Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Martin County, Florida

At a glance

Building permit

Required for regulated construction, alteration, repair, demolition and occupancy changes¹

Zoning

County zoning applies in unincorporated areas; municipalities may have different local rules²

Septic

Martin County Health continues septic permitting and inspections; some system types also need operating permits⁴⁵

Owner-builder

Available to qualifying owners; the application and disclosure must be signed in person⁶

RV / camping

Private-land occupancy is unconfirmed; ask Growth Management for the parcel-specific rule⁷⁸

Private well

A permit is required for construction, repair or abandonment; Martin County Health is a delegated authority⁹¹⁰

Farm building

A bona fide agricultural, nonresidential farm building may qualify for an exemption, but floodplain rules still apply¹¹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 10, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Martin County, Florida?

Unincorporated Martin County, Florida requires a building permit before regulated construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, movement, demolition or a change in occupancy; regulated electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing work also requires a permit¹. Martin County has adopted the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), effective December 31, 2023, along with Martin County amendments.¹²¹³ The code is adopted statewide for use in Martin County without separate local adoption; if an application predates a code update, the code in effect when the application was submitted governs that work for the life of the permit and any extension¹⁴. County authority applies outside incorporated municipalities, while a city may be the permitting jurisdiction inside its limits¹⁵. Work exempt from a building permit is governed by the Florida Building Code; ask the Building Department whether a proposed repair qualifies before starting¹⁶¹⁷. A nonresidential farm building on land used for bona fide agriculture may also be exempt from the Florida Building Code and county code or fees, but the exemption does not cover a dwelling or displace floodplain rules¹¹.

Who is the Martin County Building Department, and how do you reach them?

The Martin County Building Department handles building permits for unincorporated Martin County and can be reached Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 772-288-5916¹⁷. You can submit most permits at the permit counter or electronically, whether it's a small home project or new construction¹⁷. A qualifying owner-builder must appear in person at the Building Department, located at 900 SE Ruhnke Street in Stuart, to sign the Building Permit Application and Owner/Builder Disclosure; later transactions may be completed electronically⁶. Martin County issues building permits to licensed contractors in good standing or qualifying owner-builders applying in place of a licensed contractor¹⁶. For permits that need plan review, the application is routed to the relevant departments before approval, building-permit issuance and field inspections¹⁶. The county's fee schedule effective July 1, 2026 starts at a $75 building fee and a $25 plan review fee for construction costs under $25,000, plus $75 for each inspection, and a $250 building fee and $200 plan review fee for costs of $50,001 to $150,000; state surcharges are extra.³

Does Martin County have zoning?

Martin County Growth Management administers zoning in unincorporated areas²⁸. The Village of Indiantown and Town of Jupiter Island have their own zoning rules; septic permitting remains with the Florida Department of Health in Martin County¹⁸¹⁹⁴. For unincorporated land, use the county's Future Land Use and Zoning Map: the future-land-use designation controls when it conflicts with zoning²⁰. In the A-2 Agricultural District, the general minimum lot area is 5 acres, subject to recorded-subdivision exceptions, and front, rear and side yards are generally 25 feet, with right-of-way and water-frontage provisions²¹. Environmental buffers and additional setbacks may also apply²². We could not confirm a countywide minimum dwelling size or complete accessory-dwelling rule; Florida's authorization for local accessory-dwelling ordinances does not itself authorize a unit on a Martin County parcel²³⁸. Ask Growth Management at 772-288-5495 to confirm the parcel's jurisdiction, zoning, lot standards and setbacks before designing or buying⁸.

How do septic permits work in Martin County?

The Florida Department of Health in Martin County continues septic-tank permitting and inspections, while the Florida Department of Environmental Protection implements the governing statutes and regulations²⁴⁴⁵. Installing, replacing, repairing, modifying or abandoning a septic system requires the applicable permit, and a site evaluation determines the parcel conditions and system suitability²⁵. Operating permits are required for aerobic treatment units, performance-based treatment systems, commercial septic systems, and systems on industrial- or manufacturing-zoned property or its equivalent⁴. An owner, or a contractor authorized by the owner, may hire a private provider for an OSTDS inspection⁵. Reach the Stuart health office at 772-221-4000 or 3441 SE Willoughby Blvd., Stuart, FL 34994²⁶. Only about 0.6% of Martin County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so make septic feasibility a purchase contingency²⁷. If public sewer later becomes available, a properly functioning onsite system generally must connect within 365 days after written notice, with different timing for a system needing repair or modification²⁸.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Martin County?

Florida regulates transient stays in permitted recreational vehicle parks and recreational camps, but that statewide rule does not establish permission to occupy an RV on private land in Martin County⁷²⁹. We could not confirm a countywide private-land RV or temporary-camping rule, so ask Growth Management about the parcel's zoning district before relying on an RV during construction⁸. In the A-2 Agricultural District, county rules allow a trailer only on at least 20 acres, with one trailer per lot, a 100-foot setback from property lines, agricultural principal use, residential use only and required screening; ask Growth Management whether an RV or tiny house on wheels counts as a trailer there.²¹⁸ Martin County allows tiny homes as eligible units in SHIP-funded affordable rental new-construction or rehabilitation developments, subject to the program’s compliance requirements³⁰. That program does not establish a general right to occupy a tiny home on private land; we could not confirm the broader occupancy rule or a countywide minimum dwelling size, so ask Growth Management about the proposed unit³⁰⁸. A tiny home involving regulated construction still needs the applicable building permit, and its proposed residential use must fit the parcel's zoning¹³¹. An off-site-constructed dwelling, including a qualifying manufactured home treated as real property, must be permitted as of right where single-family detached homes are allowed, but it remains subject to generally applicable permitting, installation, health, utility and zoning requirements³².

