67-57.040. Property Standards

(1) Construction Standards. All Units must meet the more stringent of the State or local building code requirements as applicable. At a minimum, all construction shall fully comply with the Florida Building Code – Residential (currently adopted edition).

(2) Required Basic Features. All Units must contain at a minimum:

(a) Range and oven;

(b) Washer and dryer hookups;

(c) Telephone hook-ups, with electrical outlet located within 12'' of each telephone jack (minimum of 2);

(d) Cable or satellite TV hookups (minimum of 2) located within 12'' of an electrical outlet;

(e) All Living Space must be equipped with overhead lighting;

(f) Provide a home maintenance manual that includes information on basic home maintenance; manuals for all installed appliances, and information on how to use and maintain the green features of the home.

(3) Accessibility and Visitability Features. All Units must comply with the Florida Accessibility Code for Building Construction pursuant to section 553.503, F.S., and contain at a minimum:

(a) At least one zero-step entrance approached by an accessible route on a firm surface no steeper than 1:12 proceeding from a driveway or public sidewalk;

(b) Lever-handled faucet with removable spout or lever-handled faucet with separate sprayer (spout or sprayer must have at least a 9-inch hose);

(c) Light switches should be no more than 48'' above floor level;

(d) Midpoint on electrical outlets should be located no less than 18'' above finished floor level;

(e) Reinforced walls for future installation of horizontal grab bars in toilet, bathtub, and shower walls;

(f) Lever-action handles on all doors and faucets in Units and public areas;

(g) Toggle-type or rocker style switches for lights and fans;

(h) All doors used for ingress/egress must be 34'' (2' x 10'') or larger. Any door other than a traditional hinged door such as: pocket doors, bi-fold doors, and double doors; must provide for at least a 32'' minimum clear width entry;

(i) At least one accessible means of egress/ingress, including a primary entrance door which shall have a threshold with no more than a 1/2 inch rise, which may be waived for Manufactured Homes and Units built in Area(s) of Critical State Concern;

(j) For Units consisting of two or more levels, all space on the entry level of the Unit must meet the requirements of paragraphs (3)(a)-(i) above. On the second level at least one full bathroom and one bedroom must meet the requirements of paragraphs (3)(a)-(i) above, if there is not a full bathroom and a bedroom on the entry level; and

(k) Adjustable shelving in master bedroom closets (must be adjustable by resident).

(4) Site Development. All Site development shall include the following features and meet the following minimum requirements:

(a) Slope and terrain must be suitable for development. There shall be no problems with drainage, steep slopes or waterways on the Site;

(b) Access to Site must be compatible with existing traffic patterns and street capacity. Site access shall not enter or exit onto a major high-volume traffic artery;

(c) Site must be free from excessive traffic and noise, including that from cars, trains and airplanes. Members must submit a mitigation plan to the Corporation, detailing the proposed means and methods of risk reduction, if a Unit is (i) located within 3,000 feet of an active railroad line and/or subject to high railroad noise levels, (ii) located within 1,000 feet of a major high-volume traffic artery, freeway, or other highway would carry a daily volume of 25,000 motor vehicles or more, or (iii) within 500 feet if the highway that would carry more than 10,000 vehicles but fewer than 25,000. The Site must not be located in an airport clear zone;

(d) The Site must be free from significant industrial or agricultural hazards, including hazardous substances; toxic chemicals; gas, oil and chemical storage tanks and facilities; runoff; spills; odors; noise; and airborne particulates;

(e) The neighborhood shall be primarily residential and adjacent areas should be compatible with residential development;

(f) Provide off-street parking that is consistent with local code, rule or ordinance;

(g) Provide a paved/surfaced driveway and walkway to one entry door; and

(h) Provide landscaping that meets all local requirements and is appropriate for the terrain and neighborhood;

(5) Appliances. Provide Energy Star certified appliances as applicable, including:

Refrigerator;

Dishwasher (where provided);

Clothes washer (where provided);

Clothes dryer (where provided);

Water heaters, including electrically powered storage, gas fired storage and gas fired instantaneous (tankless).

(6) Green Building Certification. All Units, excluding Self Help Units, must be certified to one of the following green building practices: EnergyStar certification, Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC), ICC 700 National Green Building Standard (NGBS) or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

(7) Manufactured Housing. Manufactured Homes must meet or exceed the following standards, which are adopted and incorporated herein by reference and are available at: https://www.floridahousing.org/programs/homebuyer-loan-program-wizards/homeownership-pool-(hop)-program/related-references-and-links, unless superseded by State or local building codes:

(a) Meet the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (MHCSS) pursuant to 24 CFR Part 3280 (4/1/2018) found at https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-10685;

(b) Be sited on a permanent foundation in accordance with the Permanent Foundation Guide for Manufactured Housing (HUD-007487) (09/1996) found at https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-10686 and https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-10687;

(c) Be considered real property by the local property appraiser and the land and home must be taxed together;

(d) Be connected to permanent utility hook-ups; and,

(e) All purchase contracts must be turn key.

Rulemaking Authority 420.507(12), (14) FS. Law Implemented 420.507(23), 420.5088, 420.5089(2) FS. History–New 6-26-06, Amended 10-14-07, 6-17-08, 7-2-19.