Bolthole Index

Alachua County, Florida

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Newberry, Florida

Newberry, Florida, in Alachua County, sets its own zoning through the city's Land Development Regulations1, and the city's own Building Division takes building permit applications through its online portal2. Septic permits for every Alachua County address, city or not, come from the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County3. The county's unincorporated-area rules do not apply inside city limits4.

At a glance

Zoning
City zoning under Newberry's Land Development Regulations1
Building permits
Applied for through the City of Newberry's SmartGov portal2
Septic permits
Florida Department of Health in Alachua County3
Minimum lot (single-family)
20,000 sq ft in RSF-1, 10,000 in RSF-2, 7,500 in RSF-35
RV living
Only as a construction shelter by temporary use permit6
Tiny homes
Tiny home neighborhoods by special exception in RSF-2 and RSF-37
Accessory dwelling
Allowed in RSF districts if it meets the ADU standards8
Mobile homes
Move-on permit required before placing one9

Who to call

Building permits

City of Newberry Building Department

Building permit applications, plan documents and inspections inside Newberry city limits

352-472-3927

25493 NW 1st Avenue, Newberry, FL 32669

Online permits →

Zoning

City of Newberry Planning & Zoning (Community Development)

Zoning, land development review and planning applications inside Newberry city limits

352-472-5440

25493 NW 1st Avenue, Newberry, FL 32669

Online permits →

Septic permits

Florida Department of Health in Alachua County - Environmental Health

Septic (OSTDS) permits, site evaluations and inspections in Alachua County, including inside Newberry

352-334-7930

224 SE 24th St., Gainesville, FL 32641

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 16, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Newberry means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Newberry, FL have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. Inside Newberry city limits, zoning runs through the city's Land Development Regulations, Appendix B, Article 41. Single-family lots fall in the RSF-1, RSF-2 and RSF-3 districts1.

Minimum lot area is 20,000 square feet in RSF-1, 10,000 in RSF-2 and 7,500 in RSF-35. RSF-2 applies only where community water and sanitary sewer are available, and RSF-3 only where centralized sewer is also available5.

In RSF-1, a house must sit 30 feet from the front line and 15 feet from each side and the rear; RSF-2 and RSF-3 allow smaller setbacks10. Structures must also stay 35 feet from wetlands and perennial streams10. Height tops out at 35 feet11, and single-family homes with their accessory buildings may cover 40 percent of the lot12.

We did not review Newberry's agricultural and rural districts or its minimum dwelling size, so ask Planning & Zoning at 352-472-5440 before buying acreage inside city limits13.

Do you need a building permit in Newberry, FL, and who issues it?

Newberry has its own Building Department in City Hall, and applications for building permits are processed through the city's SmartGov portal2. Contractors, owners and owner's representatives must register on the portal before applying2. The call-ahead number for the Building Department is 352-472-39272.

We could not confirm the city's written rule on exactly which projects need a permit, its owner-builder rules or its fee schedule, so ask the Building Department. Florida's statewide building code applies under the city's local amendments14.

Inspections must be scheduled 24 hours ahead through the portal or by phone2. Alachua County's Building Division handles permits for unincorporated land, not city lots4.

How do septic permits work inside Newberry, FL?

Septic permits for Newberry addresses come from the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County, not from the city3. Anyone needing a permit for a new installation, repair or modification contacts that office at 352-334-79301516.

Alachua County rates only about 15 percent of its soils as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system17. Newberry's RSF-2 and RSF-3 districts exist only where public water and sewer are available, so a lot in those districts is likely to connect to city service instead5. We could not confirm whether the city requires a sewer connection on any given lot; ask the Planning & Zoning office13.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Newberry, FL?

A travel trailer or mobile home may serve as a residence or shelter inside Newberry only while construction on that same lot is actively underway, under a temporary use permit6. Use beyond 12 months needs city commission approval6. We did not confirm any general rule allowing long-term RV living on a city lot.

Tiny home neighborhoods are allowed only in the RSF-2 and RSF-3 districts, by special exception7. Accessory dwelling units are allowed in the RSF districts if they meet the ADU standards, and housing for people may not sit in a required yard8.

