The decision in Snapper Creek Lakes is rarely about the house. It is about an acre of land, a club that must approve the buyer, the water a given lot actually touches, one shared marina on a flood control canal, and a zoning code section written for this subdivision alone.

We are The Audrey Ross Team at Compass Florida, and our office sits at 4699 Ponce de Leon Boulevard in Coral Gables. Audrey Ross opened her own firm in 1984, and the team has worked Miami luxury real estate for more than 40 years. This guide covers jurisdiction, lots, the guard district, club approval, the marina and its route to the bay, zoning, flood maps and prices, as of October 2026.

Where Is Snapper Creek Lakes, and Is It in the City of Coral Gables?

Yes, Snapper Creek Lakes is inside the City of Coral Gables. Every folio in the community lists Coral Gables as the municipality on the 2026 Miami-Dade Property Appraiser roll, and every folio number begins with 03, the Property Appraiser’s municipal code for Coral Gables. The legal descriptions still carry former folio numbers beginning with 30, the code for unincorporated Miami-Dade County.

The City’s Zoning Code records the change: the City Commission approved annexation of the Snapper Creek Lakes Subdivision by Resolution No. 28947 on November 14, 1995; Miami-Dade County ratified it by Ordinance No. 96-58 on June 26, 1996; the City assigned zoning by Ordinance No. 3207 on December 7, 1996; and it adopted site-specific regulations by Ordinance No. 3249 on May 13, 1997.

The Plats and the Streets

The original subdivision is recorded as Snapper Creek Lakes Sub in Plat Book 57, Page 86, in Blocks 1 through 9. A First Addition, Plat Book 67, Page 22, adds Block 10 on Arbor Lane and Sea Grape Circle at the north end, and four unplatted parcels pay the same guard district assessment. Addresses run along nine streets: Snapper Creek Road, Lakeside Drive, Oak Lane, Fairchild Way, Sabal Palm Avenue, Coral Creek Road, Arbor Lane, Sea Grape Circle and Old Cutler Road, all in ZIP code 33156.

The Snapper Creek Canal runs along the southern edge, where Tract A, at Old Cutler Road and Snapper Creek Road, holds the community marina. Four Block 2 lots on Snapper Creek Road are described on the roll as the platted lot less the portion for the canal right-of-way, so on those lots the survey decides where private land ends.

How Many Homes Are in Snapper Creek Lakes, and How Big Are the Lots?

Snapper Creek Lakes has 124 private parcels on the 2026 roll: 113 in the original plat, 7 in the First Addition and 4 unplatted. The roll codes 116 as improved with a house and 8 as land without one. The original plat creates 116 lots, but three parcels each combine two of them.

In the original plat, every private parcel is at least one acre, or 43,560 square feet. Across all 124, 120 are an acre or more; the exceptions are two First Addition lots and two unplatted parcels of about half an acre. The median parcel is 52,708 square feet.

Measure	2026 roll
Original plat (PB 57-86)	116 lots, Blocks 1 to 9; 113 parcels
First Addition (PB 67-22)	Block 10; 7 parcels
Unplatted parcels in the district	4
Private parcels in all	124: 116 with a house, 8 without
Common parcels	Tract A marina; two County park areas
One acre or more	120 of 124
Median private parcel	52,708 sq ft (about 1.21 acres)
Houses built before 1970	63 of 116
Houses built 2000 or later	36 of 116
Homestead exemption	97 of 124 parcels

Source: Miami-Dade Property Appraiser, folio records for Snapper Creek Lakes Sub, Snapper Creek Lakes Sub 1st Addn and four unplatted parcels in the same guard district, 2026 tax roll. Retrieved October 28, 2026.

The oldest houses date to 1937, the newest to 2025. Homestead matters because Florida’s Save Our Homes cap limits annual growth in a homesteaded assessment to 3 percent or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower, and a new owner’s base year starts at market value. A long-held seller’s tax bill is a poor guide to yours.

Is Snapper Creek Lakes Gated, and Who Pays for the Guards?