How do you build a home in Martin County, step by step?

1. Confirm whether the parcel is in unincorporated Martin County or a municipality, because the local zoning authority and rules may differ².
2. Ask Growth Management to identify the future-land-use designation, zoning district, district setbacks and any added environmental buffers²⁰²²⁸.
3. Determine water and sewer service. Apply through Martin County Health for septic permitting and inspection, and obtain the required permit for construction, repair or abandonment of a private well⁴⁵⁹.
4. Choose a licensed contractor or determine whether you qualify as an owner-builder; a qualifying owner-builder must sign the application and disclosure in person at 900 SE Ruhnke Street⁶.
5. Submit the building application at the counter or electronically; plans needing review are routed to the appropriate departments, and approval precedes building-permit issuance and field inspections¹⁶.
6. Complete the required field inspections. A qualifying threshold building also needs structural inspections under an approved plan by a special inspector selected and paid by the owner¹⁶³³.
7. Ask the Building Department which final approval or certificate applies before occupancy; the county confirms that it schedules an inspection associated with a Certificate of Occupancy³⁴.

What should you check before buying land in Martin County?

Martin County's median property tax bill is about $3,120 a year at an effective rate near 0.8%, while the typical annual home-insurance premium is about $5,268³⁵³⁶³⁷. About 24.3% of the county is federally owned, so confirm that the parcel and its access are private and legally usable³⁸. Martin County averages about 55.6 inches of precipitation a year, and only about 0.6% of its soils rate without severe conventional-septic limitations; make drainage and septic feasibility contract contingencies where possible³⁹²⁷. A private well needs a permit for construction, repair or abandonment, with Martin County among the counties where the health department has delegated well-permitting work⁹¹⁰. Florida regulates subdivision and platting statewide and allows additional local requirements, so ask Growth Management before assuming a tract can be split⁴⁰⁸. We could not confirm the complete Martin County driveway or floodplain-development rules; ask Growth Management which office must review access and floodplain work for the parcel⁸.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm a general right to occupy an RV on private land outside a permitted park; call Growth Management at 772-288-5495 about the parcel before buying or moving one in⁸⁷.
• About 24.3% of Martin County is federally owned land, so confirm a specific parcel isn't inside a preserve, refuge or other federal holding before you assume it's buildable³⁸.
• A qualifying owner-builder cannot complete the whole permit process online: the Building Permit Application and Owner/Builder Disclosure must be signed in person at 900 SE Ruhnke Street in Stuart before later transactions proceed electronically⁶.

Sources

1. Do I Need a Building Permit?, quoted and re-checked
2. martin.fl.us, quoted and re-checked
3. Martin County Building Department Fee Schedule (Effective July 1, 2026), quoted and re-checked
4. Septic Systems - Florida Department of Health in Martin County, quoted and re-checked
5. Septic Systems - Florida Department of Health in Martin County, quoted and re-checked
6. Do I Need a Building Permit?, quoted and re-checked
7. Florida Statutes Chapter 513: Mobile Home and Recreational Vehicle Parks (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Martin County Growth Management Department (martin.fl.us)
9. Water Well Contractor Licensing and Permitting (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Well Construction in Florida (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Florida Statutes § 604.50, Nonresidential farm buildings; farm fences; farm signs (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Florida Accessibility Code Design Certification, quoted and re-checked
13. Florida Accessibility Code Design Certification, quoted and re-checked
14. Florida Statutes § 553.73 — Florida Building Code, quoted and re-checked
15. Florida Statutes § 125.56 — Enforcement and amendment of the Florida Building Code (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Do I Need a Building Permit?, quoted and re-checked
17. Martin County Building Department (martin.fl.us)
18. Village of Indiantown: Indiantown Land Development Regulations, Sec. 3-2.3, Single-Family Residential Zoning District (Martin County), quoted and re-checked
19. Town of Jupiter Island: Jupiter Island Land Development Regulations, Sec. 1.04 (Martin County), quoted and re-checked
20. Growth Management Department FAQs, quoted and re-checked
21. Land Development Regulations, Sec. 3.412 - A-2 Agricultural District, quoted and re-checked
22. martin.fl.us, quoted and re-checked
23. Florida Statutes § 163.31771: Accessory dwelling units (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
24. Septic Systems - Florida Department of Health in Martin County, quoted and re-checked
25. OSTDS Construction Application (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
26. Florida Department of Health in Martin County – Stuart Office (martin.floridahealth.gov)
27. 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
28. flsenate.gov (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
29. Florida Statutes Chapter 513: Mobile Home and Recreational Vehicle Parks (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
30. State Housing Initiative Partnership Local Housing Assistance Plan, quoted and re-checked
31. Growth Management Department FAQs, quoted and re-checked
32. Florida Statutes § 553.385, Zoning of off-site constructed residential dwellings; parity (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
33. Florida Statutes § 553.79 — Threshold-building structural inspections (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
34. Inspection / Certificate of Occupancy, quoted and re-checked
35. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
36. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
37. Typical home insurance premium: Bolthole Index county data
38. Federal land share: Bolthole Index county data
39. Annual precipitation: Bolthole Index county data
40. F.S. 163.3202 — Land development regulations (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 10, 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.