Fence permit checklist — St. Petersburg, Florida
Assembled from St. Petersburg’s own published permit rules. Every line below is quoted from a city document and linked to it. Nothing here is generated, estimated, or inferred from another jurisdiction.
Do you need a permit?
St. Petersburg does not require a permit for a fence.
Apart from the Certificate of Appropriateness requirement that applies in local historic districts, the City's Fence, Wall, and Hedge Regulations handout (updated 07-18-2025) states that permits are not required for fences and hedges that meet all zoning district requirements (Section 16.40.040 of the Land Development Regulations), and do not have a footer (subject to building code requirements). The City's List of Exempted Permits (revised January 1, 2014) frames the same exemption more narrowly, covering, on single family residential property, any wood, chain link, plastic or wrought iron fences installed per Land Development Regulations, Section 16.40.040; it also directs the property owner to contact Sunshine 811 two full business days prior to digging. The $7,500 residential exemption added by Florida Statutes Section 553.79(1)(g) on July 1, 2026 disturbs neither statement. St. Petersburg notes that work already exempt under its List of Exempted Permits does not need the new Permit Exemption form, so a qualifying fence stays exempt on the older basis rather than the statutory one.
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Sources
- fence — permit rules ↗verified August 2026
Other permits St. Petersburg publishes rules for
Listed because the city publishes a separate rule for each type — not because this project necessarily triggers one. Whether it does depends on your scope of work.
- Deck permit checklist
- Shed permit checklist
- Water heater permit checklist
- Re-roof permit checklist
- Electrical work permit checklist
- General building work permit checklist
BuildSpec is a reference, not the authority having jurisdiction. Confirm requirements with St. Petersburg before you build.