Building permits in Pinellas County, Florida
Of the 10 common home projects we have verified in Pinellas County, 7 need a permit outright and 3 depend on size or scope. Click any project for the full rule, fee, and how to apply.
By Mario Bailey Last checked · 2 official sources
Verified against official sources- Project types verified
- 10
- in Pinellas County
Pinellas County Building and Development Review Services
- 440 Court Street, Clearwater, FL 33756
- Phone: (727) 464-3888
- Email: buildingservices@pinellas.gov
- Official permit page
- Permit portal
- Official fee schedule
Look up a permit in Pinellas County
Pinellas County permit records are public, and you can check a property's permit history online.
What needs a permit in Pinellas County
Of the 10 common home projects we have verified in Pinellas County, 7 need a permit outright and 3 depend on size or scope. Click any project for the full rule, fee, and how to apply.
| Project | Permit needed? | Threshold | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deck Permit | Permit required | Not specified | No dedicated deck line |
| Electrical Permit | Permit required | Not specified | No flat generic electrical line |
| Fence Permit | It depends | chain-link, wood, and vinyl fences generally need no building permit, though a zoning clearance may be required in certain conditions such as pool safety barriers or corner-lot sight triangles; masonry fences, retaining walls, seawalls, and fences over 6 ft are handled as separate building-permit types | Fences of chain link, vinyl or wood 6 feet or less need no building permit |
| HVAC Permit | Permit required | Not specified | Mechanical Stand Alone fees are tiered: $140 for an equal AC changeout, more with... |
| Patio Permit | Permit required | Not specified | Open flatwork patios are permit-exempt |
| Plumbing Permit | Permit required | Not specified | No flat generic plumbing line |
| Pool Permit | Permit required | Not specified | $550 base covers building, electric and plan review for a pool, spa or hot tub with deck... |
| Roof Replacement Permit | It depends | non-structural roof work (e.g. roof covering only, not sheathing or framing) with a total project value under $7,500 on a single-family home outside a flood hazard area may qualify for a written permit-exemption approval from the County Building Official instead of a standard permit; structural roof work, any work on a flood-zone property, or any project at or above $7,500 requires a standard roofing permit | $180 covers the first 20 squares of a residential reroof plus $1.50 per additional... |
| Shed Permit | It depends | 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 | Sheds under 100 sq ft with no utilities are permit-exempt |
| Solar Permit | Permit required | Not specified | Flat fee by system type: photovoltaic systems $250 each, solar domestic water heating... |
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Schedule an inspection in Pinellas County
Permitted work is not finished until it passes inspection. Pinellas County 'Request a Building Inspection' service page: schedule via the Access Portal, by text to 844-746-1717, or by phone at (727) 453-4000..
Schedule or request a Pinellas County inspection
When the portal will not take the date you need, the office still books by phone: (727) 464-3888.
Checked . If the office has changed its process, report it.
Pinellas County permit fees compared with nearby Florida localities
| Florida locality | Deck Permit | HVAC Permit | Electrical Permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinellas County | No dedicated deck line | Mechanical Stand Alone fees are tiered: $140 for an equal... | No flat generic electrical line |
| Alachua County | No deck-specific flat fee is published. | Flat fee: Res Mechanical Alt/Repair $110.00, per the... | No electrical-specific flat fee is published |
| Brevard County | Not published | Brevard's Residential HVAC/Mechanical Permit Application... | Brevard's Residential Electrical Permit Application fee... |
| Broward County | No separate deck fee line | Mechanical (air conditioning and ventilation) permit is... | Electrical permit is the greater of a $125 minimum base... |
Each cell is the opening clause of that Florida jurisdiction's own fee schedule; the full wording and source sit on each permit page.
Pinellas County permit questions, answered from the data
- Do you need a permit in Pinellas County?
- For most projects, yes. Of the 10 permit types we have verified for Pinellas County, 7 always require a permit (for example a deck permit), 3 depend on size or scope (a fence permit, for instance). Each Pinellas County permit type's page states the exact rule and its source.
- How much does a permit cost in Pinellas County?
- Pinellas County publishes a fee for 10 of the 10 permit types we cover, each quoted on its page from the jurisdiction's own schedule (linked on every page that carries one). Fees are set by Pinellas County Building and Development Review Services; we do not estimate or mark them up.
- Where do you apply for a permit in Pinellas County?
- Pinellas County Building and Development Review Services issues permits in Pinellas County, with an online portal for applications, plan uploads and status checks, and takes questions at (727) 464-3888. The Pinellas County official page and portal are linked in the office section above.
How the Pinellas County pages were verified. 10 permit types, 9 distinct official sources, most recently checked . Every rule is read from Pinellas County Building and Development Review Services or the applicable code and cited on its page; anything we could not confirm for Pinellas County is marked rather than estimated. How we verify.