Pinellas County, FL Ordinances (2026)

Buildings inside the Downtown Palm Harbor Form-Based District must follow county-adopted design standards, building form, materials and storefront rules, enforced through the county's…

Pinellas County lets affordable housing developments earn a density bonus and development-standard flexibility during review, per Code § 138-3211(c)(2)a, provided the project is…

A dog or cat that repeatedly howls, barks or whines qualifies as a "public nuisance animal" under Pinellas County code, and Animal Services can cite the owner regardless of intent.

Playing a radio, boombox, stereo or musical instrument loud enough to be 'unreasonably loud and raucous' violates Pinellas County Code § 58-445(1) anywhere the county's noise article…

Unincorporated Pinellas County limits industrial noise to 72 dBA and commercial noise to 66 dBA at the property line, dropping to 66 and 60 dBA where the source adjoins a residential…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, residential noise cannot exceed 55 dBA at the property line during quiet hours, before 7 a.m. or after 11 p.m. daily, absent a county-approved waiver.

Pinellas County bars noisy construction between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, and all day Sunday, capping equipment noise at 55 dBA at the nearest residential property…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, building, placing structures, storing materials, or working within, on, under, or above any public right-of-way requires a right-of-way permit first…

Mobile food trucks and carts that only stop briefly in unincorporated Pinellas County can set up as an accessory to a construction site, an approved nonresidential use or event, on an…

Every food cart or truck operating in unincorporated Pinellas County needs zoning approval under Code § 138-3247(c)(1)b, tied to the county's Table of Uses and, where the unit sits on…

Pinellas County bars food carts and trucks that are fixed or parked at a site from sitting on pedestrian walkways or in areas required to stay landscaped, per Code § 138-3247(c)(2)d.3…

Home cannabis cultivation is illegal throughout Pinellas County under Florida Statute 381.986, which channels all medical marijuana production through licensed Medical Marijuana…

Pinellas County treats medical marijuana dispensing facilities as pharmacies under Florida Statute 381.986, applying the state 500-foot school setback while otherwise allowing them in…

Pinellas County does not impose rent control; Florida Statute 83.425 preempts all local regulation of residential rent, leaving Florida Statutes Chapter 83 Part II as the controlling…

Pinellas County dwelling units let for occupancy must have all electrical fixtures, receptacles and wiring maintained safely and connected to power per the county's adopted electrical…

Florida Statute 163.04 preempts HOAs in Pinellas County from prohibiting solar collectors, allowing only narrow placement controls within 45 degrees of due south that do not impair…

Solar energy systems are an allowed accessory use throughout unincorporated Pinellas County, but they must meet district lot-size and setback rules, plus extra height and glare…

Unincorporated Pinellas County treats a storage shed as a stand-alone, non-inhabitable structure up to 200 square feet. Sheds 12 feet tall or less can sit as close as 3 feet from the…

Unincorporated Pinellas has no general tiny-home ordinance. Tiny homes are permitted only inside a special-exception redevelopment of a legally nonconforming mobile home park in a…

Pinellas County requires that either the primary house or the accessory dwelling unit on a single-family lot be owner-occupied before an ADU can operate, per Code § 138-3210(c)(1)c…

Unincorporated Pinellas County caps accessory dwelling units at 1,000 square feet (750 in coastal storm or flood hazard areas), allows only one per lot, and generally requires the…

Recreational drones over Pinellas County are governed primarily by FAA rules and Florida Statute 330.41, with county authority limited to take-off, landing, and nuisance enforcement.

On county-owned or managed parks and preserves in unincorporated Pinellas County, no drone may take off or land without written permission from the Parks and Conservation Resources…

Commercial drone operations in Pinellas County require an FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate, with Florida Statute 330.41 preempting most local in-air regulation.

Sec. 26-37 sets the physical-plant rules a Pinellas County children's center must meet: local building, electrical and fire code compliance, plus numeric space ratios for indoor play…

Unincorporated Pinellas County requires a permit for any construction, alteration, or renovation activity covered by the Florida Building Code before work begins; skipping the permit…

Under the county's Housing Code, the housing official, the Pinellas County Code Enforcement Division manager, can inspect any dwelling, dwelling unit, rooming unit or premises for…

Every Pinellas County short term rental must meet the smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector requirements of the Florida Building Code and the manufacturer's specifications before it…

Unincorporated Pinellas County does not license or regulate massage establishments locally. The county code defers entirely to Florida's Board of Massage Therapy and Chapter 480 of the…

Pinellas County pawnbrokers must hold every item they buy or take in pledge for 15 calendar days, log each transaction in a sheriff-issued register and check government photo ID on…

