Bolthole Index

Miami-Dade County, Florida

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Miami Shores, Florida

The Village of Miami Shores, in Miami-Dade County, Florida, has its own zoning code1 and issues its own building permits2. Living or sleeping in an RV or any vehicle is prohibited anywhere in the village3. Septic permits are not a village function: we could not confirm the septic office inside the village, so ask the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County4.

At a glance

Building permits
Required; the village issues them2
Zoning
Village zoning code (Zoning Ordinance No. 270)1
RV living
Prohibited anywhere in the village3
Accessory dwellings
Guest houses and accessory dwellings not permitted in the one-family district5
Minimum lot
75 ft wide and 7,500 sq ft for one-family plots6
Height
30 ft maximum for dwellings7
Septic
Not confirmed for the village; county health department handles Miami-Dade septic permits4

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Miami Shores Building Department

Village building department; contact for building permits inside Miami Shores

305-795-2204

10050 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami Shores, FL 33138

Zoning

Village of Miami Shores Planning & Zoning

Village planning and zoning; contact for zoning and site plan questions inside Miami Shores

305-762-4864

10050 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami Shores, FL 33138

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 Village of Miami Shores means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Miami Shores have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes, lot size and setbacks?

Miami Shores, Florida has its own zoning ordinance, so the village rather than Miami-Dade County sets land-use rules inside village limits1. Residential subdistricts run from R-12.5 to R-358.

Living in an RV is out: the village code says no vehicle may be used as living or sleeping quarters anywhere in the village3. Tents, trailers, temporary buildings and tourist camps are likewise not allowed as dwellings9. Guest houses and accessory dwellings are not permitted in the one-family district5. Tiny homes: we could not confirm a specific rule, so ask Planning & Zoning at 305-762-486410.

One-family plots need at least 75 feet of width and 7,500 square feet6; new lots created by subdivision need 12,500 square feet and 85 feet of frontage11. Dwelling side yards are 10 feet and rear yards 15 feet12. Lot coverage is capped at 40 percent for one story and 30 percent for two13, and dwellings top out at 30 feet7.

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

Yes. Miami Shores issues building permits itself; the village code requires a village building permit even for a utility shed2. New dwellings and additions also go through planning and zoning board site plan review, except additions under 400 square feet that cannot be seen from a public right-of-way14.

Call the village Building Department at 305-795-220415. Miami-Dade County's permit office serves unincorporated land and is the wrong counter for an address inside village limits16. We could not confirm village permit fees, owner-builder rules or the building code adoption section; ask the Building Department.

How do septic permits work inside Miami Shores?

We could not confirm a village septic rule. Across Miami-Dade County, the county health department offices continue to permit and inspect septic tanks4, and Florida requires a permit to install, repair or abandon a septic system17. Contact the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County at 786-654-66204. Conventional drain fields rate poorly in Miami-Dade County soils, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system18.

Building a home in Miami Shores: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the zoning district and lot size with Planning & Zoning at 305-762-486410.
  2. Plan for planning and zoning board site plan review of a new dwelling or addition14.
  3. Check flood rules: development in flood hazard areas is regulated by village code19.
  4. Apply for the village building permit through the Building Department at 305-795-220415.
  5. Ask the county health department about septic or sewer connection4.

What stays with Miami-Dade County, and what to check before you buy

The county's own rules apply to unincorporated Miami-Dade County; inside Miami Shores the village sets zoning and issues building permits20. Septic stays with the health department4. For land outside the village, see the Miami-Dade County page.

County-level context: the typical home value is about $522,60121, the effective property tax rate is 0.8%22, and the typical home insurance premium is about $7,089 per year23.

Watch-outs

  • The village code says RVs and vehicles cannot be used as living quarters anywhere in Miami Shores, however the lot is zoned3.
  • Accessory buildings may not be used for human habitation, so a backyard cottage plan needs village confirmation first5.
  • Flood hazard areas carry extra rules for buildings, fill and RVs19.

