Frequently Asked Questions

• Do not throw or dump anything into storm sewers or ditches within the city. Even grass clippings and branches can accumulate and plug pipes, inlets and conveyance channels. A plugged conveyance system will not carry water and when it rains; clogged storm drains will cause water to back up into the street and may cause structure flooding in a large event. Every piece of trash, including cigarette and cigar butts, contributes to localize flooding and pollutes waterways.
• Keep stormwater inlets near your property clear of trash and debris. Rake pine needles and leaves away from your street stormwater grate. Don’t stack garbage or yard debris on a storm water inlet. This allows water to flow into the system as it was designed to do. Don’t blow grass clippings or leaves into the street and sweep up any clippings or leaves or blow them back onto your lawn. They can clog up the stormwater system and cause flooding.
• If your property is next to a ditch, help keep the banks clear of brush and debris. The city has a Ditch Maintenance Program, which can help remove major blockages such as downed trees.
• The city of routinely cleans the 55 small and 81 large ditches within the city limits. While heavy rains, stormwater runoff and illegal dumping can quickly undo the work of cleaning crews, the city attempts to keep all canals free flowing at all times. To report illegal dumping into the city's ditches, call our 24-hour dispatch at (386) 671-8815.

• Make sure the ground slopes away from your home. Land within ten feet of your home should slope away from your house. This ensures your home has a good chance of not being damaged due to localized flooding.
• Direct gutters away from your home and into landscape areas. If you don’t have gutters, consider installing them to alleviate localized yard flooding.
• If you are in a flood prone area, you may consider purchasing flood insurance.

For residential accounts an advance security deposit, nonrefundable admin fee, deed or lease along with picture identification are required.  For same-day activation, a deposit is required by 12:00 noon, Monday through Friday excluding holidays. The amount of deposit varies depending on the size of the meter and is refundable when account is closed or after two connective years of good payment history. Please reach out via this form for more information or to submit your request. For commercial accounts an advance security deposit, nonrefundable admin fee, deed or lease, tax ID number along with a memo on company letterhead requesting the activation of utilities. For same-day activation, a deposit is required by 12:00 noon, Monday through Friday excluding holidays. The amount of deposit varies depending on the size of the meter or service line and is refundable when account is closed. Please reach out via this form for more information or to submit your request.

• All transactions completed after 4:00 pm will be considered the next day's business.
• All water meters are read and customers are billed monthly based upon a cycle billing procedure. In the event a read cannot be obtained, the bill will be estimated and a true up performed once a read is available.
• Payments can be made by mail, dropped off in the night depository, online, over the phone with an automated attendant, or in person at 301 South Ridgewood Avenue.
• When paying your bill, please ensure your copy of the payment stub is included along with your account number on check or money order. This will help ensure your payment is posted correctly.
• If service is disconnected for nonpayment, call the office at 386-671-8100 during normal business hours to have your service restored.

Residential customers can call, come in, or write us requesting the turn off. You can reach us by email by completing this form or calling (386) 671-8103. Commercial accounts should submit their request in writing through this form or 301 S Ridgewood Ave Daytona Beach Fl 32114.

If you have questions about any of our services, you may call us at (386) 671-8100, through email via this form, or fax (386) 671-8115. Please provide a name, service address, account number and telephone number with all inquiries when possible.

• Support stormwater maintenance and operations division
• Fund the Stormwater Engineering Section to study, plan, design, and construct stormwater treatment and flood prevention projects
• Investigate drainage problems
• Ensure the city’s compliance with state, federal and local stormwater permits and mandates
• Monitor water quality in the city’s water bodies

Communities that agree to manage flood hazard areas by adopting minimum standards can participate in the NFIP. The standards are contained in Section 60.3 of the NFIP regulations.

Communities that do not participate are subject to the sanctions outlined in Section 202(a) of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973. Section 202(a) makes flood insurance, federal grants and loans, federal disaster assistance and federal mortgage insurance unavailable for the acquisition or construction of structures located in the floodplain shown on the NFIP maps.