Before booting or trespass-towing a vehicle from private property in Pinellas County, a towing service must have a written agreement with the property owner covering fees, hours and a…

Unincorporated Pinellas requires a license and permit for every adult use establishment and bars locating one within 400 feet of residential zoning, churches, schools, child care…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, dumping anything but rainwater into the storm sewer system or receiving waters is illegal under Code § 58-244(a). The rule bars chemicals, sewage…

New buildings in unincorporated Pinellas County's coastal high hazard and Coastal A zones must be elevated one to two feet above base flood elevation, per the county's local Florida…

Building any dock or other obstruction to navigation in Pinellas County's waters, from Tampa Bay to Lake Tarpon, requires a county permit under Code § 58-543(a). Docks must maintain at…

Chapter 158 applies to flood hazard areas across unincorporated Pinellas County and county-jurisdiction property elsewhere, based on FEMA's August 24, 2021 flood insurance study and…

Unincorporated Pinellas County caps low-frequency bass noise at 65 dB in the 31.5 to 500 Hertz octave bands whenever it's detectable on a neighboring parcel.

Bars, nightclubs and other commercial-zone businesses in Pinellas County can't exceed 66 dBA against a residential zone from 7 a.m.-11 p.m., dropping to 55 dBA overnight, under Sec…

Generators and similar equipment that must run around the clock near homes in Pinellas County need an acoustical enclosure during quiet hours unless they stay under 55 dBA, per Sec…

Unincorporated Pinellas County caps noise from a residential air conditioning, heating or ventilating unit at 60 dBA, measured at the nearest adjacent property line, at any time of…

Any seawall, bulkhead or retaining wall built or altered on or next to Pinellas County waters, other than the open Gulf, must meet detailed concrete, aluminum or wood specifications…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, residential fences max out at 6 feet in side and rear setbacks and 3 feet in front setbacks, with taller decorative styles allowed under specific…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, a fence or wall must be built from a standard material listed in Code Section 138-3703: wrought iron, brick, concrete block, plastic, vinyl, chain…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, residential fences are capped at 6 feet in side and rear yards (8 feet for decorative fences on arterial/collector frontages) and 3 feet in front…

Unincorporated Pinellas properties on the county reclaimed water system may only run sprinklers on assigned days each spring and fall, with a Monday and midday ban.

In unincorporated Pinellas County's parks and preserves, a Department of Parks and Conservation Resources permit is required before anyone can camp, erect a bounce house, hold a…

Promoters of outdoor musical or entertainment festivals anywhere in Pinellas County, incorporated or unincorporated, must obtain a county permit at least 90 days before the event and…

Removing, effectively removing or transplanting a protected tree anywhere in Pinellas County, incorporated or unincorporated, needs a county tree permit under Code § 58-813(b)…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, Sec. 58-331 bars letting weeds, plant material or debris grow or pile up untended when it breeds vermin, creates a fire hazard or blocks a road's…

Unincorporated Pinellas County lets multi-family developments count rainwater harvesting systems toward up to half of their required common open space, if the systems follow LID…

Unincorporated Pinellas County requires at least 60 percent of the plant material used to satisfy landscaping requirements on new development to be native varieties.

Pinellas County enforces twice-weekly to once-weekly irrigation rules tied to Southwest Florida Water Management District phases, with $193 first-violation citations doubling per…

Pinellas County Code § 122-35 bars parking in front of any driveway, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, 20 feet of a crosswalk, on a sidewalk, median or bicycle path, but only on roads…

In unincorporated Pinellas County's residential zones, permitted work vehicles like vans, pickups and utility trailers must sit on a hard, prepared surface: never on grass or dirt in…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, every accessible parking space must be outlined in blue paint and posted with an above-grade disabled-parking sign, kept repainted by the property…

Unincorporated Pinellas County requires commercial and industrial buildings to provide on-site loading berths sized by building square footage, and bars loading from public…

Unincorporated Pinellas County treats EV charging stations as an optional site element for any development, including multifamily projects: there is no mandate to install them.

