Fidelis, FL

Construction that exceeds the county decibel limits is prohibited between 9:01 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. within unincorporated Santa Rosa County. Outside those hours, construction may proceed even above the general dB(A) limits.

Santa Rosa County sets A-weighted decibel limits at the receiving property line by zoning and time: residential 70/60 dB(A) day/night, non-industrial-non-residential 80/75, industrial 85/80. Day is 7 a.m.–9 p.m.; night is 9:01 p.m.–6:59 a.m.

Outdoor music must meet the same receiving-property decibel limits (70 dB(A) day / 60 dB(A) night for residential neighbors). Community events with non-amplified crowd noise are exempt, and amplified event sound is allowed only under a valid county special-events permit.

In unincorporated Santa Rosa County, nighttime runs 9:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m., when noise measured at a residential receiving property may not exceed 60 dB(A). Daytime (7 a.m.–9 p.m.) the residential limit is 70 dB(A).

Santa Rosa County has no dedicated barking-dog decibel limit. Persistent barking is handled as excessive noise under the general noise ordinance (Ch. 14, Art. VI) — 60 dB(A) at night, 70 dB(A) daytime on a residential receiving property — or as an animal nuisance by Animal Services.

Noise from motor vehicles operating on a public right-of-way is exempt from the county ordinance and is governed by Florida law (F.S. § 316.293). Vehicle horns and warning devices required by F.S. § 316.271 are also exempt. Off-road vehicle noise on private property still falls under the county limits.

Power tools and landscaping/yard-maintenance equipment (leaf blowers, mowers) may not be used above the county decibel limits on or within 250 feet of a residential property between 9:01 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. At all other times they may be used even above those limits.

Amplified music and other sound must stay under the county's receiving-property decibel limits: 70 dB(A) day / 60 dB(A) night on residential property, measured at the neighbor's property line. Only sound authorized by a county special-events permit may lawfully exceed those limits.

On industrial receiving property the county allows 85 dB(A) daytime and 80 dB(A) nighttime. Noise inside the Galt City Industrial Zone is fully exempt from the ordinance. Limits are measured at the receiving property line on an A-weighted meter.

Aircraft and airport noise is exempt from the Santa Rosa County noise ordinance. Noise from aircraft or airport activity conducted in accordance with federal law is not subject to the county's decibel limits; aviation noise is regulated by the FAA.

Florida preempts vacation-rental licensing to the state, so you obtain a DBPR vacation-rental license, not a county permit. Santa Rosa County has no separate STR operating permit for unincorporated areas; it registers rentals only for tourist-tax purposes.

Santa Rosa County does not require short-term rental hosts to carry a specific insurance policy. Coverage is a private/lender matter; owners should carry commercial short-term-rental or landlord liability coverage, plus flood and windstorm in coastal areas.

Santa Rosa County does NOT require a short-term rental to be the owner's primary residence. Whole-home, non-owner-occupied vacation rentals are allowed; state law bars the county from limiting rentals this way.

The county has no STR-specific parking mandate. Guests must follow the same rules as residents — off-street parking, no blocking roads or right-of-way — and any HOA parking limits. Navarre Beach parking is enforced by county code.

Owners must register short-term rental property with the Santa Rosa County Clerk of Courts and remit Tourist Development Tax. This tax registration — not an operating license — is the county's only STR sign-up requirement.

No. Santa Rosa County does not require the host or a manager to be physically present or on-site during guest stays. Unhosted, remotely managed whole-home rentals are permitted under state and county rules.

Santa Rosa County imposes no minimum-night stay and no cap on how many nights or times per year a property may be rented. Florida law (FS 509.032(7)) expressly forbids counties from regulating rental duration or frequency.

Santa Rosa County's Tourist Development Tax is 5% of gross rent for stays of six months or less, collected on top of state sales tax. Owners remit it monthly to the Clerk of Courts under FS 125.0104.

