How to Open an ALF in Flagler County, Florida

Flagler County is not a one-office licensing process. The local path depends heavily on whether the property is in unincorporated Flagler County or inside Palm Coast, Bunnell, or Flagler Beach. That difference can change who confirms zoning, who issues the building or use approval, and which local business-tax process applies.

FALC also has county-specific materials supplied by DOH-Flagler in June 2025. Those documents show what Environmental Health was actually sending ALF applicants at that time: a food permit application, food plan-review application, plan-review guide, group-care form, and biomedical-waste application when applicable. Because fees and forms can change, this article pairs those internal materials with current 2026 official county and municipal sources.

For the statewide licensing sequence, review FALC's guide on how to open an ALF in Florida and use this Flagler County guide for the local layer.

Step 1: Flagler County Is a Jurisdiction-First County

Flagler County's land-use authority applies to unincorporated county property. Palm Coast, Bunnell, and Flagler Beach retain their own planning and development authority. That means a county zoning map alone cannot answer the question for every Flagler County address.

Use the county's current Zoning Districts page as the starting point for unincorporated property, then request written confirmation when the classification is not obvious. For property inside a municipality, identify the correct local authority before submitting any application.

Step 2: Palm Coast Has Its Own Business and Use-Control Layer

Palm Coast operates its own building, permitting, and Local Business Tax Receipt system. The city's current BTR guidance says businesses licensed by AHCA must upload a current and valid state license with the local business-tax application. Newly constructed commercial locations must also provide the Certificate of Occupancy.

Review the Palm Coast BTR process and confirm with the city whether a Certificate of Use, change-of-use, building-permit, and fire-review step applies to the specific conversion before relying only on the BTR portal.

Step 3: Flagler Beach Uses a Different Local Business and Change-of-Use Process

Flagler Beach Planning, Building and Engineering office has consolidated building permits, LBTRs, fire-inspection fees, and related services. An ALF applicant in Flagler Beach should confirm the zoning district, whether the proposed residential-care use is allowed, and whether the change of use triggers engineered plans, floodplain review, utility work, or fire upgrades before relying on the property.

Step 4: Flagler County Has a Dedicated ALF CEMP Resource Page

Flagler County Emergency Management's Residential Care Facilities Planning page specifically lists assisted living facilities and links the AHCA Minimum Emergency Management Planning Criteria, Rule 59A-36.019, and Rule 59A-36.025. The county also provides a step-by-step instructional video titled "How To: CEMP for Care Facilities (Flagler County)."

Before filing, use the county materials to build the plan around realistic evacuation transportation, destination agreements, resident tracking, emergency staffing, communication, and emergency-power responsibilities, then confirm the current submission channel with Emergency Management.

Step 5: DOH-Flagler Performs Group-Care Inspections, and FALC Has the Local Forms

DOH-Flagler's Group Care page states that the county health department inspects assisted living facilities and other group-care settings for physical layout, operation, and maintenance standards.

In June 2025, DOH-Flagler sent FALC a county package that included the food service permit application, food plan-review application, food establishment plan-review guide, group-care form, and biomedical-waste generator application if needed. The response stated that the food service permit fee was $135, the group-care inspection fee was $100, and the biomedical-waste permit fee was $85 at that time. Treat those figures as historical county correspondence, not guaranteed 2026 fees, and verify the current amount before payment.

The food plan-review application asks whether the facility is on septic or a private well and requires scaled plans for new or remodeled establishments. That makes Environmental Health coordination an early design issue, not a final inspection item.

Step 6: Septic Feasibility Should Be Resolved Before the ALF Floor Plan Is Final

Flagler County is not one of the Panhandle counties transferred to direct DEP on-site sewage permitting in 2025, so local Environmental Health remains the practical point of contact for septic permitting and inspections under the statewide OSTDS program.

The 2025 DOH-Flagler correspondence in FALC's files specifically offered to determine whether a proposed address was served by sewer or septic and noted that a septic construction permit would need to be addressed before the building permit when applicable. For an ALF, resident capacity, laundry, kitchen use, and staff load can affect wastewater demand, so this should be resolved before architectural plans are locked.

Step 7: Do Not Treat County, Palm Coast, Bunnell, and Flagler Beach as Interchangeable

Each local government can have its own development-review and business-tax workflow. For a property inside a municipality, obtain written municipal zoning confirmation and ask whether a county-level approval is still needed for any component. For unincorporated property, stay with Flagler County Growth Management. The fastest way to create delays is to submit the right document to the wrong jurisdiction.

Step 8: Align the Local File Before You Submit to AHCA

Florida Statute 429.11 requires zoning documentation signed by the appropriate local government official, satisfactory fire-safety inspection documentation, and satisfactory sanitation documentation. Before the AHCA application is filed, compare the facility name, legal entity, address, resident capacity, zoning description, floor plan, fire inspection, sanitation forms, and emergency plan so they all describe the same project.

Current Flagler County Contacts and Portals to Verify

Contacts, fees, forms, and procedures can change. Verify current information for the exact property before filing.

Before You Commit to a Flagler County Property, Ask These Questions

• Is the property in unincorporated Flagler County, Palm Coast, Bunnell, or Flagler Beach?
• What exact local use classification will the zoning authority assign to the proposed ALF?
• Does the project require a determination of use, special use, special exception, site-development plan, change of use, or other approval?
• What building or occupancy conversion will the existing structure require?
• Which local fire authority will inspect the facility, and what plans or upgrades must be approved first?
• Which DOH-Flagler forms are currently required for group care, food plan review, sanitation, and biomedical waste, if applicable?
• Is the property served by sewer, septic, public water, or a private well, and has that capacity been verified for the ALF use?
• What is the current Flagler County CEMP submission method after using the county instructional materials?
• Will a municipal Local Business Tax Receipt be required after AHCA licensure?