Bolthole Index

Brevard County, Florida

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Cocoa, Florida

Inside Cocoa, Florida city limits, the city sets zoning1 and lists its own Building Division for building permits2. Septic permits in Brevard County, which includes Cocoa, come from the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County, not the city3. Brevard County's rules for unincorporated land do not apply inside the city.

At a glance

Zoning
Cocoa adopts and applies its own zoning inside city limits1
Building permits
City of Cocoa Building Division, listed under Building Permits on the city's development contacts page2
Septic permits
Florida Department of Health in Brevard County3
Manufactured homes in flood areas
Only in existing manufactured home parks or subdivisions4
RVs in flood areas
Temporary placement only, under 180 consecutive days5
Minimum home size (RU-2-25 single-family)
1,000 square feet6
Wells
Permit required; apply through a licensed water well contractor7

Who to call

Building permits

City of Cocoa Building Division

Building permits listed by the City of Cocoa for development inside city limits

321-433-8501

65 Stone St. Cocoa, FL 32922

Zoning

City of Cocoa Planning & Zoning

Zoning questions, the interactive zoning map, site plans and development forms inside Cocoa

321-433-8511

65 Stone Street, Cocoa, FL 32922

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 Cocoa means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.

Does Cocoa, Florida have zoning, and what does it mean for homes?

Yes. Cocoa applies its own zoning code to land inside city limits1. Look up a parcel on the city's interactive zoning map, kept by Cocoa Planning & Zoning8, before you plan anything.

Rules differ by district. In the RU-2-25 multiple-family district, an individual single-family home on a single lot is exempt from the site plan requirement that applies to other development1. A single-family home there needs at least 1,000 square feet6, a lot of at least 5,445 square feet9, and a 25-foot front setback10, with lot coverage capped at 40 percent11 and height at 45 feet12.

In the RM-3 mobile home park district, the minimum living area is 550 square feet13 and structures sit 50 feet back from property lines unless the neighboring land is zoned RM-3, RM-4 or commercial, industrial or professional14.

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

Florida law requires a permit from the appropriate enforcing agency before anyone builds, alters or demolishes a building15. Inside Cocoa, the city lists its Building Division under Building Permits on its development contacts page2. Call that office before you start, because we could not confirm Cocoa's inspection steps, fees or owner-builder rules.

The Florida Building Code applies statewide without local adoption16. Florida also lets owners act as their own contractors on a one-family or two-family residence they will occupy, with conditions17. Whether Cocoa adds its own owner-builder steps is unconfirmed; ask the Building Division.

Brevard County's Building Permits office handles only unincorporated land18.

How do septic permits work inside Cocoa?

Septic permits for Brevard County addresses, Cocoa included, are handled by the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County3. Florida requires a permit to install, repair, modify or abandon a septic system19. Applications and inspection requests go to the health department's septic office by email20.

A septic system may not be an option on a given lot. Florida requires an owner whose properly functioning septic system sits near an available public sewer to connect within 365 days after written notice21. We could not confirm where city sewer reaches, so ask Cocoa's Utilities Department before you buy.

Brevard County soils also rate poorly for conventional drain fields: 0 percent are rated not limited22. Expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system if sewer is not available.

Can you live in an RV, manufactured home or tiny home in Cocoa?

Cocoa's general rule on living in an RV or tiny home on a lot is unconfirmed, so ask Planning & Zoning before you buy.

What the city's code does say covers flood hazard areas. Recreational vehicles placed there must be on site for fewer than 180 consecutive days5. Manufactured homes in flood hazard areas are allowed only in existing manufactured home parks or subdivisions4. The RM-3 district allows mobile homes in parks, and excludes travel trailers and RVs as a principal use5.

Outside the flood zone, Florida requires an off-site-built dwelling, including a manufactured home, to be allowed as of right in any zoning district that allows single-family detached homes23.

Building a home in Cocoa: the steps, in order

  1. Look up the lot's zoning district on the city's interactive zoning map and confirm the lot, size and setback rules with Planning & Zoning8.
  2. Confirm in a flood hazard area whether placement rules apply; lowest-floor elevation certification is required for manufactured homes there24.
  3. Ask the Building Division what it requires for permit applications and inspections2.
  4. Decide sewer or septic. If septic, apply to the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County20.
  5. If you need a well, Brevard County requires a licensed water well contractor to submit the permit application7.
  6. Build to the Florida Building Code, which applies statewide16.

What stays with Brevard County, and what to check before you buy in Cocoa

Brevard County, not the city, handles septic permits3 and well permits7. For land outside Cocoa city limits, see the Brevard County page, where county rules for unincorporated land apply.

Brevard County's effective property tax rate is 0.7 percent25, with a median property tax bill of $2,139 a year26. Typical home insurance runs about $3,277 a year in the county27; those are county-level figures, not Cocoa's alone.

Before buying, confirm the flood zone and whether city sewer is available at the address.

Watch-outs

  • Brevard County's building permit and zoning rules cover only unincorporated land, so county planning counter answers do not apply inside Cocoa18.
  • We could not confirm Cocoa's permit fees, owner-builder process, accessory dwelling rules or short-term rental rules; call the Building Division and Planning & Zoning2.
  • Flood hazard areas inside Cocoa limit where manufactured homes and RVs can go4.

