Nassau County, FL Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 105.1 sets the general rule: an owner or authorized agent intending to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to install, alter, repair or replace impact-resistant coverings or an electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, must first apply to the building official and get a permit before the work or a contractor performs it. The Building Department that processes those applications was created under Section 103.1 and is headed by a building official appointed under Section 103.2, who reviews plans, issues permits and inspects the work under Section 104.2.

Section 105.2 carves out specific categories from that permit requirement: residential fences and privacy walls up to 7 feet, retaining walls under 4 feet, water tanks of 5,000 gallons or less with a height-to-diameter ratio no greater than 2:1, uncovered residential flatwork like driveways, patios and sidewalks not more than 30 inches above grade, and small prefabricated pools, among others. Homeowners get an added carve-out at Section 102.2.5.1: an owner-occupied single-family residence may use one Residential Building Exemption Permit every 12 months for a new, added or repaired non-habitable accessory structure of 320 square feet or less, such as a porch, deck, carport or storage shed, so long as the owner signs the owner-builder disclosure required by Florida Statutes Section 489.103(7)(a) and the structure still meets Land Development Code setbacks and lot coverage.