Do you need a shed permit in Florida?
By Mario Bailey Last checked
- Always required
- 12
- of 28 jurisdictions
- Conditional
- 16
- depends on size or scope
- Not required
- 0
- exempt outright
Shed Permit rules nationwide, beyond Florida.
Requirements and size thresholds for shed permits vary by locality. The table below compares what each Florida county or city requires. Always confirm with the local office before starting.
Comparing states? See shed permit rules across every locality we cover.
The application steps and inspection sequence for shed permits come from the model code rather than from Florida law, so they read the same wherever you build. We keep that walkthrough in one place: how a shed permit application and its inspections work, start to finish. What changes between Florida jurisdictions is below: who requires a permit, what they charge, and which office you file with.
Swipe sideways to see thresholds and confidence.
| Locality | Permit required? | Typical threshold | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua County | Conditional | area of a single storage shed, exemption available once per property | Confirmed on official page |
| Brevard County | Conditional | A permit is required for an accessory structure (shed) over 100 square feet. | Confirmed on official page |
| Broward County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Charlotte County | Conditional | A building permit is not required for plastic or rubber manufactured type sheds 68 square feet or less in area, though they must comply with zoning setbacks and be moved and secured if there is the threat of a tropical storm. | Confirmed on official page |
| Clay County | Yes | Not specified | From an official source |
| Collier County | Yes | Not specified | From an official source |
| Escambia County | Conditional | A portable, skid-mounted utility shed under 120 square feet does not require a permit; any utility shed with a poured slab or a post installed into the earth requires a permit regardless of size. | Confirmed on official page |
| Hernando County | Conditional | Sheds with impervious roof coverings of 120 square feet or less do not require a Zoning permit, provided other county regulations (setbacks, floodplain rules, one detached accessory building per parcel, etc.) are met | Confirmed on official page |
| Hillsborough County | Conditional | sheds under 150 sq ft are exempt; 150 sq ft or larger require a building permit | Confirmed on official page |
| Jacksonville | Yes | A building permit is required for a residential shed of any size. Sheds 150 square feet or larger (or with a job cost of $5,000 or more) additionally require structural design drawings signed and sealed by a Florida-licensed design professional and a plans-examiner review before the permit is issued; sheds under that size and cost, with no final inspection required, can often be issued the same visit. | Confirmed on official page |
| Lake County | Conditional | A shed built by the property owner on the owner's own personal residence, with no electrical, HVAC, fuel gas, or plumbing, is exempt from a building permit up to a 120-square-foot footprint | Confirmed on official page |
| Lee County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Leon County | Conditional | Sheds over 100 square feet in area require a building permit; sheds of any size are still subject to Development Services and Environmental Services review for location, setbacks from boundary lines, easements, and floodplain. | Confirmed on official page |
| Manatee County | Conditional | A prefabricated shed used as a tool/storage shed or playhouse is exempt from a building permit if its floor area does not exceed 120 square feet and it is not over 8 feet high, measured from mean roof height; zoning and flood regulations still apply regardless. Sheds exceeding that size, or not used for tool/storage/playhouse purposes, require a permit. | Confirmed on official page |
| Marion County | Conditional | The county's shed permit fee category applies to pre-manufactured sheds of 100 square feet and larger | From an official source |
| Miami-Dade County | Yes | only one utility shed up to 400 sq ft permitted per residential lot under County Code Section 33-20(k) | Confirmed on official page |
| Orange County | Yes | structures 120 sq ft or less require a zoning permit; structures over 120 sq ft require a full building permit with engineered plans | Confirmed on official page |
| Osceola County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Palm Beach County | Yes | Accessory storage enclosures (sheds) up to 6 ft x 6 ft x 6 ft high, for single-family dwellings only, qualify for a Type 1 Site Plan Review Permit (zoning review only, no Building Code plan review or inspection); sheds larger than that footprint or height require a standard Type 2(A) Building Permit with plan review and inspections. | Confirmed on official page |
| Pasco County | Conditional | Sheds of 150 square feet or less are exempt only if approved by and on file with the Florida DBPR Manufactured Building Program, with tie-downs installed and setbacks met, and not in a special flood hazard area. | Confirmed on official page |
| Pinellas County | Conditional | sheds under 100 sq ft and no taller than 10 ft, not connected to utilities, need no permit; sheds 100 sq ft or larger, taller than 10 ft, or connected to utilities require a building permit | Confirmed on official page |
| Polk County | Conditional | Prefabricated reach-in storage structures of closet use are exempt only up to 5 ft mean height, 50 sq ft area and 250 cubic ft with no electrical or plumbing; all larger or walk-in structures require a permit. | Confirmed on official page |
| Santa Rosa County | Conditional | gross floor area, plus all covered area, of a residential storage accessory building, for eligibility to request the no-permit exemption under Ordinance 2010-17 | Confirmed on official page |
| Sarasota County | Conditional | Plastic or rubber storage containers less than 7 feet tall and less than 65 square feet that meet any applicable setback requirements do not need a building permit; all other storage or utility sheds require a permit. | Confirmed on official page |
| Seminole County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| St. Johns County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| St. Lucie County | Yes | Not specified | From an official source |
| Volusia County | Conditional | A building permit is not required for sheds 480 square feet or smaller; sheds larger than 480 square feet require a permit. | Confirmed on official page |
| No localities match your filter. | |||
What a shed permit costs in Florida
22 Florida jurisdictions we cover publish a fee figure for this work. Each line is quoted from that office's own schedule and linked to its citation. The figures are not comparable to one another: some are flat minimums, some a percentage of job value, some charged per fixture, so what you pay depends on which schedule applies and on your job's valuation.
