DIY Permits in Florida

Thinking of Doing It Yourself?

Some permits don't require a licensed contractor. But "simple" doesn't mean "walk in unprepared." Here's what you can DIY, what you need to gather first, and exactly how the process works.

Even for simple projects, you cannot just walk into the building department or start an online application without your information ready. Every permit requires documentation — at minimum a site plan and project specifications. Come prepared or you'll be sent home.

Permits You Can Do Without a Contractor

These are permits that typically don't require HVAC, electrical, or plumbing trades. As an owner-builder on your primary residence, you can pull the permit and do the work yourself.

Fence

Trades: None

Replacing or installing a new fence. Even replacing a destroyed fence with the same type requires a permit in most Florida municipalities.

What's reviewed: Property lines, height restrictions, material specs, setback compliance, HOA approval if applicable.

Shed / Accessory Structure

Trades: None unless wired for electricity

Adding a detached shed, storage building, or gazebo over a certain square footage (typically 100+ sq ft).

What's reviewed: Footings, anchoring, wind load compliance, setback distances, impervious surface limits.

Concrete Driveway or Slab

Trades: None

Adding a new concrete pad, extending a driveway, or pouring a slab for a patio or equipment pad.

What's reviewed: Drainage, impervious surface limits, right-of-way setbacks, thickness and reinforcement specs.

Screen Enclosure / Lanai Cover

Trades: None unless adding lighting/fans

Enclosing or covering a patio with a screen room or aluminum roof panel structure. Extremely common in Florida.

What's reviewed: Wind load rating, attachment to existing structure, engineering may be required for larger spans.

Carport

Trades: None unless wired

Adding a freestanding or attached carport. Structural permit only in most cases.

What's reviewed: Foundation/footings, wind load, setbacks, height restrictions.

Retaining Wall

Trades: None

Building a retaining wall over the threshold height (usually 30 inches). No trades involved.

What's reviewed: Engineering may be required, drainage behind wall, soil conditions, setbacks.

Re-roofing (same material)

Trades: None if no electrical (solar, etc.)

A straight re-roof with the same material type. You can owner-build this, but it is physically demanding and requires hurricane code compliance.

What's reviewed: Florida Building Code wind zone compliance, underlayment specs, fastener schedule, NOC.

Note: If your project involves any electrical, plumbing, gas, or mechanical work — even adding a single outdoor outlet to a shed or running water to a pool — those portions require separate trade permits pulled by licensed subcontractors. The structural permit is what you can DIY.

Full Walkthrough

Fence Permit — Step by Step

The most common DIY permit in Florida. No contractor needed, no trades involved. Here's exactly how to do it right.

THE SCENARIO

You want to replace your old wooden fence with a new 6-foot vinyl privacy fence around the backyard. No electrical, no plumbing, no HVAC. Just posts, panels, and gates.

1

Know your property boundaries

Pull your property survey from the county property appraiser website (free in most FL counties) or get a new survey done. If your fence ends up even a few inches on a neighbor's property, the city can order it removed.

2

Check your zoning

What zone is your property in? Are there overlay districts (coastal, historic, flood zone) that change the rules? A homeowner who shows up without checking this gets sent home to start over.

3

Get HOA approval (if applicable)

If there's an HOA, the city won't even look at your permit application without proof of HOA approval. And the HOA may have rules stricter than the city — specific materials, colors, or heights.

4

Draw a site plan

A simple hand-drawn or digital drawing showing: property boundaries, fence location relative to property lines, setback distances, gate locations and swing direction, and total linear footage.

5

Know the height rules

Front yard fences are typically limited to 4 feet. Side and rear yard fences up to 6 feet. Corner lots have stricter rules — visibility triangles at intersections prevent tall fences near the street.

6

Submit application + site plan

Online or in person at your city's building department. For a simple fence, plan review can be same-day to a few days.

7

Get your permit — post it on-site

Print the permit and post it visibly while work is in progress. This is required by law.

8

Do the work

As an owner-builder on your primary residence, you can install the fence yourself. No contractor or trade license needed.

9

Call for final inspection

An inspector comes out, checks the fence location against the site plan, verifies height, confirms it's within your property lines. Inspection passed = permit closed.

Cost

Fence permit fees in Florida are generally modest — typically calculated by linear footage, often in the range of $50 to $150 depending on scope and jurisdiction.

What Stops Most Homeowners

You can absolutely do this yourself. But these four things trip people up every time.

The site plan requirement

Most homeowners don't know their exact property dimensions or setbacks. You need either a survey on file or to pull one from the county property appraiser (free online in most FL counties). Without this, you're guessing — and the city will reject your application.

Not knowing zoning rules first

Before you design anything, you need to know your zoning district and any overlay restrictions (coastal, historic, flood zone). Homeowners who show up without this often get sent home to redo everything.

The HOA layer

If there's an HOA, the city won't process your permit without HOA approval documentation. And HOAs often have rules stricter than the city — specific materials, colors, heights, or even pre-approved vendors.

Underestimating inspection requirements

Even simple permits require a final inspection. If you skip it, the permit stays open forever — and surfaces as a problem when you try to sell or refinance. Always close out your permits.

The Bottom Line

A competent homeowner can handle the entire permit process for simple structural projects in a day of prep work — if they have their documents ready.

The permit itself isn't the hard part. The hard part is knowing what your city actually requires before you show up: property survey, site plan, zoning verification, HOA approval, material specs. That's the information gap.

That's exactly what Permits Automated solves. Tell us what you're building and where — our AI pulls the exact forms, requirements, and specifications your city needs, pre-fills everything it can, and tells you exactly what to bring and where to submit.

Ready to file your own permit?

We generate the forms, pre-fill the fields, and tell you exactly where to submit. You do the work — we handle the paperwork.

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