If you are currently in a repetitive loss property, there are grant funds available to those property owners to mitigate against future flood losses under the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and Repetitive Flood Claims (RFC) Programs. The Repetitive Flood Claims (RFC) grant program was authorized by the Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 (P.L. 108–264), which amended the National Flood Insurance Act (NFIA) of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4001, et al). FEMA provides RFC funds to assist states and communities to reduce flood damages to insured properties that have had one or more claims to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Utilities Dept. at 386-671-8807, or complete this form.

Each inspection will vary according to the individual property, however, one should set aside a minimum of one hour for a single family residence and an additional half hour for each additional unit to be inspected. This is only an average.

• Specific colors or emblems on jackets, hats, etc.
• Special hand signals
• Unique tattoo symbols and lettering
• Gang symbols on walls (such as graffiti), books or clothing
• Clothing (hats, bandannas, etc.) suggesting group or gang involvement
• Possession of unexplained large sums of money
• Changes in attitude: violent reactions, disruptive behavior, refusal to respect authority figures
• Secretive behavior regarding activities and locations
• Changes in friends
• Truancy or poor school performance
• Phone calls from individuals who either refuse to identify themselves, give unusual nicknames or use a nickname to identify your child
• Negative contact with school officials and law enforcement officers
• Involvement with known or suspected gang members
• Interest in or possession of weapons (guns, knives, etc.)

• Acceptance - Many kids feel that they are not getting the attention they believe they deserve at home.
• Excitement - This group of kids love the high of committing crimes and getting away with it. They often do their crimes just to be chased by the police. These individuals are adrenaline junkies and love the thrill of criminal activity.
• To earn money - More and more, we are seeing gang members turn towards using the gang to make a profit through illegal activities. Selling narcotics, robberies, burglaries, auto thefts, and other property crimes are common in many gangs.
• Peer Pressure - If your kids are hanging around gangs and gang members, you can almost guarantee that they are being pressured to join the gang. It is important to know who your children are associating with.
• Protection - It is often easier to join the gang than to be victimized on a daily basis.
• To Socialize - The best parties in town are gang parties. Easy access to liquor, narcotics and girls are attractive to potential gang recruits.

• Praise your children for doing well
• Encourage your children to participate in positive activities
• Get to know your children's friends and their families
• Set the example and be a positive role model
• Talk to your children about gangs and their destructive nature
• Talk and listen to your children
• Spend quality time with your children
• Put a high value on education
• Identify with positive role models
• Involve your children in positive group activities

• Be a good observer - pay attention to your child's behavior
• Learn real names of your children's friends
• Monitor living space for gang paraphernalia, weapons, and drugs
• Report all crimes
• Seek the facts - kids will tell you what you want to hear
• Teach your children decision making skills - help them make the right choices
• Team up with other parents

Give us your name, address, and phone number and the crews in the field will be happy to let you know when they will be in your neighborhood. This will give you time to leave the house if you so choose while they are smoke testing.

No they will not be harmed. 

No harm will come to your pets. 

The smoke is designed to not be harmful to your pets or their skin. 

No, you do not need to be home at the time of testing. The crews do not need to enter your house unless there is a problem that you want documented. They will not fix a problem on private property. This is the responsibility of the home owner 

Contact one of the uniformed crew members who will be inspecting outside for leaks and they will be happy to help you figure out where the smoke is coming from, but we will not make repairs. This is the responsibility of the home owner. If smoke enters your home/business, open your doors and windows so it can be aired out. 

The smoke testing will take about 20 minutes to complete. 

Most homes will not be affected. A few may have small amounts of smoke/vapor enter the home that will dissipate in 5 -10 minutes. 

They will not. Let them know we are looking for defects in sewer lines outside the home, not inside. 

Not necessary. Let them know we are not looking to find defects inside homes. 