Sources

  1. Miami Shores Code, App. A Zoning, Sec. 411 Schedule of regulations (Village of Miami Shores), quoted and re-checked
  2. Miami Shores Code, App. A Zoning, Sec. 516 Accessory buildings (Village of Miami Shores), quoted and re-checked
  3. Miami Shores Code, App. A Zoning, Sec. 501 Prohibited uses (Village of Miami Shores), quoted and re-checked
  4. Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County (Onsite Sewage Tanks and Disposal Systems) (miamidade.floridahealth.gov)
  5. Miami Shores Code, App. A Zoning, Sec. 411 Schedule of regulations (Village of Miami Shores), quoted and re-checked
  6. Miami Shores Code, App. A Zoning, Sec. 411 Schedule of regulations (Village of Miami Shores), quoted and re-checked
  7. Miami Shores Code, App. A Zoning, Sec. 508 Established grade of plot (Village of Miami Shores), quoted and re-checked
  8. Miami Shores Code, App. A Zoning, Sec. 501 Prohibited uses (Village of Miami Shores), quoted and re-checked
  9. Miami Shores Code, App. A Zoning, Sec. 501 Prohibited uses (Village of Miami Shores), quoted and re-checked
  10. Village of Miami Shores Planning & Zoning (msvfl.gov)
  11. Miami Shores Code, App. A Zoning, Sec. 402 Cubage and subdivision minimums (Village of Miami Shores), quoted and re-checked
  12. Miami Shores Code, App. A Zoning, Sec. 411 Schedule of regulations (Village of Miami Shores), quoted and re-checked
  13. Miami Shores Code, App. A Zoning, Sec. 412 Development standards (Village of Miami Shores), quoted and re-checked
  14. Miami Shores Code, App. A Zoning, Sec. 411 Schedule of regulations (Village of Miami Shores), quoted and re-checked
  15. Village of Miami Shores Building Department (msvfl.gov)
  16. Homeowners General Permit Information (2026 county census)
  17. OSTDS Construction Application (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. 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
  19. Miami Shores Code, Sec. 8.5-2 Scope (flood damage prevention) (Village of Miami Shores), quoted and re-checked
  20. Miami Dade Zoning (2026 county census)
  21. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
  22. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  23. 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 Village of Miami Shores

Village of Miami Shores’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Construction such as utility sheds inside Miami Shores village; the village issues the permit

    • Evidence is for utility sheds; new dwellings and additions also need planning and zoning board site plan review (Sec. 411)
    • Utility shed max 120 sq ft and 8 ft high, rear yard only
    “A building permit is obtained from Miami Shores Village prior to the erection of the utility shed.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Miami Shores village

    “Being a Part of Article IV of the Miami Shores Village Zoning Ordinance No. 270”
  • Zoning districtsPartial

    Zoning districts inside Miami Shores village

    • Code references R subdistricts (R-12.5 to R-35), A, A-1, S-1, CF and PRO districts; full district list and map not opened
    “Boats of not over 26 feet in length as rated by the manufacturer may be kept, stored or parked in R and A districts provided that:”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Dwellings in R-35 through R-12.5 residential subdistricts inside Miami Shores village

    • Expressed as minimum building cubage, R-35 = 35,000 cubic feet down to R-12.5 = 12,500 cubic feet; table mapping to subdistricts not verified

    minimum building cubage range: 12,500 to 35,000 cubic feet

    “35,000 cubic feet 30,000 cubic feet 28,000 cubic feet”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    One-family residential plots inside Miami Shores village

    • Platted lots under 75 ft wide may be exempt where both contiguous side lots are improved (Sec. 404)
    • Newly subdivided residential lots need 12,500 sq ft and 85 ft frontage (Sec. 402(b))

    minimum plot width: >= 75 feet · minimum plot area: >= 7500 sq ft

    “4. More than one kitchen per dwelling. Width: 75 feet Area: 7,500 sq. ft.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Dwellings in the one-family residential district inside Miami Shores village

