In unincorporated Sarasota County a carport is an accessory structure regulated by the Unified Development Code. It generally may not exceed 20 feet in height, cannot sit in a required yard except where the code allows, and needs a building permit. Attached carports must meet the same setbacks as the
Sarasota County's zoning regulations classify a carport as an accessory structure subject to the county's accessory-structure standards. A detached carport in a residential district generally may not exceed 20 feet in height, and accessory structures shall not be located in a required yard except as expressly provided in the zoning regulations. A carport attached to the principal dwelling is treated as part of that structure and must meet the same yard setbacks. A building permit is required, and the structure must be engineered to the Florida Building Code's wind-load standards, which are stringent in this coastal county. Carports may not be enclosed to create habitable space without a separate permit and code review. Inside the cities, municipal code applies.
An unpermitted carport, one that encroaches into a required yard, or one enclosed into living space without approval is a code violation subject to correction orders and fines.
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