Driveway paving in Southwest Ranches, FL

The ground in Southwest Ranches

The USDA soil survey maps Southwest Ranches mostly as Hallandale (58%) and Dania (38%), from 25 points sampled across the town. It rates Hallandale, the most common, "Very limited" for local roads and streets, citing depth to hard bedrock, depth to saturated zone and soluble bedrock.

The survey maps 9% of the sampled ground as urban land or fill, which it does not rate; the shares above leave it out.

Sources: USDA NRCS Soil Survey, Soil Data Access, "ENG - Local Roads and Streets" interpretation; U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files (places) for the town's land area (13 sq mi) and center point.

Flood zones in Southwest Ranches

FEMA's flood map puts 15 of the 23 land points sampled in Southwest Ranches (65%) in a Special Flood Hazard Area, zone AH. The rest are zone X.

That matters for permits. Since July 1, 2026, section 553.79(1)(g) of the Florida Statutes exempts single-family owners from a building permit for work valued under $7,500, after a written exemption request, but not on property partly or entirely in a flood hazard area. The points above are a town-wide picture, not a reading for any one address.

Driveway permits in Southwest Ranches

The Town of Southwest Ranches lists its permits on its "Building Permitting and Inspections" page. Town of Southwest Ranches: Building Permitting and Inspections.

Driveway connections to state roads go through the Florida Department of Transportation.

Winter weather near Southwest Ranches

The nearest NOAA normals station is Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, about 14 miles away. Its 1991 to 2020 averages for the months All County works here:

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport. More on what the weather means for sealcoating on the Florida sealcoating page.