Bay County Ordinance 1632 Compliance

We are working hard to collect all of the necessary requirements to make our Premium Beach Condos compliant by December 31, 2023.  We have applications nearly ready and those should all be submitted no later than Dec 31, so that fees are at the lowest possible rate.  Inspections will be scheduled in January, and coordinated with snowbirds as needed.  All inspections should be completed no later than Feb 1, 2024.

This has been a robust task.  We needed to…

• Understand the ordinance and it’s requirements.
• Recalculate the occupancy limits for each condo.
• Coordinate the requirements of each resort regarding how they wanted to handle external signage and evacuation plans.
• Collect the application information from the associations to submit, including pool and balcony inspections (We already have all of the tax licensing information since we provide that service for you).
• Complete an application and an affidavit for each property, and have signature notarized.
• Design the internal signage to include all of the required elements, including a contact person for emergencies that can be on property within 1 hour.  The Calypso Resort is providing that contact through their 24/7 onsite Property Patrol, but for other associations we’ve had to hire outside local support.
• Create an individual evacuation plan for each condo. In most cases, the HOA provided general floor plans, but in all cases we had to customize them to show the specific location of the condo and the escape route for that particular condo.

All internal signage will be posted in the condos prior to the inspections.  Window stickers for external signage will be posted once the VR certificate number is assigned and available to include.

Our best information has noted the fees for registration as follows:

Properties up to 3,000 sq ft: $60
Properties 3,000 – 10,000 sq ft: $85
Any registrations after 2/1/2024: $250

Fees for obtaining the annual certification on your behalf will be billed on your December monthly statement.

The only delay we currently have are for the Tidewater and Grand Panama Properties, where we cannot submit the application until we receive the Pool Inspection certificates from the Associations.  Once those are received, we will also submit those packets.

NOTE:  We are submitting applications for properties that are on our program as of 12/31/23.  If your effective start date with Premium Beach Condos is after 12/31/23, you need to ensure that you or your CURRENT property management company is handling this for you.  Once on our program, we can assure that you are compliant, BUT you may need to pay the higher fee if this is a first time registration.

In addition, the new certification brings new occupancy rules.  Currently the ordinance allows 1 person occupancy for each 200 sq ft of H&C living space (does not include balconies).  Once your rental is certified, the number will change to 1 person occupancy for each 150 sq ft of H&C living space.  Here are the changes:

Some of these changes will surprise you.  There has been a lot of mis-information in the past about occupancy, which is why you see so many variations in what is advertised.  This should help to clarify that.  You may have already been at the maximum occupancy, even though you’re not certified, in which case there will not be a change.  If your new occupancy numbers appear to be higher than you want to offer in your condo, let us know.  We can always advertize and accommodate fewer guests, but at no time can we exceed the new numbers.

As always, if you have any questions about this, feel free to contact Jenny at (937) 790-2292.