No shed-specific flat fee is published for sheds that don't qualify for the exemption; they fall under the $150.00 minimum base permit fee bucket that includes "accessory buildings," plus the dollar-value-of-construction fee, per the Building Fee Schedule effective 11/01/2025.
last checked
Sheds are filed under the Residential Addition permit category, whose fee table lists a Building Code Review fee of $75.00 for the first $1,000 of job value plus $3.25 per $1,000 thereafter, a $25.00 Application Processing Fee, and a $10.00 Unlicensed Contractor Activity Enforcement fee, plus state surcharges of 1.5% (BCA) and 1% (FBC). No effective date is shown.
last checked
No separate shed fee line; sheds fall under the Structural permit schedule, the greater of a $125 minimum base fee or 3.0% of job value, per Section 40.29 (Ord. 2025-038, eff. 5-1-25)
last checked
At application: flat fee $90, plus a 0.025 x building-fee surcharge and a $22 zoning flat fee; at issuance: building fee of 0.004 x ICC valuation (if valuation is $50,000 or more) and a $90 Right-of-Way Review fee.
last checked
FY24/25 Building Fee Schedule: 'Garages, Accessory Buildings per 100 square feet' $10.00, effective January 1, 2025; the general 'Minimum Fee for Any Building Permit' of $100.00 also applies. (Resolution No. 2023/2024-97, effective October 1, 2024.)
last checked
Storage Building 200 s.f. or less (Non-Commercial, Site Built or 1 Piece/Pre-Fab) - Building: $140.00, per Resolution No. 2026-037 (effective March 3, 2026). An Accessory Structure Affidavit is separately required on parcels zoned PDPSF, R1B, R1C, AR, or R2.5, limiting most parcels to one detached accessory building under Ordinance No. 2016-17.
last checked
Residential Misc Projects fee of $380 flat covers sheds and includes a $50 application fee; sheds and greenhouses under 150 square feet need no permit per the Work Exempt from Permits page, per Building Permit Fee Schedule effective October 5, 2024
last checked
City Fees schedule (Municipal Code Section 320.409), Building Inspection Division, exceptions to subsection (1): residential accessory structures not exceeding 150 square feet and $5,000, not requiring a final inspection, are $45.00 (includes plan review) plus a $15.00 Development Services Fee and a $25.00 C&D Debris fee; structures requiring only one inspection are $75.00 plus the same additional fees; structures requiring more than one inspection are $112.50 or $33.75 per required inspection, whichever is greater.
last checked
Fee schedule effective 2026-04-15: $50 application fee and $35 technology fee per application plus an operational support fee; residential accessory structure plan review $35 to $50 initial, regulatory review $25, inspections $50 per required inspection at 2,500 sq ft work area or less
last checked
Fee Schedule, Residential One and Two-Family category, which covers "detached accessory structures" and is billed "Based on sq. ft. under roof": Building Plan Review $0.16 per sq ft plus Building Inspection $0.15 per sq ft (additional trades billed separately if applicable).
