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

Florida and local notes for Naples

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. Collier County's own permitting office is the Collier County Building Plan Review and Inspection Division, reachable on 239-252-2400 at https://www.collier.gov/Business-Resources/Building-Permits-Construction. Its online permit portal is https://cvportal.collier.gov/cityviewweb. It issues permits for the unincorporated county. If your city does not run its own building department, and many smaller Florida municipalities do not, this is the office that will handle the job. Fences are usually a zoning review rather than a building permit, and the zoning office may be separate from the building office. Naples' fence checklist says a fence less than 50 feet long does not require a permit unless it is part of a pool or spa safety barrier, but it must still comply with Code Sec. 56-37. Under Sec. 56-37, fences are limited to 6 feet in side and rear yards and 3 feet in the front yard, plus up to 18 inches of decorative metalwork. The R1-15A (Port Royal), commercial, industrial, and downtown districts have their own rules. Chain link fences are prohibited in front yards in residential districts, and fence height is measured from the lower of the grades inside and outside the property line. No permanent structures are allowed in a public drainage or utility easement, and a fence there needs a right-of-way permit and Letters of No Objection.