Off-grid living in Florida: a property guide
Florida’s property question is not merely where water comes from. It is where wastewater can go when groundwater is high, where flood and coastal controls reach, and which office now holds the permit.
Onsite sewage
First find the permit desk.
Florida’s onsite program is moving from the Department of Health to the Department of Environmental Protection. DEP began direct permitting in 16 Northwest Florida counties on January 2, 2025 and later reported expansion into Marion County. Elsewhere, county health departments may remain the operational contact while DEP holds program authority. Check the current county assignment before filing.
Transition counties
Use DEP’s current transition page and permitting platform, not an older statewide directory.
Remaining counties
Confirm the county health department remains the application, inspection and records office.
Operating permit
ATUs, performance-based systems and some commercial/industrial systems can carry continuing permit duties.
The vertical profile
Measure the wet season, not the sales-day weather.
Onsite feasibility turns on the actual site, usable area, seasonal high-water conditions, soil profile, setbacks, design flow and the approved treatment configuration. A dry surface visit does not answer the vertical separation question.
Private well
Construction rules and drinking safety are separate files.
Before drilling
Identify the county’s well-construction authority, setbacks, any contaminated-water “delineated area,” and whether the proposed use remains a single-family private well rather than a regulated limited-use or public system.
After completion
Florida places private-home water quality on the owner. DOH recommends bacteria and nitrate testing annually, lead about every three years, and additional location-specific testing.
Coastal parcel
A local building permit may not be the last shoreline approval.
Florida’s Coastal Construction Control Line creates separate state permit jurisdiction for regulated construction and activities seaward of the line. The program applies special siting and design criteria where storm forces and dune impacts are greater. Locate the mapped line against the actual survey before treating a coastal parcel as buildable.
Open CCCL maps and permitsStatewide technical code
Wind. Flood. Energy. Trades.
The Florida Building Code supplies the statewide construction baseline, while local building departments administer permits and inspections. The Commission’s site identifies the currently effective edition and subsequent supplements; 2026-edition material is also in development. Confirm the code named on the date your permit vests.
Do not confuse code-compliant construction with zoning approval, legal RV occupancy, a wastewater permit, floodplain authorization or coastal approval.
Florida buyer’s water file
Seven confirmations before closing
- 01zoning and dwelling use
- 02flood zone and design elevation
- 03wetlands and drainage
- 04CCCL / shoreline jurisdiction
- 05septic office and site feasibility
- 06well authority and testing panel
- 07building, trades and occupancy
Evidence ledger
Official Florida sources
Reviewed September 26, 2026. Because septic administration is actively transitioning, verify the permit office immediately before applying.
- FL1Onsite Sewage Program
Florida Department of Environmental Protection · State program, rules, permits and transition information
- FL2Program Update — Phase I Transition
Florida Department of Environmental Protection · DEP’s direct county permitting rollout since 2025
- FL3Private Well Water Testing
Florida Department of Health · Owner responsibility, annual testing and sale guidance
- FL4Drinking Water Programs
Florida Department of Health · Well construction, delineated areas and limited-use systems
- FL5Florida Building Code
Florida Building Commission · Current code edition, supplements and 2026 update material
- FL6Coastal Construction Control Line Program
Florida Department of Environmental Protection · State coastal permit jurisdiction, maps and applications
- FL7CCCL Rules and Statutes
Florida Department of Environmental Protection · Permits seaward of control lines and the 50-foot setback