St. Augustine, FL Zoning, Building Permits & Septic Rules

Building, altering or demolishing a building inside St. Augustine, Florida requires a permit from the city's Planning and Building Department¹. The city runs its own zoning, with districts such as RS-1, RS-2 and OL², and bars living in an RV on residentially zoned lots³. Septic permits come from the Florida Department of Health in St. Johns County, not the city⁴.

At a glance

Building permit: Required inside city limits, issued by the city Planning and Building Department¹
Zoning: City zoning applies; districts include RS-1, RS-2, RG-1, RG-2, RL-1 and OL⁵²
Septic: Florida Department of Health in St. Johns County issues septic permits⁴
RV living: Prohibited on residentially zoned lots³
Minimum lot, RS-1: 75 ft wide, 10,890 sq ft⁶
Minimum lot, OL: Half an acre, 100 ft wide⁷
Height limit: 35 ft in RS-1 and OL⁸⁹
Mobile homes: Only by exception in the OL district¹⁰

Who to call

Building permits

City of St. Augustine Planning and Building Department

Building permits, zoning questions and staff support for the Planning and Zoning Board and Historic Architectural Review Board inside St. Augustine city limits.

904-825-1065

75 King Street, Lobby B, 4th Floor, St. Augustine, FL 32084

Online permits →

Septic permits

Florida Department of Health in St. Johns County

Permitting and inspection of onsite sewage (septic) systems in St. Johns County.

904-506-6081

StJohnsFeedback@FLHealth.gov

200 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine, FL 32084

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

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Do you need a building permit in St. Augustine, Florida?

Yes. St. Augustine's code makes it unlawful to construct, erect, alter, repair or demolish any building within the city without first getting a permit from the city's planning and building department¹. The permit is issued on payment of adopted fees, and load management control devices are exempt¹. The city's Planning and Building Department says all permits are obtained through its Building Permit Information page¹¹.

Florida law lets an owner act as their own contractor on a one- or two-family home for their own use, but a permit is still required¹². We could not confirm how the city handles owner-builder applications, inspections or certificates of occupancy, so ask the Planning and Building Department before you plan around them.

Who issues building permits in St. Augustine, and how do you reach them?

Inside city limits, the City of St. Augustine Planning and Building Department issues building permits¹¹. It is at 75 King Street, Lobby B, 4th Floor, and its phone number is 904-825-1065¹¹. The department also supports the Planning and Zoning Board and the Historic Architectural Review Board¹¹.

St. Johns County's Building Department serves unincorporated land, not addresses inside the city. For a parcel outside city limits, use the St. Johns County page.

Does St. Augustine have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. St. Augustine adopts its own zoning districts, including RS-1, RS-2, RG-1, RG-2, RL-1 and OL². RS-1 is meant for single-family neighborhoods⁵.

Dimensional rules depend on the district. In RS-1, lots need at least 75 feet of width and 10,890 square feet, with setbacks of 20 feet front, 15 feet side and 20 feet rear, 25 percent maximum lot coverage and a 35-foot height limit⁶¹³¹⁴⁸. In RS-2, lots need at least 50 feet of width and 5,450 square feet¹⁵. In the OL Open Lands district, a single-family home or mobile home needs a half-acre lot at least 100 feet wide, with setbacks of 15 feet front, 20 feet side and 20 feet rear, and a 10 percent lot coverage cap⁷¹⁶¹⁷. The OL height limit is also 35 feet⁹.

Accessory apartments are listed as permitted in the RL-1 and RG-1 districts, while RS-1 lists only single-family dwellings and home-based businesses¹⁸. We did not review the city's other districts.

How do septic permits work in St. Augustine?

The city does not issue septic permits. Septic tank and onsite sewage system permits in St. Johns County are handled by the Florida Department of Health in St. Johns County⁴¹⁹. Florida requires a permit to construct, install, modify, repair or abandon a septic system²⁰.

We could not confirm which addresses inside the city are on public sewer rather than septic, or the city's own rules for septic. Call the Florida Department of Health in St. Johns County at 904-506-6081²¹. Across St. Johns County, the share of soils rated not limited for a conventional drain field is 0 percent²², so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system on any lot that needs septic.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in St. Augustine?

Not in an RV on a residential lot. St. Augustine's code says no major recreational equipment may be used for living, sleeping or housekeeping when parked or stored on a residentially zoned lot or any location not approved for such use³. Exceptions cover temporary emergency units after a declared emergency and RV housing during permitted storm-damage repair, which must be removed at the certificate of completion or permit expiration³.

Sleeping or camping in public places is banned from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.²³. In flood hazard areas, a temporary RV must stay fewer than 180 consecutive days or be fully licensed and ready for highway use²⁴.

We found no tiny-home provision in the city code sections we reviewed, so ask the Planning and Building Department before buying for a tiny home¹¹. Mobile homes on individual lots are allowed in OL only by exception, and a new manufactured home in a flood hazard area needs a permanent reinforced foundation¹⁰.

Building a home in St. Augustine: the steps, in order

Confirm the lot's zoning district on the city's zoning atlas, then check minimum lot size, setbacks and coverage for that district².
Check the flood hazard status of the lot, since development in flood hazard areas carries extra requirements²⁴.
Apply for a building permit through the Planning and Building Department at 904-825-1065¹¹¹.
If the lot needs septic, contact the Florida Department of Health in St. Johns County for the septic permit⁴.
Ask the Planning and Building Department about inspection and certificate of occupancy steps, which we could not confirm for the city¹¹.

What stays with St. Johns County, and what should you check before you buy?

Septic permits come from the county health department even for addresses inside St. Augustine⁴. Land outside city limits falls under the St. Johns County Land Development Code²⁵; see the St. Johns County page for that.

County-level figures: St. Johns County's typical home value is about $493,000²⁶, its effective property tax rate is 0.8 percent²⁷, and typical home insurance runs about $2,611 a year²⁸. We could not confirm the city's permit fee schedule, driveway rules or short-term rental rules; the Planning and Building Department is the office to ask.

Watch-outs

Inside St. Augustine, the city's zoning and RV rules apply, not the county's; the county's rules cover only unincorporated St. Johns County²⁵.
Septic permits for any St. Augustine address come from the Florida Department of Health in St. Johns County, not the city⁴.
Flood hazard areas add rules for RVs and manufactured homes, including a permanent reinforced foundation for new manufactured homes²⁴.

Sources

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.

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

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in St. Augustine, Florida