Shed permit in Jacksonville, FL
Yes — you need a permit for shed work in Jacksonville.
You need a building permit for a storage shed or other small backyard building. There is no square-foot size that lets you skip it: Florida's exempt list covers only gas, mechanical, and plumbing work. The city bills accessory buildings by floor area, the same way it bills new houses and additions. Zoning rules in Sec. 656.403 also control where an accessory structure may sit on your lot.
| Permit needed? | Yes |
|---|---|
| Where the line falls | You need a building permit for a storage shed or other sm… |
| Fee | The code lists no dollar amounts. For an accessory building you pay by each 100 square feet: a Building Inspection Division permit fee, a resource management fee, a landscape fee, a development services fee, and a construction and demolition debris fee. Current amounts are at www.coj.net/fees. |
| Review time | Not in the ordinance |
| Code section | FBC 105.2; Sec. 320.409(a)(1) |
| Based on | Florida Building Code 2023, as adopted by Jacksonville (Ch. 321) |
Most building codes exempt a shed up to 200 sq ft. Jacksonville is stricter — a permit applies at any size.
How to pull the permit
- Put together a site plan showing where the work goes, with dimensions.
- Apply through the Jacksonville building department.
- Pay the permit fee when the permit is issued. Work done before that isn't covered.
- Book each inspection listed on the permit as the job reaches that stage.
If you skip it
Jacksonville's code doesn't set a specific fine for this work. In practice the department can issue a stop-work order, and unpermitted work tends to surface during a sale, when the buyer's inspector or the title company asks for it.
Nearby cities, same job
Rules stop at the city line. If your lot is near a boundary, or you work across several towns, this is where they differ.
| City | Distance | Permit? | Where the line falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville | — | Yes | You need a building permit for a storage shed or other sm… |
| Palm Coast | 61 mi | Yes | You need a building permit to put up a storage shed or ot… |
| Gainesville | 61 mi | Yes | You need a building permit for a storage shed or other sm… |
| Daytona Beach | 86 mi | Yes | You need a building permit for a storage shed or other sm… |
| Deltona | 103 mi | Yes | A storage shed is a Building-type structure, and Florida'… |
| Orlando | 135 mi | Yes | You need a building permit for a storage shed or other sm… |
Other work in Jacksonville
Questions people ask
How much does a shed permit cost in Jacksonville?
The code lists no dollar amounts. For an accessory building you pay by each 100 square feet: a Building Inspection Division permit fee, a resource management fee, a landscape fee, a development services fee, and a construction and demolition debris fee. Current amounts are at www.coj.net/fees.. Valuation-based fees mean the number depends on what the job is worth, so the department quotes it when you apply.
I already built it without a permit. What now?
Jacksonville can issue a stop-work order and require you to apply after the fact, sometimes with an extra fee. Work that was covered up may have to be opened for inspection. Full walkthrough here.
Does unpermitted work cause problems when selling the house?
Often, yes. A buyer's inspector or the title company may flag it, and lenders can balk at financing a home with open or missing permits. What to do about it.