Do I need a permit for fence installation or replacement in St. Augustine?
It depends. Whether fence installation or replacement needs a permit in St. Augustine 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.
Florida and local notes for St. Augustine
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. St. Johns County's own permitting office is the St. Johns County Building Department, reachable on (904) 827-6800 at https://www.sjcfl.us/departments/building-department/. Its online permit portal is https://webapp.sjcfl.us/WATSWebX/Permit/SearchPermit.aspx. 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. St. Augustine lists fences among the projects that usually need a building permit. A fence under $7,500 on a single-family home needs an approved exemption before work starts, and flood hazard area property is excluded from that exemption. Under Code Sec. 28-331, fences and walls in residential districts are limited to 8 feet, may not exceed 4 feet within the required front yard, and nothing over 30 inches is allowed within 25 feet of an intersection, except in historic preservation districts 1, 2 and 3. Barbed wire is allowed only on top of fences at least 6 feet high and must angle inward toward the enclosed property. Perimeter walls are among the projects the City Archaeology Program reviews when the property is in an Archaeology Zone.
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
- Fence and Masonry Wall permit application through the Permit PortalLikely required
- Property survey showing the existing or proposed fence locationLikely required
- Materials listLikely required
- Building plans for a masonry wallSometimes 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 St. Augustine?
- It depends. Whether fence installation or replacement needs a permit in St. Augustine 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 St. Augustine?
- The local building department for St. Augustine 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.