Santa Rosa County sets no separate STR occupancy cap. Maximum occupancy follows the state vacation-rental license, the Florida Building/Fire Code, and any HOA rules — not a county ordinance limiting guests per bedroom.

STR guests must obey the county's noise ordinance, which caps sound at the property line: roughly 60 dB overnight (9 p.m.–7 a.m.) for residential areas and 70–85 dB by day depending on zoning. It applies countywide to unincorporated land.

Santa Rosa County is a fire-prone coastal panhandle county surrounded by pine forest and Blackwater River State Forest. There is no formal state wildfire-hazard zoning like California's, but the Florida Forest Service manages wildfire response and issues burn bans during dry conditions.

Under Florida law, consumer fireworks are legal statewide on New Year's Day, July 4, and New Year's Eve. Santa Rosa County cannot ban them on those three days. On all other days, only sparklers and novelties are permitted.

Small backyard campfires of clean wood are allowed with no permit when setbacks are met and no burn ban is in effect. During a Santa Rosa County burn ban, all open fires are prohibited except barbecue-grill cooking and Forest Service permitted burns.

A recreational fire or backyard fire pit is allowed under the Florida Fire Prevention Code. Fires must stay under 3 feet across, use only clean wood, and sit at least 25 feet from any structure unless contained in an approved chiminea or outdoor fireplace.

Smoke alarms are required by the Florida Building Code and Florida Fire Prevention Code, which Santa Rosa County enforces through its building and fire-life-safety division. New and substantially renovated homes need interconnected, hardwired alarms with battery backup in every bedroom and on each level.

The Florida Forest Service governs outdoor burning. You may burn yard waste like leaves and limbs without authorization if setbacks are met, but piles over 8 feet across need a Forest Service authorization. Never burn during a county burn ban.

Home propane storage is governed by the Florida Fire Prevention Code, which adopts NFPA 58 (Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code). Santa Rosa County enforces it through Fire & Life Safety. Small barbecue cylinders are exempt, but larger tanks require clearances and, above set sizes, permits.

Santa Rosa County's coastal-panhandle pine and wildland-urban interface make brush clearance important, but Florida sets no statewide defensible-space mandate. The county enforces overgrown-lot and nuisance rules; the Florida Forest Service recommends Firewise defensible space around homes.

The county's LDC sets fence height and placement but does not decide who owns or pays for a shared boundary fence. Rear and side fences may reach 8 feet, and nothing may block the 20-foot intersection sight triangle. Boundary and cost disputes are civil matters.

No fence permit is required in the unincorporated areas of Santa Rosa County. Fences must still comply with the Land Development Code height, location and material limits. The cities of Milton, Gulf Breeze and Jay have separate permitting.

In unincorporated Santa Rosa County, rear and side fences may reach 8 feet; fences inside the 25-foot front setback are capped at 4 feet (5 feet for chain-link). Cities of Milton, Gulf Breeze and Jay set their own rules.

Santa Rosa County bans barbed wire in all residential subdivisions (agriculture districts exempt). Chain-link must be at least 14-gauge galvanized welded wire; black metal fences need 3-inch minimum picket spacing to qualify for taller front-yard height.

Unincorporated Santa Rosa County allows fences in RR-1, R-1, R-1A and R-1M districts: up to 8 feet on rear/side lines, 4 feet in the front setback (5 for chain-link/metal), no barbed wire in subdivisions, and a clear 20-foot intersection sight triangle. No permit required.

In Santa Rosa County, a retaining wall that holds back more than 48 inches of unbalanced fill, or one over 24 inches that resists lateral loads beyond soil, must be engineered to accepted standards for stability against overturning, sliding and water uplift.

Common materials such as wood, vinyl, aluminum and 14-gauge galvanized chain-link are allowed in Santa Rosa County. Barbed wire is banned in residential subdivisions. Screening fences for storage areas should be a 6- or 8-foot wooden privacy fence.

