Sources, dates, every gap labeled, and a short review call.