SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Bay County, FL: Mostly deep or small

Mostly deep or small

Some soluble rock, mostly deeply buried or in a small share of the county.

On soluble rock
13%
At or near the surface
0%
Buried under cover
13%

The next step for one property

Sinkholes are uncommon here; watch for new depressions after heavy rain or leaking pipes.

Standard Florida homeowners policies cover only catastrophic ground cover collapse; full sinkhole coverage is a separately priced option insurers must offer.

That works out to roughly 102 of Bay County's 759 square miles on soluble rock. With about 199,718 residents (263 per square mile), homes are spread across towns and farmland, and a mapped unit may or may not reach the developed parts. The figures come from 561 map points about 1.2 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: what Florida insurers have to cover, and why the 13% under cover still counts.

Counties around Bay County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Washington County, FL, about 31 miles north, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

What Bay County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Alum Bluff Group (limestone), Eocene in age, covering about 13% of the county.

Against the rest of Florida

Bay County ranks 63 of 67 in Florida for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.