Guard service is paid for through a special assessment on the property tax bill. On the 2026 roll, 121 folios carry a line for the City of Coral Gables Guard District: 110 in the original plat, including the marina tract, all 7 in the First Addition, and the 4 unplatted parcels. The charge is $3,000 on most parcels, $1,500 on two vacant lots, and more on parcels that combine two platted lots.

The district began under Miami-Dade County as the Snapper Creek Lakes Security Guard Special Taxing District. In a special election on January 23, 2018, its voters were asked whether the City of Coral Gables should become the governing body in place of the County, under County Resolution R-1017-17 and City Resolution R2017-223. The official result was 111 yes and 4 no.

Four Block 4 lots with Old Cutler Road addresses carry no guard district line on the 2026 roll. For an Old Cutler Road address, confirm from the survey and tax bill how the lot takes access and whether it pays into the district.

Do You Need Club Approval to Buy in Snapper Creek Lakes?

Yes. Snapper Creek Lakes Club, Inc., a Florida not-for-profit corporation filed on December 19, 1974 and active on the state’s corporate register in October 2026, approves buyers before they take title. Its 2024 New Member Application states that no prospective purchaser or tenant may take ownership of, or reside on, property in Snapper Creek Lakes before the Board of Governors approves membership.

The application goes to the club administrator with a non-refundable $100,000 application fee and a signed copy of the purchase contract, which must state: “This Contract is subject to the purchaser’s being approved and accepted into the membership of Snapper Creek Lakes Club, Inc.” It requires four sponsors who are voting members in good standing and know the applicant personally, and the seller may not sponsor. It asks for at least two banking references, letters of recommendation, an oak tree landscape survey of the property dated within 30 days, and an admission committee interview, and it tells applicants to expect at least 45 days of processing after a complete application.

The club’s bylaws add an initiation fee set by the Board of Governors, allow the Admissions Committee or the Board to reject an application without cause, and give the club a lien on lots in the Snapper Creek Lakes Subdivision and its First Addition for annual maintenance charges due each April 1. The application also lists architectural review fees of $1,000 for new construction and $500 for a remodel, paid before plans go to the City. For one of the four unplatted parcels, have the title agent confirm whether the club’s approval requirement is recorded against it.

Does Snapper Creek Lakes Have a Marina and Boat Access to Biscayne Bay?

Yes, through one shared marina, under one fixed bridge that NOAA lists at 11 feet of clearance. The club describes six homes with direct access to Biscayne Bay; for other lots, the shared route is the marina on Tract A, which sits on the Snapper Creek Canal on the bay side of the S-22 salinity control structure.

Section A-94-1 of the Coral Gables Zoning Code allows Tract A a private marina and community center with boat launching, ground-level boat storage and fuel dispensing, caps it at 36 wet slips and 31 ground-level dry storage spaces, and prohibits dry stack storage, charter and commercial vessels, vessel rental and overnight stays. The marina company’s dockage terms, revised August 2013 and still posted on the club site, say Snapper Creek Marina, Inc. operates the marina under a lease from the club for owners who are club members in good standing or are proposed by a member, and do not admit vessels over 37 feet.

Point on the route	What the record shows	Source
S-22	Salinity control structure about 1.3 miles above the canal entrance; the marina is downstream of it	USGS; NOAA
Tract A marina	Up to 36 wet slips; vessels to 37 ft	Coral Gables; 2013 marina terms
Old Cutler Road bridge	Fixed concrete girder bridge, built 1956; 20 ft span, 11 ft clearance above mean high water	NOAA; FHWA
Canal entrance	Biscayne Bay, 1 mile below the bridge; 5 ft controlling depth reported in 1999	NOAA

Sources: NOAA, U.S. Coast Pilot 4, Chapters 1 and 12, edition of October 25, 2026; USGS monitoring location 02290700 and Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5025; City of Coral Gables Zoning Code, Section A-94-1; Snapper Creek Marina, Inc. dockage terms, revised August 2013; FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2025, structure 874295. Retrieved October 2026.