Placing a mobile home on a lot requires a move-on permit from the land development regulation administrator, and a pre-owned unit must be inspected by the city building official first9.

Building a home in Newberry, FL: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the zoning district and lot size with Planning & Zoning at 352-472-544013.
  2. Check the setbacks, 35-foot wetland and stream buffer, and height limit for your district1011.
  3. Plan driveway access: curb breaks are 12 to 24 feet wide for residences, and none may sit within 10 feet of an intersection or 5 feet of an interior property line18. State highway curb breaks must follow FDOT rules18.
  4. Contact the Alachua County health department about the septic permit if city sewer is not available316.
  5. Register on the city's SmartGov portal and apply for the building permit2.
  6. Schedule inspections 24 hours ahead through the portal or at 352-472-39272.

What stays with Alachua County, and what to check before you buy in Newberry

Septic permits and the county's Land Development Code for unincorporated land sit outside the city's control; a parcel just beyond the city limit follows the county's rules instead4. For land outside the city, see the Alachua County page.

Before buying inside Newberry, check whether the lot sits in a flood hazard area, because mobile homes there face extra foundation and elevation rules9. Confirm the district, since a lot must meet the minimum area for it5.

Alachua County's effective property tax rate is about 1 percent, with a median bill of $2,623 a year1920.

Watch-outs

  • Newberry's city rules apply only inside city limits; a parcel with a Newberry mailing address may be in unincorporated Alachua County, so confirm with Planning & Zoning at 352-472-544013.
  • We could not confirm Newberry's permit fees, owner-builder rules or certificate-of-occupancy process, so call the Building Department at 352-472-3927 before budgeting2.
  • Septic permits come from the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County, not the city, even for lots inside Newberry3.

Sources

  1. Newberry LDR Sec. 4.5 RSF Residential, Single-Family (Newberry), quoted and re-checked
  2. City of Newberry Building Department (newberryfl.gov)
  3. Onsite Sewage Disposal, quoted and re-checked
  4. Land Development Code (ULDC), quoted and re-checked
  5. Newberry LDR Sec. 4.5 RSF Residential, Single-Family (Newberry), quoted and re-checked
  6. Newberry LDR Sec. 14.10 Special permits for temporary uses (Newberry), quoted and re-checked
  7. Newberry LDR Sec. 4.5 RSF Residential, Single-Family (Newberry), quoted and re-checked
  8. Newberry LDR Sec. 4.5 RSF Residential, Single-Family (Newberry), quoted and re-checked
  9. Newberry LDR Sec. 14.8 Special move-on permits for mobile homes (Newberry), quoted and re-checked
  10. Newberry LDR Sec. 4.5 RSF Residential, Single-Family (Newberry), quoted and re-checked
  11. Newberry LDR Sec. 4.5 RSF Residential, Single-Family (Newberry), quoted and re-checked
  12. Newberry LDR Sec. 4.5 RSF Residential, Single-Family (Newberry), quoted and re-checked
  13. City of Newberry Planning & Zoning (Community Development) (newberryfl.gov)
  14. 61G20-1.001 Florida Building Code Adopted (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  15. Septic Systems and Rebates, quoted and re-checked
  16. Florida Department of Health in Alachua County - Environmental Health (alachua.floridahealth.gov)
  17. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  18. Newberry LDR Sec. 4.2 Supplementary district regulations (Newberry), quoted and re-checked
  19. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  20. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 16, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Newberry

Newberry’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Newberry city limits

    • Zoning is administered through the city's Land Development Regulations (Appendix B), Article 4 Zoning Regulations.
    “The RSF Residential, Single-Family category includes three zone districts: RSF-1, RSF-2, and RSF-3.”
  • Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Single-family dwellings in RSF-1, RSF-2, RSF-3 districts inside Newberry city

    • RSF-2 only where community water and sanitary sewer are available and accessible.
    • RSF-3 only where community water and centralized sanitary sewer are available and accessible.
    • Agricultural/rural district not reviewed.

