Do I need a permit for fence installation or replacement in Unincorporated Santa Rosa County?

Florida and local notes for Unincorporated Santa Rosa 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. Santa Rosa County's own permitting office is the Santa Rosa County Development Services - Permitting & Building Compliance office, reachable on 850-983-1877 at https://www.santarosa.fl.gov/170/Permitting-Building-Compliance. 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. Santa Rosa County states that no fence permit is necessary for properties in the unincorporated areas of the county, but its Land Development Code height and location limits still apply. In residential zoning districts (excluding agriculture districts), walls and fences along side and rear property lines are limited to 8 feet, and within the 25 foot front yard setback to 4 feet, except chain link, which may be 5 feet. Walls and fences may not be built within 20 feet of an intersection, and barbed wire is not permitted in residential subdivisions. Additional restrictions apply on Navarre Beach and within the Bagdad Historic Zoning District. Properties in Milton, Gulf Breeze and Jay follow their own city rules.