NOAA’s U.S. Coast Pilot 4 describes the Snapper Creek Canal as a drainage canal navigable to a salinity structure about 1.3 miles above its entrance, with a yacht basin just upstream of the highway bridge one mile above the entrance; on the County parcel map, that is where Tract A sits. It gives the fixed bridge a 20-foot span and 11 feet of clearance, and its general chapter states bridge clearances in feet above mean high water. The U.S. Geological Survey lists S-22 among the salinity control structures installed in the region’s canals between 1950 and 1960 and maps its station there at the western edge of the community, so the structure is not on the route from the marina. The National Bridge Inventory records the Old Cutler Road crossing as a prestressed concrete girder bridge built in 1956, a design type distinct from the spans that open for boats. Our guard-gated waterfront guide compares water access across the corridor.

What Can You Build on a Snapper Creek Lakes Lot?

Section A-94 of the Coral Gables Zoning Code sets rules that apply only to the Snapper Creek Lakes Subdivision. For a First Addition lot or an unplatted parcel, confirm with the City which standards apply.

Rule	Snapper Creek Lakes standard
New building site	At least one full platted lot and one acre; 125 ft minimum width
Ground coverage	House up to 15% of the site; up to 5% of the rear yard for accessory uses
Height	Two and one-half stories and 35 ft above established grade, ridgeline included
House setbacks	50 ft front, 30 ft side and rear, 50 ft side street
Lake or waterway setback	35 ft for the house; 8 ft for pools and open gazebos
Accessory buildings and pools	75 ft front setback, 30 ft side
Walls and fences	6 ft maximum

Source: City of Coral Gables Zoning Code, Appendix A, Section A-94, Snapper Creek Lakes, as amended by Ordinance Nos. 2022-49 (September 13, 2022) and 2024-30 (August 27, 2024). Current as of October 2026.

A hypothetical shows the effect. On a lot of exactly one acre, the 15 percent cap allows a house footprint of 6,534 square feet; on one and one-half acres, 9,801. Section A-94 also treats each lot platted as of the annexation as a separate building site once no structure crosses the lot line, so on a two-lot estate read the title work for any recorded unity of title; the legal description of one combined parcel cites one. And where repairs and alterations exceed the Florida Building Code’s prescribed share of replacement value within 12 months, the house must meet all Zoning Code requirements for a new building, which matters with 63 of 116 houses built before 1970.

One parcel carries a Miami-Dade Environmentally Endangered Lands covenant on 0.69 acre. The Property Appraiser describes the program as preserving relatively undisturbed natural forest under a 10-year covenant with the County in exchange for a reduced assessment, and each new owner must file Florida Department of Revenue form DR-482C. Read the covenant before planning any clearing.

Is Snapper Creek Lakes in a Flood Zone?

Partly, and more of it falls in Special Flood Hazard Areas on new FEMA maps scheduled, as of October 2026, to take effect on February 19, 2027. Pull the panel for the specific address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, because the zone changes from lot to lot here.

The maps in force today, panels 12086C0466L and 12086C0467L, have been effective since September 11, 2009. On them most of Snapper Creek Lakes is Zone X, an area of minimal flood hazard. Laid over Property Appraiser parcel lines, FEMA’s flood layer puts land in Zone AE or AH at a base flood elevation of 7 feet, or in Zone AE at 10 feet along the canal, on about 60 of the community’s 127 folios (124 private parcels, the marina tract and two park parcels), all on the NGVD29 datum. Many parcels straddle two zones, so the panel and an elevation certificate for the specific lot decide the answer.

FEMA’s Letter of Final Determination list dated August 19, 2026 names the City of Coral Gables among the Miami-Dade communities whose new maps are scheduled to take effect on February 19, 2027. By the same overlay on the pending panels, 12086C0466M and 12086C0467M, close to 90 of the 127 folios have land in Zone AE, 28 of them entirely, at base flood elevations of 8 or 9 feet on the NAVD88 datum. Because the two maps use different vertical datums, their numbers cannot be compared directly. Ask the surveyor for an elevation certificate on the new datum, and have flood coverage quoted against the map that will be in force at renewal.