last checked
Manatee County Development Services Building Fee Schedule, effective 04/01/2023 (R-23-043, R-23-045, R-23-046): Prefabricated Utility Shed $91; Accessory Structure (barn, carport, garage, gazebo, pergola, utility building, other stand-alone accessory structures) $0.33 per square foot.
last checked
Pre-manufactured Sheds (100 sq. ft. and larger): $110.00; Residential Aluminum Structures (Includes Pre-Fab Sheds): $135.00, per Resolution 25-R-295 (effective Oct. 1, 2025).
last checked
A prefabricated utility shed over 100 sq ft carries a flat $147 building permit fee; sheds no greater than 100 sq ft qualify for the $130 hardening improvement rate on homesteaded properties, per Implementing Order 4-63 effective 6/30/2025
last checked
A $12 flat Zoning Permit covers a tool or storage shed 120 sq ft or smaller; a larger shed bills under the Accessory Structure schedule at a $26 minimum plus $4 per additional $1,000 of value, per the FY2025-26 Fee Directory
last checked
Appendix A prices sheds in three tiers: 'Shed - Prefab' $40.00 (no plan review fee); 'Shed up to 750 sq. feet' $60.00 plan review fee plus $40.00 permit fee; 'Shed - Site Built over 750 sq. feet' $60.00 plan review fee plus $100.00 permit fee. Effective October 1, 2025, per Resolution #25-036R.
last checked
Accessory Bldg under 36 sq ft site-built or prefab: $50 flat fee; 36 to 400 sq ft site-built: $200; 36 sq ft or more prefab: $100 per 400 sq ft (Building Division fee schedule).
last checked
Base permit fee $45 for all permits; residential construction priced at $0.08 per square foot under roof per posted fee Resolution 18-17
last checked
Sheds under 100 sq ft with no utilities are permit-exempt; a site-built shed shell is $375 (max 3 inspections) and a prefab shed over 100 sq ft is $175, both including plan review, per Building Stand Alone Permits V-L of the FY26 BDRS schedule
last checked
Building permit fee by valuation per Construction Fees Resolution 17-025; residential fee starts at $85.00 for work valued up to $12,000; all construction permit fees due at time of permit issuance.
last checked
Accessory Building Exemption processing costs $35.00 (administrative fee) plus $25.00 (zoning review fee) for properties outside incorporated areas, per the Accessory Building Exemption Information sheet. A shed that does not qualify for the exemption is permitted through the standard Building Permits schedule in Resolution No. 2025-29 (adopted September 11, 2025; the resolution text itself states the fees 'shall be effective October 1, 2024', which reads as a date carried over unedited from the prior year's resolution), for example the 'New Construction Minimum' of $200.00 for single-family detached construction.
last checked
The Section 20.10 fee schedule (Resolution 2024-R-139, adopted Dec. 12, 2023) has no line item naming sheds specifically; sheds fall under the schedule's general 'Building Permit Fees for Structures Other than Buildings' category ($30.00 base permit fee plus $6.00 per $1,000 value of construction). The Building Division separately publishes shed anchoring specifications for sheds under 120 sq ft.
last checked
No shed or accessory-structure-specific fee line item is published. Shed permits fall under the general Building Services Fees table: Permit Issuance Fee $14.00, plus Total Valuation of Building fee (minimum $19.00, or $11.00 for the first $1,000 plus $2.63 for each additional thousand up to $50,000; higher tiers apply above that), per St. Johns County's Schedule of Fees and Services, Exhibit A (amended 07/21/2026).
last checked
Jurisdictions not listed publish no dollar figure we could quote. Absence does not mean a permit is free.
Common questions about shed permits in Florida
- Do I need a shed permit in Florida?
- In Florida it depends on the size of the job. Permits are issued locally, so the answer comes from your Florida city or county rather than a single statewide rule. Of the 28 Florida jurisdictions we have verified for shed work, 12 require a permit outright, 16 depend on the size or scope of the job, and 0 require none.
- Is there a shed permit exemption in Florida?
- 16 of the 28 Florida jurisdictions we cover set a threshold rather than a flat rule, so the same job can be exempt in one Florida county and permitted in the next. The table above lists each Florida jurisdiction's published threshold in its own words, with the source and the date we verified it.
Ready to move on your shed permit?
Hire it out
Sponsored
If a contractor builds or places your shed, they usually handle any required permit. Compare a few bids before you commit.
Compare contractor quotes on Angi
Sponsored link. PermitNotebook may earn a fee if you request quotes through it. Partners never influence our permit data.