Unincorporated Pinellas County bans open storage of inoperative vehicles and derelict vessels on residential or public property; Sec. 58-270 requires them enclosed in a garage or…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, trucks, trailers, tow trucks, buses and construction equipment over 21 feet may not be parked or stored in residential zoning districts unless fully…

Pinellas County levies a 6 percent tourist development tax on rentals of 6 months or less at hotels, motels, condos, timeshares, RV parks and mobile home parks, countywide including…

Pinellas County closes all county-owned or managed parks and preserves from sunset until 7:00 a.m. daily, unless a location posts different hours or a department permit authorizes…

Pinellas County minors are subject to Florida Statute Sec. 877.22, restricting under-18 presence in public places overnight and during school suspension hours, with warnings then civil…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, county-licensed haulers must collect single-family residential trash curbside at least once a week under Code § 106-258(3), though a hauler and…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, commercial dumpsters must meet zoning setbacks, be screened by a 6-foot solid fence, and are banned outright on single-family lots zoned R-1 through…

Licensed residential haulers serving unincorporated Pinellas County must offer separate weekly yard waste collection to single-family customers, apart from regular trash pickup, and…

Unincorporated Pinellas County bans dumping or leaving garbage, refuse, rubbish, junk or debris on any property, improved or vacant, with fines up to $500 and each day counted as a…

Florida law, Fla. Stat. § 403.706(21), lets Pinellas County and its cities require residents and businesses to separate designated recyclable materials from trash and bar knowingly…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, licensed residential haulers must offer curbside recycling pickup to every single-family customer at least once a week under Code § 106-258(5)…

Unincorporated Pinellas County inspects every short-term rental before its first certificate of use and again every two years at renewal, checking life-safety compliance with bedroom…

Unincorporated Pinellas County only allows off-premises billboards on industrial-zoned land fronting I-275 or other federal-aid highways, capped at 50 feet tall and spaced at least…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, temporary window signs on commercial and office buildings can cover up to 25% of the windowpane or 100 square feet, whichever is smaller.

Unincorporated Pinellas County bars new off-premises signs, billboards, from adding electronic changeable message displays, with narrow exceptions for legally existing signs converted…

Unincorporated Pinellas County treats yard political signs as temporary signs: event-related signs must come down within three days, and all others within 30 days of being erected.

In the unincorporated county's R-1 Single-Family district, homes must sit back 20 feet from the front lot line, 6 feet from interior side lines, 10 feet from a side street, and 10 feet…

In unincorporated Pinellas County's R-1 Single-Family Residential District, Code § 138-368.1 caps the impervious surface ratio at 0.75 of net lot area for residential development. That…

Pinellas County measures building height from average existing grade, and lets chimneys, towers and flagpoles rise up to 20 feet above the zoning district's height limit.

In unincorporated Pinellas County, the Board of County Commissioners designates a property as a landmark, landmark site, or historic district only when it meets the…

Pinellas County lets a home-based business operate by-right in any residential zoning district, per Code § 138-3218(c)(1), without special licensing beyond what any other business…

Unincorporated Pinellas County bars any signage rule for a home-based business that is stricter than what applies to an ordinary residence with no business at all.

Family day care homes in Pinellas County are regulated under Florida Statutes Chapter 402, which establishes registration, capacity, and supervision rules that local zoning cannot…

Unincorporated Pinellas County bans outdoor lighting that lets glare or light trespass, unwanted light crossing a property line, reach an abutting property. Street lights, government…

Unincorporated Pinellas County requires full cut-off outdoor light fixtures, ones with no direct uplight, on walkways, parking lots, canopies and building or wall mounts. Fixture…

Unincorporated Pinellas County requires any electronic billboard operator to agree in writing to follow whatever luminance and illuminance limits the county sets, now or in the future…

Pinellas County's Land Development Code treats commercial farming, raising crops, livestock, poultry or dairy for sale, as its own zoning use under § 138-3330, separate from backyard…

Pinellas County doesn't mandate spay/neuter for every pet, but a dog impounded twice for running at-large within 24 months must be sterilized before its second redemption, and all…

Unincorporated Pinellas County limits farm animal keeping to R-A, R-E and R-R zoned lots of at least one-half acre, capping density at three livestock and ten fowl per acre of upland.

No new pet store can open to retail-sell dogs or cats in Pinellas County; only commercial establishments already operating before January 1, 2022 can hold a retail sales permit.

Veterinary offices in unincorporated Pinellas County that sit next to a residential district must fence outdoor exercise areas with a six-foot opaque wall or fence, keep those areas at…

Sec. 14-37 lets caregivers register community cats in unincorporated Pinellas County under a trap-neuter-vaccinate-return program. A sterilized, rabies-vaccinated, ear-tipped cat cared…

Pinellas County does not have a blanket wildlife-feeding ban, but state law and FWC rules prohibit feeding alligators, bears, sandhill cranes, and other protected species, while…

Pinellas County has no general pet microchip law, but every registered guard dog used by a guard service in the county must be permanently identified by microchip implantation.