Sources

  1. Cocoa Code, Appendix A Zoning, Art. XI Sec. 6 RU-2-25 (Cocoa), quoted and re-checked
  2. City of Cocoa Building Division (cocoafl.gov)
  3. Onsite Sewage Disposal, quoted and re-checked
  4. Cocoa Code Sec. 6-362 Placement of new manufactured homes (Cocoa), quoted and re-checked
  5. Cocoa Code Sec. 6-371 Temporary placement (RVs) (Cocoa), quoted and re-checked
  6. Cocoa Code, Appendix A Zoning, Art. XI Sec. 6 RU-2-25 (Cocoa), quoted and re-checked
  7. Well Construction, quoted and re-checked
  8. City of Cocoa Planning & Zoning (cocoafl.gov)
  9. Cocoa Code, Appendix A Zoning, Art. XI Sec. 6 RU-2-25 (Cocoa), quoted and re-checked
  10. Cocoa Code, Appendix A Zoning, Art. XI Sec. 6 RU-2-25 (Cocoa), quoted and re-checked
  11. Cocoa Code, Appendix A Zoning, Art. XI Sec. 6 RU-2-25 (Cocoa), quoted and re-checked
  12. Cocoa Code, Appendix A Zoning, Art. XI Sec. 6 RU-2-25 (Cocoa), quoted and re-checked
  13. Cocoa Code, Appendix A Zoning, Art. XI Sec. 7 RM-3 mobile home parks (Cocoa), quoted and re-checked
  14. Cocoa Code, Appendix A Zoning, Art. XI Sec. 7 RM-3 mobile home parks (Cocoa), quoted and re-checked
  15. 2026 Florida Statutes, Section 553.79—Permits; applications; issuance; inspections, quoted and re-checked
  16. Florida Statutes § 553.73 — Florida Building Code (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  17. 2026 Florida Statutes § 489.103, Exemptions (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. Brevard County Building Permits, quoted and re-checked
  19. OSTDS Construction Application (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  20. Florida Department of Health in Brevard County – Environmental Health Services (brevard.floridahealth.gov)
  21. flsenate.gov (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  22. 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
  23. Florida Statutes § 553.385, Zoning of off-site constructed residential dwellings; parity (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  24. Cocoa Code Sec. 6-339 Manufactured homes inspections (Cocoa), quoted and re-checked
  25. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  26. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  27. Typical home insurance premium: 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 Cocoa

Cocoa’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Cocoa city limits

    • Site plan approval required for all development in RU-2-25 except an individual single-family dwelling on a single lot.
    “All development in the RU-2-25 Multiple-Family Dwelling District, except for the construction of an individual single-family dwelling unit on a single lot, shall be required to submit a site plan and obtain approval pursuant to article XIII, section 1 of this zoning ordinance.”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    RU-2-25 district, single-family dwelling unit, inside Cocoa city

    minimum floor area single-family: >= 1000 sq ft

    “Each of the above units shall have a minimum of one bath. Said projects shall be exempt from Appendix A, article XI, section 6(F)(9). Single-family dwelling units 1,000 square feet”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    RU-2-25 district inside Cocoa city

    • Lot width 150 ft; 50 ft for single-family.

    minimum lot area single-family: >= 5445 sq ft (15,000 sq ft for other uses)

    “Minimum Lot Area 15,000 square feet; 5,445 square feet for single-family dwellings”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • SetbacksSpecified

    RU-2-25 district, single-family dwellings, inside Cocoa city

    • Larger setbacks for other uses.

    front: >= 25 ft (30 ft other uses) · interior side: >= 8 ft (10 ft other uses) · corner side: >= 15 ft (25 ft other uses) · rear: >= 15 ft (25 ft other uses)

    “Front 30 feet; 25 feet for single-family dwellings”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Specified — RM-3 mobile home park district inside Cocoa city
      “Mobile homes and structures shall be set back not less than fifty (50) feet from all property lines unless such line is contiguous to property zoned RM-3, RM-4, or any industrial, commercial or professional classification, in which case the setback shall be fifteen (15) feet.”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    RU-2-25 district inside Cocoa city

    maximum lot coverage: <= 40 percent

    “Maximum Lot Coverage 40 percent (5) Minimum yards Front 30 feet; 25 feet for single-family dwellings”
  • Building heightSpecified

    RU-2-25 district inside Cocoa city

    • Exception by special exception (uses exceeding 80 ft).

    maximum building height: <= 45 ft (except as provided by special exception)

    “Maximum Building Height 45 feet, except as provided by special exception”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Living in an RVLimited

    RVs in flood hazard areas inside Cocoa city

    • Alternatively fully licensed and highway ready, attached only by quick-disconnect utilities.
    • RM-3 excludes travel trailers and RVs as principal use; storage only in separate area.

    max consecutive days on site: < 180 days (unless fully licensed and highway ready)

    “Recreational vehicles and park trailers placed temporarily in flood hazard areas shall: (1) Be on the site for fewer than one hundred eighty (180) consecutive days”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured homes inside Cocoa city flood hazard areas

    • Only in existing manufactured home parks or subdivisions within flood hazard areas.
    • RM-3 district allows mobile homes in parks of at least 10 acres.
    “Placement of manufactured homes in flood hazard areas is permitted only in existing manufactured home (mobile home) parks or subdivisions.”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Development in flood hazard areas inside Cocoa city

    • Building official inspects manufactured homes installed or replaced in flood hazard areas; lowest floor elevation certification required.
    “The building official shall inspect manufactured homes that are installed or replaced in flood hazard areas to determine compliance with the requirements of this ordinance and the conditions of the issued permit. Upon placement of a manufactured home, certification of the elevation of the lowest floor shall be submitted to the building official.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Building permit — Building permits inside Cocoa city
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder inside Cocoa city
  • Building code adopted — Building code inside Cocoa city
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside Cocoa city
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Cocoa city
15 more unanswered
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • 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 Cocoa publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Brevard County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Brevard County: county rules, score and offices