No advantage. This test is for breaks in the sewer system outside the home.

No preparation is necessary. If smoke/vapor enters the units, it will dissipate in 5-10 minutes. 

Recovery grants are available for qualified homeowners, renters and business owners affected by hurricanes Ian or Nicole. 

Yes. Individuals and households in Volusia County who have sustained losses as a direct result of Hurricane Ian can apply for federal assistance. People can apply online, call 800-621-3362 or download the FEMA app. 

A FEMA Disaster Recovery Center has opened at the Florida Department of Health at 1845 Holsonback Drive in Daytona Beach. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. In addition to FEMA representatives, local governments and social service agencies will be on-site to assist residents and businesses impacted by Hurricane Ian.

No, you just have to submit proof you have filed for FEMA assistance.

Yes, you may still be eligible for a city recovery grant. If you were denied by FEMA, you should file an appeal with them.

Yes, if you are eligible for both assistance programs. However, the FEMA approval process may take longer for you to receive assistance. The city assistance will be available to you right away if you qualify for the program.

No. However, if you have insurance, you have to submit proof that you have filed for recovery from your insurance carrier.

Yes.

Yes, if you qualify for a city recovery grant.

No, the city recovery grant is not a loan and does not have to be repaid.

Up to $9,000.

Up to $3,000.

Mortgage or rental assistance, replacing spoiled food, home repairs, mold and flood damage remediation, insurance deductibles and more.

The Pipe Inventory Program is the City of Daytona Beach’s program to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR). In addition to meeting the requirements, we are working to ensure that our customers have the resources and materials they need to understand the LCRR.  

On Dec. 16, 2021, EPA announced regulatory revisions to strengthen the framework on lead in drinking water. The EPA concluded that there were significant opportunities to improve the rule to support the overarching goal of proactively removing lead service lines and more equitably protecting public health. Specifically, the updated regulations require that the city submits the following items to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) before Oct. 16, 2024:

• Service line material inventory
• Tier 1 notification material
• Customer notification of service line material

A water service line is the segment of the water conveyance system that carries water from the water main to the residence. The portion of the line from the water main to the water meter is owned by the City of Daytona Beach and the portion of the line from the water meter to the residence is privately owned by the property owner.

The service line will typically enter your home through a hose bib connection located at the side of the house, most likely in the garage. It may also enter through the foundation in the crawl space, utility area or other location. 

There are currently no known lead pipes in our drinking water system. Florida does not have a high occurrence of lead, and the likelihood of finding lead service lines in our distribution system is low. 

The city banned the use of lead in the construction of water service lines in 1977. Furthermore, we have been testing for lead in accordance with federal regulations since 1992 and levels have consistently remained well below the EPA regulatory limit. 

Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode over time. The rate of corrosion is based on the water chemistry. The City has maintained a corrosion control program since the early 1990s and water quality sampling results have shown that the water in our system does not corrode lead pipes. 

All lead service lines have the potential to leach lead into drinking water, but we carefully manage water chemistry to prevent this from happening. To learn more about our water chemistry and water testing, you can view our annual water quality report.

Water quality tests are available to purchase at local retailers. For minimal cost, these tests can be performed at home and will provide lead concentration results for the individual consumer.

Below are accredited testing labs throughout Florida: 

Volusia County:

Pace Analytical Services, LLC 
8 East Tower Circle
Ormond Beach, Florida
(386) 672-5668

The Water Shed Laboratories, Inc.
304 South Spring Garden Ave.
DeLand, Florida
(386) 736-3397

Bay County

The Water Spigot
5806 East Highway 22
Panama City, Florida
(850) 871-1900

Broward County

Florida-Spectrum Environmental Services, Inc.
1460 West McNab Road
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
(954) 978-6400

PriorityLab
3301 NW 55th Street
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 
(954) 444-3857

