St. Johns County, FL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Section 9.01.05 of the Land Development Code requires an Application for Right-of-Way Permit to be submitted to, and approved by, the County Administrator before any construction begins in county right-of-way in unincorporated St. Johns County. The section names the activities that trigger it: utility installations, driveway connections, sidewalks, drainage alterations, and placement of mailboxes or signs, along with similar work that normally occurs within the right-of-way, though the permit is not required when Section 6.04.04.B exempts the activity or when the work is already covered by an approved Development Permit under Part 9.01.00.

The companion design standard, Section 6.04.04, spells out the same prohibition from the construction side and lists what counts as a regulated structure or utility, including fences, landscaping, drainage connections, cross drains, side drains, ditches, and swales, and gives the County Administrator authority to revoke a permit if the work departs from the approved conditions, if the application misrepresented a material fact, or if the activity threatens public health, safety, or welfare. Applications must be submitted in triplicate, with one original, and once approved the applicant keeps a copy on the job site for county inspectors, while the county's copy goes to its inspection staff.

Section 9.01.05.C caps an approved permit at six months from the date of approval; the County Administrator can extend it in writing up to a total of twelve months, and anything beyond that requires a brand-new application, drawings, and payment of the applicable fees all over again.