    RSF-1 minimum lot area: >= 20000 sq ft · RSF-2 minimum lot area: >= 10000 sq ft · RSF-3 minimum lot area: >= 7500 sq ft

    “RSF-1: minimum lot area: 20,000 square feet. minimum lot width: 100 feet.”
  • SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Single-family dwellings in RSF districts inside Newberry city

    • RSF-2: front 25, side 10 each, rear 15 ft; RSF-3: front 20, side 10 each, rear 15 ft.
    • Structures set back 35 ft from wetlands and perennial streams/creeks.
    • Other permitted uses: front 35, side 25, rear 35 ft.

    RSF-1 front: >= 30 ft · RSF-1 side: >= 15 ft · RSF-1 rear: >= 15 ft

    “RSF-1: front: 30 feet. side: 15 feet for each side yard. rear: 15 feet.”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Single-family dwellings and duplexes in RSF districts inside Newberry city

    • Other permitted buildings 35 percent.
    • No structure may exceed a 1.0 floor area ratio.

    max lot coverage: <= 40 percent

    “single-family dwellings and duplexes, including their accessory buildings: 40 percent.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Structures in RSF districts inside Newberry city

    • Exceptions in section 4.2 apply.

    max height: <= 35 ft (see section 4.2 exceptions)

    “maximum height of structures. (see also section 4.2 for exceptions.) no portion shall exceed 35 feet.”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Travel trailers used as a residence inside Newberry city

    • Only as residence/office/shelter incident to construction on the premises, by temporary use permit.
    • Not more than 12 months without city commission approval.
    • General long-term RV residence rules not reviewed.

    max duration without commission approval: <= 12 months

    “mobile homes or travel trailers used as a residence, temporary office, security shelter, or shelter for materials of goods incident to construction on or development of the premises upon which the mobile home or travel trailer is located. such use shall be strictly limited to the time construction or development is actively underway.”
  • Tiny homesLimited

    Tiny Home Neighborhoods in RSF-2 and RSF-3 inside Newberry city

    • Special exception required; regulated under Section 4.2.42 (not reviewed).
    • RSF-2/RSF-3 districts only.
    “in the "rsf-2" and "rsf-3" districts only, tiny home neighborhoods, as defined in section 2.1 and regulated in accordance with section 4.2.42, that are incorporated into existing residential districts.”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Mobile homes placed on lots inside Newberry city

    • Move-on permit required from the land development regulation administrator.
    • Pre-owned mobile home must be inspected by the city building official before moving into the city, per F.A.C. ch. 15C-2 in effect March 29, 1999.
    • Flood hazard areas have additional foundation/elevation rules (Sec. 8.19).
    “it shall be deemed a violation of these land development regulations for any person, firm, corporation, or other entity to place or erect any mobile home on any lot or parcel of land within any area subject to these land development regulations for private use without first having secured a mobile home move-on permit from the land development regulation administrator.”
  • Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

    Accessory dwelling units in RSF districts inside Newberry city

    • Must meet the ADU definition and standards in Section 4.2.4.2 (not reviewed).
    • Accessory structures housing persons may not be in any required yard.
    “Are Accessory Dwelling Units as defined in Section 4.2.4.2.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision proposals inside Newberry city

    • Flood-related review shown; full subdivision regulations not reviewed.
    “Subdivision proposals, including proposals for manufactured home parks and subdivisions, shall be reviewed to determine that:”
  • Driveway accessRequired

    Driveways (curb breaks) onto public streets inside Newberry city

    • Width 12-24 ft for residential.
    • State highway curb breaks must follow FDOT rules.
    • No curb break within 10 ft of an intersection or 5 ft of an interior property line.
    “a curb break is a driveway or any other point of access or opening for vehicles onto a public street.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Newberry or Alachua County directly.

  • Building permit — Building permits inside Newberry city
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder inside Newberry city
  • Building code adopted — Building code inside Newberry city
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside Newberry city
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Newberry city
12 more unanswered
  • Minimum dwelling size
  • Camping on your land
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees
  • Permit process

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Newberry publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Alachua County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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