    • Front yard equals median of existing front yards within 100 ft, between 25 and 35 ft
    • Side yard 15 ft on a corner plot street side
    • Accessory buildings and pools have different setbacks

    side yard: >= 10 feet (15 ft street side of corner plot) · rear yard: >= 15 feet · front yard: 25 to 35 feet (25 ft if not more than one building within 100 ft each side)

    “for dwellings: 10 ft., except that on a corner plot the rear line of which adjoins the side line of a plot to the rear, the side yard on the street side shall have a width of not less than 15 ft.”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    One-family Residential (R) districts inside Miami Shores village

    • Not applicable to additions totaling under 50 percent of existing floor area, or to façades at least six feet back from yard depth
    • Max impervious surface 55 percent; floor area ratio 0.45

    max lot coverage one-story: <= 40 percent · max lot coverage two-story: <= 30 percent

    “(1) maximum lot coverage: 40 percent for a one-story structure and 30 percent for a two-story structure. (2) maximum impervious surface: 55 percent impervious, 45 percent pervious. (3) maximum floor area ratio: 0.45.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Residential dwellings in all districts inside Miami Shores village

    • Measured from finished grade, or FEMA minimum finished floor in a flood zone plus mitigation
    • Dwellings limited to 2 stories (Sec. 411)

    max dwelling height: <= 30 feet (flood zone measured from FEMA minimum finished floor)

    “the maximum permitted height in all districts shall be 30 feet from the finished grade”
  • Living in an RVProhibited

    Living or sleeping in RVs, campers or any vehicle inside Miami Shores village

    • Storage/parking of campers allowed only in a garage or backyard if under 20 ft long and 10 ft or less high, or on a licensed parking area
    • Flood hazard areas: RVs must be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days or be road-ready (Sec. 8.5-67)

    max stored camper length: < 20 feet (enclosed in garage or parked in backyard)

    “Under no circumstances and in no area, however zoned, shall any vehicle be used as living or sleeping quarters within the village limits.”
  • Camping on your landProhibited

    Using a tent, trailer or temporary building as a dwelling inside Miami Shores village; tourist camps also not permitted

    • Tourist camps listed as not permitted anywhere in the village
    “tourist camps. (13) use of any of the following as a dwelling of any type: accessory building, building not designed for residential purposes, houseboat, temporary building, tent, trailer or similar building or object.”
  • Accessory dwellingsProhibited

    Accessory dwellings and guest houses in the one-family residential district inside Miami Shores village

    • Not permitted unless expressly authorized
    • Accessory buildings may not be used for human habitation (Sec. 516(5)h)
    “1. guest houses. 2. accessory dwellings. 3. kitchens or bedrooms in accessory structures.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdividing residentially zoned parcels inside Miami Shores village

    • Flood-zone subdivisions also reviewed under Sec. 8.5-58

    minimum new lot area: >= 12500 sq ft · minimum front street frontage: >= 85 feet

    “no parcels of land zoned residential shall be subdivided unless the newly created lot has a minimum area of 12,500 square feet”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Development in flood hazard areas inside Miami Shores village

    • Applies to subdivisions, fill, buildings, manufactured homes, RVs, tanks, pools and other development
    • RVs in flood hazard areas must be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days or be road-ready
    “The provisions of this chapter shall apply to all development that is wholly within or partially within any flood hazard area”
  • Permit processPartial

    New dwellings and additions inside Miami Shores village

    • Exception for additions to dwellings under 400 sq ft not visible from a public right-of-way
    • Only code-level site plan review process confirmed; application procedure not opened
    “site plan review and approval by the planning and zoning board is required for the following, except for additions to dwellings less than 400 square feet, not visible from a public right-of-way (alleyways excluded).”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Miami Shores or Miami-Dade County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Miami Shores village
  • Building code adopted — Building code adopted inside Miami Shores village
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Miami Shores village
  • Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Miami Shores village
  • Manufactured homes — Manufactured homes inside Miami Shores village
10 more unanswered
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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 Village of Miami Shores publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Miami-Dade County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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