Duval County

Advanced Environmental Laboratories, Inc.
6681 Southpoint Parkway
Jacksonville, Florida
(904) 363-9350

Hillsborough County

Advanced Environmental Laboratories, Inc. - Tampa
9610 Princess Palm Avenue
Tampa, Florida
(813) 630-9616

Manatee County

Manatee County Utilities Department WTPQC Laboratory
17915 Waterline Road
Bradenton, Florida
(941) 746-3020

Benchmark EnviroAnalytical, Inc.
1711 12th Street East
Palmetto, Florida
(941) 723-9986

Orange County

EMSL Analytical, Inc. - Orlando
3303 Parkway Center Court
Orlando, Florida
(407) 599-5887

Seminole County

Eurofins Orlando
481 Newburyport Avenue
Altamonte Springs, Florida 
(407) 339-5984

You can refer to this EPA fact sheet to learn more about testing your drinking water.

The geospatial map on the program webpage will let you know if the service line material of your property is still unknown. The map can be found here. 

To look up your service line material data, enter your address in the search bar or pan and zoom to your location using the map. A Blue Dot means that your service line material is unknown, and we ask that you complete the self-reporting survey. A Gray Dot means that your service line material has been identified and no action is needed.

Instructions for identifying your service line material can be found here.

The survey results will be used to update our service line material inventory, which will be provided to the FDEP and posted online per the EPA’s requirements. No personal information will be shared. 

If your service line is identified as lead material, do not panic. The city has a corrosion control program that has been in place since the early 1990s that is high effective at preventing lead from leaching into the water.  Complete the survey so the city can be made aware of your lead pipe and react accordingly.   

For information on reducing potential lead in drinking water in your home, refer to the resources on the program webpage.

When reported, we will follow up with you to verify that the service line is lead. If your service line is confirmed to be lead, the city will provide a point of use pitcher filter certified for both lead and particulate removal.

Contact lead and copper regulatory compliance staff via this form and someone from the city will reach out to answer any questions you might have.

Following replacement, water quality sampling will be conducted to ensure lead levels are below the 10 parts per billion (ppb) level established by the EPA. 

The following link includes information on steps that can be completed to reduce lead exposure: [include webpage link to educational resources]. Additionally, you can learn more by visiting the EPA's website.

All program information including additional resources about lead exposure can be found on the Pipe Inventory Program webpage.

The Rental Housing Registration program is designed to proactively identify blighted, deteriorated and substandard rental housing and to ensure the rehabilitation or elimination of such housing that does not meet minimum standards. These standards address not only life, health and safety issues but also the results of deferred or inadequate maintenance.

Rental property includes single-family dwellings, duplexes, apartments, town homes, triplexes, quadplexes and condominiums that have between 1 and 4 units which are leased, rented or occupied by a person or persons other than the owner.

The property owner is responsible for completing the registration process.  The property owner may designate a representative or Property Manager to apply.

Yes, there is both an application fee ($40) and a unit fee ($50 per unit) for new registrations. The registration renewal fee is due annually ($75 per unit) and is consistent for all types of properties.  You must also obtain a Business Tax Receipt for your rental property.

Inspections are not required.  If you choose to have a voluntary inspection, the fee is $50 per unit.   Once your property passes, your registration fees will be waived for the following year and you will receive your registration via email.  Voluntary inspections may be conducted every 2 years.

All rental registrations are billed in August and are payable by September 30 for the next year, which runs Oct. 1 – Sept. 30. They are non-transferable and good for the entire year.   Refunds are not issued should you decide not to rent for the full year.   

You can submit your application and pay online here. We will contact you after a zoning review is completed to schedule your inspection. Once your inspection passes, your registration will become active. If the property is sold, owners must notify the Rental Department to close the license within 15 days of a sale or transfer of the property.

Inspections will be performed Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., by appointment only.

Yes, the property owner, or their designated representative, must be present during inspections. It is the property owner's responsibility to inform tenants at least 24 hours in advance of pending inspections and to provide access.