Above-ground pools are allowed in unincorporated Santa Rosa County under the same LDC 5.02.05 setback and barrier rules. The pool structure can serve as the barrier, but ladders and steps must be securable, lockable, or removable to block child access.

Residential pools must be enclosed by a barrier at least 4 feet high with no gaps a child could crawl under or climb, under Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (FS 515.29). Gates must open outward, self-close, and self-latch on the pool side.

A building permit is required to build a residential pool in unincorporated Santa Rosa County. Pools must sit in side or rear yards, meet dwelling setbacks (min 5 ft from side/rear lines), and satisfy Florida Building Code barrier rules.

Spas and hot tubs are treated as swimming pools under Florida's Safety Act. Unless equipped with a locked, ASTM-approved safety cover, a spa must meet the same 4-foot barrier and safety-feature rules (FS 515.29, FS 515.27) as an in-ground pool.

Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (FS 515.27) requires every new residential pool to have at least one approved safety feature: a barrier, an approved safety cover, exit alarms on doors/windows, self-closing self-latching doors, or a pool alarm.

Santa Rosa County's LDC 5.02.07 sets performance standards rather than a standalone permit: no more than two non-family employees, no more than four customer vehicles per day, only one stored work vehicle, and no outdoor equipment or heavy machinery in residential subdivisions.

Home occupations are allowed as an accessory use in residential zoning districts under LDC 5.02.07, if carried on inside the dwelling or an accessory building by residents. No exterior evidence, offensive noise, or auto/transport-equipment manufacturing is permitted.

Santa Rosa County prohibits any exterior sign, display, or device that would indicate from the outside that a dwelling or accessory building is being used as a home occupation (LDC 5.02.07.A.1). Home businesses must be visually invisible from the street.

Florida's cottage food law (FS 500.80) lets residents make and sell certain non-hazardous foods from a home kitchen without a state permit or inspection, as long as annual gross sales stay under $250,000 and products are prepackaged with a proper label.

In-home child care in Florida is governed by state law (FS 402.302), not county zoning. A family day care home may care for a maximum of six children, and most Santa Rosa County providers register annually with DCF unless a county ordinance requires licensing.

The Land Development Code treats semi-trucks and trailers as licensable vehicles: in residential districts they must be titled and operable or hidden from view, with a max of two screened outside a garage per parcel. Truck terminals must store commercial vehicles inside enclosed buildings.

Oversized vehicles like RVs, boats, and semi-trucks are covered by the county Land Development Code: an unoccupied, licensed RV or boat may be stored beside your home, while semis/trailers must be titled and operable or hidden from view, with a max of two screened per parcel.

Unincorporated Santa Rosa County has no county-wide overnight on-street parking ban. Storing a licensed vehicle overnight on your own lot is fine. Unlicensed or derelict vehicles, and RVs used as living quarters, are restricted. Cities set their own overnight rules.

Commercial and industrial buildings in unincorporated Santa Rosa County must provide off-street loading spaces — one per 10,000 sq ft of floor area, each at least 12 ft wide, 35 ft deep, and 14 ft high. Loading may never occur from a public right-of-way.

The county Land Development Code lets you store an unoccupied, fully-licensed, highway-ready RV, boat, or utility trailer on a residential lot beside your home. Living in an RV is barred outside campgrounds, agricultural land, or P-2 districts. Cities set their own rules.

In residential districts, a car, RV, or trailer must be titled/plated, operable, and intact — or be garaged or hidden completely from public view, capped at two screened per parcel. Abandoned vehicles on public roads are removed under state law. Repair yards are exempt.

Rural unincorporated Santa Rosa County has no residential on-street parking permit system. The Land Development Code requires developments to provide off-street parking and says parking areas must be designed to discourage right-of-way parking. Blocking traffic or a right-of-way can still be cited.

The county requires off-street parking and a driveway connection meeting access-management standards; a driveway-access permit is needed to connect to a county road. There is no county rule forcing residential driveways to be paved, but parking can't overhang a public right-of-way.

