Do I need a permit for fence installation or replacement in Palm Bay?

Florida and local notes for Palm Bay

Florida has no statewide list of building work exempt from a permit. Section 105.2 of the Florida Building Code, Building, exempts only certain gas, mechanical and plumbing work, so whether a fence needs a permit is decided by your local building department rather than by a state threshold. Even where no building permit is needed, zoning height, setback, corner-visibility, and HOA rules still apply. Cities set their own fence ordinances that can differ from the county. Fences in an easement may require an acknowledgement and can be removed if a utility needs access. Brevard County's own permitting office is the Brevard County Building Permits office, reachable on 321-633-2187 at https://www.brevardfl.gov/PlanningAndDevelopment/BuildingPermits/BrevardCountyBuildingPermits. Its online permit portal is https://aca-prod.accela.com/brevard/Default.aspx. It issues permits for the unincorporated county. If your city does not run its own building department, this is the office that will handle the job. Brevard County publishes its wind speed requirements as a set of maps, one per Risk Category, that you search by street address. Most houses are Risk Category 2. Screen enclosures are explicitly Risk Category 1, which is a lower design requirement than the house they attach to. Be aware the county's own map instructions still tell you to install Microsoft Silverlight, which no current browser supports, so in practice you may need to call the Building Department on 321-633-2187 to get the design wind speed for your address. In Palm Bay, a residential fence that is not a pool barrier needs a Zoning Permit from the Land Development Division, reviewed for zoning only with no inspections, and it must be approved before installation. A pool barrier fence needs a building permit with zoning review, building review, and inspections. Under City Code 174.007, fences may be no more than 4 feet tall in the front setback and 6 feet elsewhere, and chain link cannot be placed within 20 feet of the front or side corner property lines. Fences in drainage or utility easements are limited to wood, wire, or plastic types, and the owner must remove them at their own cost within 5 days of written notice. Fences on a drainage or street right-of-way are prohibited. Barbed wire is allowed only in GC, LI, and HI zoning districts, and razor wire is prohibited citywide. The post-storm guide lists fence repairs for properties without pools as not needing a permit.