No dog or cat may run at-large anywhere in Pinellas County, incorporated or unincorporated, and owners are liable even if they didn't know the animal got loose.

Beekeeping in Pinellas County is preempted to the state under Florida Statute 586.10, which gives FDACS exclusive authority over registration, placement, and inspection of managed…

Pinellas County does not impose breed-specific restrictions; Florida Statute 767.14 preempts local breed, weight, and size bans, while Section 14-64 of the county code regulates…

Trees rated "Excellent" under the county's grading system, including those with historical significance or rare species, get the strictest removal limits: only for lot access, utility…

Trees with a trunk 4+ inches DBH, palms 6+ feet tall, and homestead-exempt residential trees over 24 inches DBH are protected countywide and can't be removed without a permit.

Pinellas County's Housing Code makes occupants of single-family dwellings and owners of multi-unit buildings responsible for exterminating rodents and other pests, and the standard…

Pinellas County authorizes a contracted, single-operator sterile needle and syringe exchange program under F.S. § 381.0038(4). The operator exchanges used needles one-for-one at fixed…

Pinellas County bars anyone from approaching vehicles on public roads to solicit money or distribute literature, and bans standing within four feet of arterial or collector road edges…

Pinellas County bans loitering in or around restrooms, dressing rooms, locker rooms, shower facilities, and parking lots on any county-owned or managed park land.

Unincorporated Pinellas County bans drinking or carrying an open alcohol container on public streets, sidewalks, alleys, and parking lots, with narrow exceptions for permitted events…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, Code § 58-304 makes it illegal to let garbage, refuse, rubbish, junk or debris accumulate, or to let weeds and other plant material grow untended, on…

In unincorporated Pinellas County (and cities without their own housing code), the county's housing official can order a hazardous or blighted structure secured, repaired, or…

Pinellas County requires peddlers and solicitors to obtain a permit from the Board of County Commissioners under Chapter 42, Article V, with criminal background and good character…

Pinellas County regulates door-to-door solicitation through Chapter 42 Article V permitting but maintains no formal do-not-knock registry, relying on posted signage and Florida…

Any Pinellas County short term rental, a dwelling rented more than three times a year for stays under 30 days, needs a valid short term rental certificate of use before it can be…

Short-term rentals in unincorporated Pinellas County must provide one off-street parking space per bedroom, with no on-street or grass parking under Sec. 138-3232.

Pinellas County caps short-term rental occupancy at two persons per bedroom plus two in a common area, not exceeding ten people, under Sec. 138-3232.

Pinellas County requires every unincorporated short term rental to designate one responsible party under Code § 138-3232(g)(5), reachable by phone 24 hours a day to handle inspections…

Short term rentals in unincorporated Pinellas County must observe quiet hours from 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. daily under Code § 138-3232(g)(3), or a stricter hour if the county's general…

Unincorporated Pinellas County exempts propane, butane and other liquid-fuel grills and camp stoves from its open-burning restrictions, as long as you don't use one to burn yard waste…

Pinellas County bans using a designated bicycle lane for anything except riding a bicycle in the same direction as traffic, on any county road whether it runs through a municipality or…

Pinellas County treats Class 1, 2, and 3 electric bicycles as ordinary bicycles on county-owned parks and trails, restricting them to designated bike trails and banning boardwalks…

Unincorporated Pinellas County lets any residential property hold up to four garage or yard sales a year, each capped at three days, under Land Development Code § 138-3356(c)(3). A…

Pinellas County enforces the Florida Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, which requires every new residential pool to have at least one approved safety feature to reduce the risk of…

Residential swimming pool construction in unincorporated Pinellas County requires a building permit issued under the Florida Building Code, with plan review through the county Building…

Open burning is illegal anywhere in Pinellas County, incorporated or unincorporated, unless the fire fits a narrow permitted category. Recreational campfires must sit in a fire ring at…

Every landlord of a Pinellas County single-family home or duplex must install working smoke detection devices under Code § 22-296(8), which incorporates Florida Statute § 83.51(2)(b)'s…

Selling, exposing for sale, using or exploding fireworks anywhere in Pinellas County is illegal under Code § 62-85(a) except for narrow exemptions in state law or a county…

A backyard fire pit in unincorporated Pinellas County needs a cleared burn area at least 15 feet from any structure and at least five feet across, and only clean fuel can go in it.

Commercial filming and events facilitated by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Convention & Visitors Bureau on county property require a permit issued by the county administrator or…

Unincorporated Pinellas County bans planting Tier 1 nuisance and invasive plant species and requires their removal during site development, redevelopment, or new construction.