Yes, both tenants and the property owners are encouraged to be present during the inspections. 

Yes, the property owner, or agent, will be furnished a copy of the passed or failed inspection report before the inspector leaves the property.

No, you will be given time to remedy any violations.  Failure to remedy may result in Code Enforcement action.

The property owner or agent will be given adequate time to correct violations noted. The time allotted for correction will be at the inspector’s discretion, based on the nature and severity of the violation.

The City of Daytona Beach Residential Rental Housing Inspector will perform all requested residential rental inspections.

Once the application is received and fees are paid, the property owner or registered agent will be contacted to set up the inspection. The inspection will be done by appointment only.

Each inspection will vary according to the individual property, however, one should set aside a minimum of 30 minutes for a single-family residence or unit to be inspected.

- All pets should be secured before the inspector arrives.

- If the property is vacant, utilities must be turned on and functional.

- Please notify the inspector if construction is occurring on the site.  This may cause you to fail your inspection.

- Make sure the property is accessible and nothing is blocking the window or door ingress and egress.

The Rental Inspector will inspect both the interior and exterior of each rental unit on the property.

No, your building is required to be maintained at a level consistent with the codes of the period in which it was constructed; however, any construction improvements must comply with the current codes as adopted by the State of Florida and the City of Daytona Beach.

Yes, smoke detectors will be required in each sleeping room, each hallway adjacent to the sleeping rooms and at each floor level.

Yes, repair work normally requiring permits will still require permits; however, many items usually noted for repairs may be exempt from permits.  If you are not sure, check with your inspector to determine if you need a permit.

It can matter. If you have any questions, please contact the Permits and Licensing Department at (386) 671-8146 for clarification. If you plan to pull an owner/builder permit, please verify with the Permits and Licensing Department that this will not affect your ability to rent the property.

All residential rental properties with 1-4 rental units must register. The mandatory program is approved as part of the City of Daytona Beach's Code of Ordinances, which provides for adequate penalties for non-compliance. Individuals who fail to file an application with the City of Daytona Beach may be subject to Code Enforcement action.

The P-Card program is designed to improve efficiency when purchasing low-dollar goods and services from vendors that accept Visa. It allows authorized employees to purchase approved items directly, rather than using Field Purchase Orders (FPOs) or traditional Purchase Orders.

To provide a fast, cost-effective way to purchase and pay for goods and services not exceeding $3,000 per purchase and to reduce administrative time for low-dollar transactions.

Yes, the P-Card program’s parameters and user responsibilities are reviewed when a card is issued.

The Purchasing Card Administrator (Purchasing Agent) coordinates issuance, policy issues, disputes and internal controls. Departments also have specific responsibilities for oversight and reconciliation.

For city-authorized purchases of approved commodities and services that do not exceed the Single Transaction Limit and comply with the policy and a department’s additional controls.

• Single Transaction Limit (STL): Up to $3,000 (or less, as set by the department director)
• Monthly Credit Limit: Up to $25,000 (or less, as set by the department director)

No. Splitting purchases to avoid the single transaction limit is prohibited and considered abuse. It may result in the revocation of P-Card privileges and disciplinary action.

No. The city is exempt from State of Florida sales tax and generally from other states’ taxes.

Individual department supervisors and/or account clerks have oversight and approval authority of purchases and are responsible for reconciling statements with itemized receipts. The documentation is then sent to the Finance department for processing.

Department Account Clerks review transactions regularly, and reconciliation is expected to be completed by the 30th of the current month.

Yes, but only if specifically authorized on an approved travel voucher that clearly indicates which expenses will be charged to the P-Card.

With an approved Travel Voucher and temporary authorization, the P-Card may be used for: 

• Registration 
• Airfare and baggage fees
•  Hotel Parking 
• Shuttles/taxis 
• Car rental (from select vendors) 
• Fuel (for travel use as authorized)