St. Johns County, FL Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- LDC § 6.05.02.H.1
- Exempt uses
- single-family and two-family dwellings
- Default surface for others
- asphalt or portland cement pavement
- Unpaved special-use standard
- LDC § 6.08.42
- Access apron to public road
- must be paved (§ 6.08.42.C.2)
- Enforcing agency
- St. Johns County Growth Management
Summary
Unincorporated St. Johns County exempts single-family and two-family homes from its off-street parking paving mandate. LDC Sec. 6.05.02.H.1 requires every other parking or vehicular use area to be paved with asphalt or portland cement, but a house or duplex driveway can stay grass, gravel, or coquina with no Special Use Permit.
H. Parking Area Design Standards 1. Except for Single Family and Two Family Dwellings, non-commercial boat docks and piers Agricultural and Related Uses, and those Uses listed under Section 6.08.42, every off-street Parking Area and Vehicular Use Area shall be surfaced with asphaltic or portland cement binder pavement or an equivalent Improvement, so as to provide a durable and dustless surface with adequate drainage and Stormwater management provisions as required by Section 6.04.06, unless a Special Use Permit has been approved, pursuant to Section 2.03.15 of this Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
" That means a homeowner or duplex owner in Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, Julington Creek, Fruit Cove, or any other unincorporated part of the county can leave a front-yard parking pad or driveway unpaved without Growth Management sign-off. Any other use that wants to skip pavement, such as a church, park, campground, or equestrian facility, has to go through the unpaved-lot standards at LDC Sec. 42, which requires the surface be stabilized with coquina, crushed stone or gravel to the County Administrator's satisfaction, and Sec. 42 pathway instead.
Even an exempt residential driveway is not unregulated at the road: Sec. 2 requires the access apron connecting any unpaved area to a County- or State-maintained roadway be paved so it does not damage the roadway, and unpaved parking areas still count as impervious surface for stormwater review under Sec. 1's cross-reference to Sec. 06. A homeowner running a business from the house faces a tighter rule: Sec. d bars parking business vehicles and trailers "on or over a sidewalk, or on any unimproved surfaces at the residence," so the paving exemption only protects ordinary household vehicle parking, not a home-based business's fleet.
Violations & Fines
The Sec. 6.05.02.H.1 exemption itself carries no penalty because it is a permission, not a mandate, for single-family and two-family lots. Exposure comes from the surrounding cross-references: paving an access apron onto a County or State road under Sec. 6.08.42.C.2, or converting a residential lot to an unpaved parking or vehicle-use area serving a non-exempt use without the Sec. 2.03.15 Special Use Permit, is treated by Growth Management as unpermitted development and referred to county code enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my car on grass or gravel in my front yard in unincorporated St. Johns County?
Does a commercial or multi-family property get the same break?
Can a church or park keep its parking lot unpaved?
Does my unpaved driveway still need a paved connection to the road?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Johns County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare St. Johns County to another location·View the Florida parking rules overview
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