Building permits, zoning and septic rules in the Town of Horseshoe Beach, Florida

At a glance

Building permit

Town-run process; paperwork goes on to the Dixie County Building Department¹

Flood-zone permit

Required for development in a flood hazard area⁴

Zoning

Town zoning ordinance not confirmed; ask Town Hall¹

Septic

Florida Department of Health permits; town code requires a conforming septic tank³⁵

RV living

In flood areas, under 180 consecutive days or highway-ready⁶

Manufactured homes

Licensed installer and flood-area elevation and anchoring rules⁷

Permit fees

Town adopts the county fee schedule⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 16, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Horseshoe Beach, Florida?

Yes, for the work the town lists. The Town of Horseshoe Beach publishes its own building-permit process, and its Building and Zoning page walks owners through it⁹. Development in a flood hazard area also requires an application to the floodplain administrator, and no permit issues until the town's flood article and other applicable codes are met². Town permits carry a condition that other state and federal permits be obtained before work starts¹⁰. The town adopts the Dixie County building and permit fee schedule, which sets a $30 minimum permit fee, so expect county-level pricing⁸. Florida's owner-builder exemption lets an owner act as their own contractor, but it does not remove building permits or local rules¹¹. We could not confirm how the town handles certificates of occupancy, so ask Town Hall.

Who issues building permits in Horseshoe Beach, and how do you reach them?

Start with Town Hall at 352-498-5234 or PO Box 86, Horseshoe Beach, FL 32648¹. The town's page says to confirm your project falls under one of its listed categories, then follow its instructions, and the paperwork you receive is delivered to the Dixie County Building Department⁹. That county office is at 387 SE 22 Ave, Cross City, FL 32628, phone 352.498.1235¹². The county's own permit rules and checklists describe unincorporated Dixie County, not land inside Horseshoe Beach, so use them only as a guide to what the county office will ask for¹³.

Does Horseshoe Beach have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, lot size and setbacks?

We could not confirm a zoning ordinance for the Town of Horseshoe Beach, so lot size, setbacks and height limits inside town limits are unconfirmed¹⁴. The town's fee schedule lists a rezoning fee of $350 and a variance fee of $200, but that alone does not prove a town zoning code⁸. Dixie County's zoning districts and minimum lot sizes apply to unincorporated land and should not be read as the town's rules¹⁵. For RVs, the town's flood code allows a recreational vehicle in a flood hazard area if it stays fewer than 180 consecutive days or is fully licensed and ready for highway use; longer placements must meet manufactured-home rules⁶. Ask Town Hall whether a zoning ordinance covers your lot.

How do septic permits work in Horseshoe Beach?

The Florida Department of Health in Dixie County permits septic systems inside Horseshoe Beach under state law, not the town³. Dixie County is not among the 16 counties moved to the state environmental agency, so the local health department handles septic permitting and inspections¹⁶. Town code separately requires each dwelling to have a septic tank that meets state board of health standards, and a building that does not conform may be condemned⁵. Soils make this a planning item: none of Dixie County's soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system¹⁷. Contact the health department at 352-498-1360 before you commit to a lot¹⁶.

Can you live in an RV or manufactured home on your land in Horseshoe Beach?

The town's published rules on this come from its flood code. A recreational vehicle in a flood hazard area must be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days, or be fully licensed and ready for highway use with quick-disconnect utilities⁶. Manufactured homes installed in flood hazard areas must go in with a licensed installer and meet elevation, anchoring, enclosure and utility requirements⁷. We did not find zoning-based RV or tiny-home rules for the town, so confirm any plan to live in an RV or tiny home with Town Hall before you buy¹.

Building a home in Horseshoe Beach: the steps, in order

1. Call Town Hall at 352-498-5234 to confirm whether a zoning rule applies to your lot¹.
2. Check the flood zone: development in a flood hazard area needs a floodplain permit, and the floodplain permit becomes invalid if work has not started within 180 days¹⁸.
3. Get a septic permit or site evaluation from the Florida Department of Health in Dixie County³.
4. Follow the town's building-permit instructions and deliver the paperwork to the Dixie County Building Department⁹.
5. Expect inspections: development with a floodplain permit is subject to inspection, with elevation certifications¹⁹.

What stays with Dixie County, and what to check before you buy

Septic permits stay with the Florida Department of Health in Dixie County, and the county building office receives permit paperwork¹⁶¹². For land outside the town, see the Dixie County page. Dixie County's effective property tax rate is 0.7% and its median property tax bill is $715 a year, county-wide figures rather than town-specific ones²⁰²¹. Check the flood zone, because flood rules drive most of what the town's code says about elevation, anchoring and RVs⁴.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm a Horseshoe Beach zoning ordinance, so ask Town Hall about lot size, setbacks and use before you buy¹.
• Dixie County's building and zoning rules cover unincorporated land only, so do not assume they apply inside town limits¹³.
• Flood-zone development needs a town floodplain permit that lapses if work does not start within 180 days¹⁸.
• Septic is permitted by the Florida Department of Health in Dixie County, not the town³.

Sources

1. Town of Horseshoe Beach (Town Hall) (townofhorseshoebeachfl.com)
2. Horseshoe Beach Code Sec. 16-22 Permits (Town of Horseshoe Beach), quoted and re-checked
3. Horseshoe Beach Code Sec. 16-22 Permits (Town of Horseshoe Beach), quoted and re-checked
4. Horseshoe Beach Code Sec. 16-22 Permits (Town of Horseshoe Beach), quoted and re-checked
5. Horseshoe Beach Code Sec. 14-1 Sewage disposal (Town of Horseshoe Beach), quoted and re-checked
6. Horseshoe Beach Code Sec. 16-74 Recreational vehicles and park trailers (Town of Horseshoe Beach), quoted and re-checked
7. Horseshoe Beach Code Sec. 16-73 Manufactured homes (Town of Horseshoe Beach), quoted and re-checked
8. Horseshoe Beach Code Sec. 8-1 Building and permit fees (Town of Horseshoe Beach), quoted and re-checked
9. Horseshoe Beach Building and Zoning page (townofhorseshoebeachfl.com)
10. Horseshoe Beach Code Sec. 16-22 Permits (Town of Horseshoe Beach), quoted and re-checked
11. 2025 Florida Statutes, Section 489.103—Exemptions, quoted and re-checked
12. Dixie County Building & Zoning Department (dixiecounty.us)
13. Dixie Building-Code-Zoning, quoted and re-checked
14. Horseshoe Beach Code Sec. 16-71 Subdivisions (Town of Horseshoe Beach), quoted and re-checked
15. Dixie Building-Code-Zoning, quoted and re-checked
16. Florida Department of Health in Dixie County, Environmental Health (dixie.floridahealth.gov)
17. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
18. Horseshoe Beach Code Sec. 16-22 Permits (Town of Horseshoe Beach), quoted and re-checked
19. Horseshoe Beach Code Sec. 16-24 Inspections (Town of Horseshoe Beach), quoted and re-checked
20. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
21. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 16, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.