Santa Rosa County has no dedicated EV-charging zoning ordinance. Installing a home charger follows the Florida Building Code and requires an electrical permit through the county Building Inspections Department. Florida law (FS 366.94) governs public charging stations statewide.

Santa Rosa County has no ordinance letting residents paint curbs or reserve on-street spaces. Roadway pavement markings, including any colored curbs, are installed only by the county Public Works/Engineering Department or FDOT. Painting a public curb yourself is unauthorized.

In designated direct-control areas of unincorporated Santa Rosa County, dogs off their owner's premises must be under immediate, continuous physical control by fence, leash, cord, or chain. Loose dogs are an animal nuisance and may be impounded.

Livestock keeping in unincorporated Santa Rosa County is a zoning matter: farm animals are permitted in agriculturally zoned districts and barred in the Estate Residential district. Bona fide farms are protected from nuisance suits by Florida's Right to Farm Act.

In unincorporated Santa Rosa County, poultry and livestock are permitted agricultural uses allowed in agriculturally zoned districts, not residential ones. Bona fide farm operations are shielded from nuisance suits by Florida's Right to Farm Act.

Santa Rosa County cannot regulate registered honeybee colonies. Florida law (FS 586.10) preempts beekeeping regulation to the state Department of Agriculture (FDACS). Register your colonies with FDACS and follow state Best Management Practices.

Cats four months or older must be vaccinated against rabies. Santa Rosa County recognizes managed 'community cats': sterilized, ear-tipped, rabies-vaccinated free-roaming cats are exempt from licensing, stray, abandonment, and at-large rules.

Santa Rosa County defers to Florida law. The state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) classifies captive wildlife as Class I, II, or III and requires permits to possess many exotic animals. The county animal ordinance covers only dogs and cats.

Santa Rosa County has no breed-specific dog ban. Florida law (SB 942, effective Oct. 1, 2023) prohibits local governments from regulating dogs by breed. The county regulates individual 'dangerous dogs' by behavior under FS Chapter 767.

Santa Rosa County's animal ordinance does not set a general wildlife-feeding ban. Feeding wild animals is largely governed by the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which prohibits intentionally feeding certain wildlife such as bears, alligators, and foxes.

Santa Rosa County's animal ordinance sets no fixed numeric limit on dogs or cats per household. Instead, animals kept in such numbers that they disturb neighbors with noise or odors are declared an 'animal nuisance' and prohibited.

Santa Rosa County has no separate hoarding ordinance, but animals kept in such numbers or manner as to create offensive odors or endanger public health are declared an animal nuisance, and neglecting animals is a civil infraction subject to impoundment.

Santa Rosa County Code Enforcement does NOT investigate vegetative overgrowth (grass, limbs, woods) on private lots. The county enforces no residential grass-height limit in the unincorporated area. Inside Milton, Jay, or Gulf Breeze, the city rules apply instead.

Routine trimming of trees on your own residential lot needs no county permit. Under Florida law, a homeowner may even remove a tree without any county notice or fee when a certified arborist documents it poses an unacceptable risk. Utility line-clearance trimming is handled by the utility.

Santa Rosa County has no ordinance banning residential artificial turf, and it is not counted as required landscaping. The county's landscape code favors native, living, Florida-Friendly plantings for regulated development. HOAs may separately restrict synthetic turf.

On a lot with an existing single-family or duplex home, Santa Rosa County requires NO tree-removal permit. Florida law also bars any permit or fee when a certified arborist documents a tree poses an unacceptable risk. Development parcels must still permit protected trees.

Santa Rosa County lies in the Northwest Florida Water Management District, which imposes NO day-of-week landscape-irrigation limits. Everyday lawn watering is allowed, subject to any local utility rules. State law also requires a working rain/moisture sensor on automatic irrigation systems.

