Do I need a permit for fence installation or replacement in Unincorporated Brevard County?
It depends. Whether fence installation or replacement needs a permit in Unincorporated Brevard County comes down to the details of your project.
There is no statewide fence permit rule in Florida, so requirements are set locally. Some jurisdictions exempt common fences below a set height, such as chain-link or wood fences up to a certain height, while others require a permit for essentially all new residential fences. Height, setback, and corner sight-triangle rules apply everywhere, and HOA rules may add more.
Local detail for Unincorporated Brevard County: Building Permits is administered by Planning and Development for unincorporated Brevard. Online permitting (Accela) is for licensed contractors only; owner-builders must apply in person by appointment. Code questions: Terry.Talbert@BrevardFL.gov.
Florida and local notes for Unincorporated Brevard County
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. Brevard County states no permit is required to repair or replace less than 50 percent of a fence with the same size and material in the same location. Under Code section 22-705, repairing or replacing more than 50 percent counts as new construction. Code section 62-2109 caps fences at 6 feet in residential zoning and 4 feet within the required front setback, and limits anything in an intersection sight triangle to 3 1/2 feet. Fencing a utility easement requires the owner to sign a hold harmless agreement with the county and utilities under Code section 22-706(b). After a declared state of emergency, the county waives fence repair permits for 90 days under Code section 22-705.
Documents you may need
- Permit application (where required)Sometimes required
- Site plan or survey showing fence location and property linesLikely required
- Easement acknowledgement (if in an easement)Sometimes required
- Design wind speed for the parcel and its Risk CategorySometimes required
- Brevard County Application for Building Permit (Residential Fence)Likely required
- Copy of a property survey with the proposed fence lines marked with X's, the fence height, and materialsLikely required
- Hold Harmless AgreementLikely required
- Landscaping Land Clearing AffidavitLikely required
Possible inspections
- Setback or post-location inspection (some jurisdictions)
- Final inspection
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a permit for fence installation or replacement in Unincorporated Brevard County?
- It depends. Whether fence installation or replacement needs a permit in Unincorporated Brevard County comes down to the details of your project. The documents and inspections sections on this page list what the building department typically asks for.
- Who issues the permit in Unincorporated Brevard County?
- The local building department for Unincorporated Brevard County handles permitting. This page lists its contact details and online portal. Your mailing city is not always the permitting authority, so confirm the jurisdiction before you apply.
- How do I find out the exact requirements for my project?
- Run the free PermitRoadmap check for your specific project and answers. It returns the likely permits, documents, inspections, and next steps, each linked to its official source.
PermitRoadmap is an independent informational service and is not affiliated with any city, county, state agency, or permitting authority. Results are informational and do not replace confirming requirements with the local permitting authority.