What Do Homes in Snapper Creek Lakes Cost?

On October 28, 2026, our Snapper Creek Lakes community page showed three homes listed at $9,490,000, $10,250,000 and $18,500,000. Qualified sales of houses and lots recorded in the community from October 2025 through July 2026 ran from $5,000,000 to $21,500,000.

Address	Listed at	Lot (2026 roll)	Built
9979 Fairchild Way	$9,490,000	76,230 sq ft	1980
10225 Coral Creek Road	$10,250,000	49,658 sq ft	1999
5250 Snapper Creek Road	$18,500,000	49,658 sq ft	2006

Source: asking prices shown on miamirealestate.com/snapper-creek-lakes/ on October 28, 2026; lot size and year built from the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser 2026 roll.

Sale month	Street	Parcel	Recorded price
Oct 2025	Lakeside Drive	House	$10,980,000
Nov 2025	Lakeside Drive	Land, no house	$5,915,000
Dec 2025	Old Cutler Road	Land; house on 2025 roll, none on 2026	$5,000,000
Dec 2025	Old Cutler Road	House	$21,500,000
Mar 2026	Snapper Creek Road	House	$11,100,000
Apr 2026	Block 1, no address	Land, no house	$8,100,000
Apr 2026	Lakeside Drive	House	$9,050,000
Jul 2026	Lakeside Drive	Land, no house	$11,500,000

Source: Miami-Dade Property Appraiser, sales qualified by examination of the deed, recorded October 2025 through July 2026 for the 124 private parcels; parcel type from the 2024 to 2026 rolls. Retrieved October 28, 2026.

Three of those eight sales were parcels with no house on the 2024 to 2026 rolls, at $5,915,000 to $11,500,000. A fourth, on Old Cutler Road, had a 1969 house on the 2025 roll and none on the 2026 roll. That is the plainest evidence of what a buyer is paying for here: an acre or more of land and the right to build on it under Section A-94. Price each lot from parcel-level comparables, not a price per square foot.

How Is Snapper Creek Lakes Different From Gables Estates and Cocoplum?

Three differences carry most of the weight. See our guides to Gables Estates and Cocoplum.

The water. Both of those guides deal with dockage behind the house. Here, most water frontage is on the two lakes, and for most lots boating runs through one shared marina, for vessels up to 37 feet under its posted 2013 terms, inland of a bridge NOAA lists at 11 feet.

The guards. Snapper Creek Lakes and Cocoplum Section 1 both pay for guards through City of Coral Gables guard districts on the tax bill: on the 2026 roll, a Cocoplum Section 1 folio carries $3,865 for its guard district and $500 for a lighting district, against $3,000 for a typical Snapper Creek Lakes parcel. A Gables Estates folio on Arvida Parkway carries no guard district line.

The code. Snapper Creek Lakes has its own section of the Coral Gables Zoning Code, A-94, with one-acre building sites, 15 percent coverage and 50-foot front setbacks.

What Should a Buyer Check Before Closing in Snapper Creek Lakes?

Eight items carry most of the risk.

• The folio: plat, lot size, land use code, exemptions and every non-ad valorem line on the Property Appraiser’s assessment page.
• Club approval: the contract clause, sponsors, fees and a closing date that allows for processing.
• The survey: which water the lot touches, any canal right-of-way line, and the Section A-94 setbacks.
• The title: any unity of title, any Environmentally Endangered Lands covenant, and the club’s recorded covenants.
• The marina: slip policy, availability, fees, the 37-foot limit and your boat’s air draft against the bridge.
• The flood file: current and pending FEMA panels, an elevation certificate on the new datum, and written quotes.
• Marine work: most dock, seawall or bank work on tidal water needs a Miami-Dade Class I permit under Section 24-48 of the County Code, in every municipality.
• Renovation scope: whether planned work crosses the repair-and-alteration threshold in Section A-94.

Frequently Asked Questions About Snapper Creek Lakes