Santa Rosa County Code Enforcement does not investigate vegetative overgrowth — grass, limbs, or woods — on private property. There is no active county weed-height citation program in the unincorporated area. Trash and illegal dumping are enforced; routine weeds are left to cities and HOAs.

Rain barrels and rainwater harvesting are legal and encouraged in Santa Rosa County. Florida places no state restriction on collecting rainwater for irrigation. No county permit is needed for a typical residential rain barrel; large cisterns tied to plumbing may need a permit.

New development in Santa Rosa County must use native, Florida-Friendly species and may not plant invasive exotics. Existing single-family and duplex homes are exempt from the landscape code. State law protects a homeowner's right to install Florida-Friendly landscaping despite HOA rules.

Backyard composting of yard and food scraps is allowed in Santa Rosa County with no permit for home-scale piles. Keep compost contained and free of odor and vermin so it doesn't become a nuisance. Illegal dumping of waste is separately prohibited.

A residential storage shed up to 600 sq ft can be built in the unincorporated county WITHOUT a building permit (Ord. 2010-17), but it still must meet setbacks and height limits. On typical subdivision lots a detached shed must stay at least 5 feet from side and rear lot lines.

The Santa Rosa County LDC defines a tiny home as a single-family residential structure under 400 sq ft on a permanent foundation. A tiny home on wheels is treated as a recreational vehicle (RV), not a permanent dwelling, so it follows RV rules rather than housing standards.

A carport is an accessory structure in the Santa Rosa County LDC. On subdivision lots a detached carport more than 10 feet from the home must be at least 5 feet from side/rear lot lines and out of the front setback, and it counts toward lot-coverage and impervious-surface limits.

Converting a detached garage or accessory building into living space in the unincorporated county turns it into a guest cottage/ADU once it has a stove or oven, triggering LDC 5.02.06 cottage standards and full Florida Building Code review.

Unincorporated Santa Rosa County allows a guest cottage (accessory dwelling / ADU) in every residential district. It may not exceed 50% of the main dwelling's floor area, needs a 60-foot front setback (or to sit behind the home's rear wall), and must meet the Florida Building Code.

Barbecue-grill cooking is broadly allowed in Santa Rosa County, and it is even exempt during a county burn ban. Grilling on decks and balconies of multi-family buildings is limited by the Florida Fire Prevention Code, which restricts open-flame and LP-gas grills near combustible construction.

Residential smokers, wood pellet cookers, and charcoal smokers are allowed in Santa Rosa County as cooking devices, and count as barbecue cooking exempt from burn bans. They must not create a smoke nuisance, and multi-family balcony use is restricted by the fire code.

In Santa Rosa County's R-1, R-1M and RR-1 districts, the front setback is 25 feet (20 feet in R-1A), the rear setback is 15 feet, and side setbacks equal 10% of lot width (7 feet minimum for 70-90-foot lots, 15-foot maximum). Cities set their own setbacks.

Santa Rosa County's single-family and rural residential districts (AG-RR through R-1A) cap building height at 35 feet. Multifamily R-2/R-2M allow 45 feet and R-3 up to 50 feet. Accessory structures follow the height limit of their zoning district.

Santa Rosa County limits how much of a site can be covered by impervious surfaces. Within the Shoreline Protection Zone, total impervious surface — buildings, driveways, pools, walkways — is capped at 75% of the site. Residential buildable area is otherwise controlled by setbacks.

The county sign code is content-neutral: no separate political-sign permit. A single-family home in the unincorporated county may display up to 2 freestanding signs per dwelling unit, each up to 6 sq ft and 6 ft high, without a permit. Signs in the public right-of-way are prohibited and removed.

Garage and yard sale signs are exempt from a county sign permit as temporary decorations customarily associated with a short-term event (LDC 4.10.04.D.6). They count within a residential parcel's allowance of 2 signs, each up to 6 sq ft and 6 ft high, and may not be placed in the

Unincorporated Santa Rosa County has no general tall-grass or weed ordinance — Code Enforcement expressly does NOT investigate vegetative overgrowth (grass, limbs, woods). If you live inside Milton, Gulf Breeze or Jay, that city's overgrowth rules apply. The state right-to-farm law protects agricultural operations.

Unincorporated Santa Rosa County abates dangerous, unsafe or blighted structures under its Chapter 14 nuisance-abatement code, and Code Enforcement investigates trash, debris and derelict vehicles. It does NOT handle general property/housing maintenance or mold, which are civil matters. Milton, Gulf Breeze and Jay set their own rules.

Santa Rosa County Code Enforcement does NOT investigate vegetative overgrowth (grass, limbs, woods) on private lots — the county sets no general mow-your-lot standard in the unincorporated area. It does act on trash, debris, illegal dumping and unsafe structures on vacant parcels. Cities like Milton set their own overgrowth rules.

Florida has no statewide garage-sale permit, and unincorporated Santa Rosa County imposes no county garage-sale permit for occasional home sales. Watch sign placement: Code Enforcement does regulate signs (number, size, location) and structures in the right-of-way, so temporary sale signs can't be posted in the public right-of-way.

In unincorporated Santa Rosa County, accumulated trash and debris is a code violation Code Enforcement investigates. As of March 1, 2025 the county ended its trash franchise, so residents choose their own hauler; carts and bin placement follow your hauler, not a county schedule.

No county tree-removal permit is needed on an existing single-family or duplex home site. Development parcels must permit removal of protected, Heritage, and Champion trees. Florida law also waives any permit when a certified arborist documents a tree is a danger.

Santa Rosa County residents self-haul bulky items, debris and household hazardous waste to the Central Landfill (6337 Da Lisa Road, Milton) or the Jay Landfill. Household hazardous waste — oil, paint, antifreeze, propane tanks, pesticides — is accepted free at the HHW Center at the Central Landfill.

As of March 1, 2025, the Board of County Commissioners dissolved the exclusive Waste Pro franchise. Unincorporated Santa Rosa County residents now choose their own garbage hauler and arrange service directly. There is no single county-wide pickup day; your schedule is set by the provider you hire.

Illegal dumping is enforced under Florida's litter law (FS 403.413) and by county Code Enforcement. Dumping up to 15 lbs / 27 cubic feet for non-commercial purposes is a $150 civil infraction; larger amounts are misdemeanors or third-degree felonies. Report dumping to Code Enforcement or the Sheriff's environmental unit.

Santa Rosa County uses single-stream recycling — items don't need to be separated. Accepted materials include glass (any color), newspaper, cardboard, plastic bottles (No. 1 & 2), milk jugs, aluminum and tin/steel cans. Aerosol cans, Styrofoam, plastic bags, clothing, carpet and construction materials are NOT accepted.

Because Santa Rosa County dissolved its residential collection franchise on March 1, 2025, the county sets no bin-placement ordinance for unincorporated areas — cart type and set-out location follow your private hauler's contract. Don't leave bins obstructing the public right-of-way.

On Navarre Beach the county's Marine Turtle Protection Lighting Ordinance (LDC 3.05.07) requires all beach-visible outdoor lighting to be shielded so it is not visible from the beach during nesting season, May 1 to October 31. New builds must use minimal, low-intensity, hooded, long-wavelength amber or red LED lighting.

The county's strongest light-trespass rule is on Navarre Beach: existing beach-visible outdoor lights must be turned off after 9:00 p.m. between May 1 and October 31, or hooded/repositioned so the light stays on the property and off the beach. Interior lights visible from the beach must be tinted or curtained.

Santa Rosa County parks close areas to the public after posted closing hours (Sec. 15-37), ban overnight parking (Sec. 15-29), and allow camping only at designated sites by permit, with quiet required 10 p.m.-6 a.m. (Sec. 15-26). Violators can be ejected or arrested.