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

At a glance

Building permit

Issued by Escambia County Building Services, which serves the town of Century¹

Zoning

The town has its own land use districts under its Land Development Code²

Septic

State permit (Florida DEP and Department of Health standards); town sewer connection is required once the clerk notifies you³⁵

Manufactured homes

Allowed in residential districts when they meet HUD or Florida Manufactured Building Act standards⁶

Accessory apartment

Limited to one per residential lot⁷

Driveway

Town permit needed for driveways onto town-maintained right-of-way⁸

Floodplain

Development in a flood hazard area needs a permit from the town's floodplain administrator⁹

RV living

Not confirmed inside the town; Escambia County's RV rule covers unincorporated land only¹⁰

Who to call

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

Does Century, Florida have zoning, and what does it mean for homes and RVs?

The Town of Century has its own land use districts: its Land Development Code includes a chapter on land use districts, and the town code says that certain areas are limited to one or more housing types to preserve the established character of the area². We could not confirm the district map or the lot-size, setback and height tables for each district, so ask the Town Clerk for the zoning of a specific parcel before you buy.

Manufactured homes that meet HUD-code or Florida Manufactured Building Act standards are allowed in all of Century's residential land use districts, with conditions for homes outside a mobile home park⁶. Homes that do not meet those standards are allowed only in a mobile home park designed exclusively for them⁶.

An accessory apartment is allowed in single-family residential areas of Century, limited to one per residential lot and 25 percent of the principal structure's gross floor area, and it must not change the look of a one-family home⁷. The town code allows no variances or waivers for accessory apartments⁷.

Do you need a building permit in Century, and who issues it?

Escambia County Building Services provides building permits and conducts building inspections for new buildings and major improvements in the unincorporated county and in the town of Century¹¹¹. A Century builder therefore applies to the county, not to a town building department.

For a new home or an addition to a one-, two- or three-family dwelling, the county requires a completed application before it assigns a permit number¹². The county also requires a recorded Notice of Commencement for work costing $5,000 or more¹². Florida law lets owners act as their own contractor on a one- or two-family home for their own use, but the owner must still personally sign the permit application and supervise the work on site¹³.

We could not confirm whether the town adds its own permit step on top of the county's, so call Escambia County Building Services at 850-595-3550¹¹ and ask the Town Clerk before you start.

How do septic permits work inside Century?

Septic permits for Century addresses come from the state, not from the town: the town's own floodplain code names the Florida Department of Health and its onsite sewage rules as a required outside permit³. In Escambia County, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is now permitting onsite systems¹⁴¹⁵. The applicant completes DEP's application form and a site plan, and a site evaluation checks soil, topography and other conditions¹⁶.

Septic matters only where the public sewer is not used. Century requires a building, mobile home or trailer on a lot to connect to the town's municipal sewer within three months after the town clerk gives notice⁵. If sewer reaches your lot, expect to connect rather than install a septic system.

If you do need a septic system, soils matter: only about 17 percent of Escambia County's soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so plan for a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system¹⁷.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Century?

We could not confirm a town rule on living in an RV or a tiny home inside Century's limits, so ask the Town Clerk before you move one onto a lot. Escambia County's RV rules, which allow short stays only by land use certificate, are written for unincorporated Escambia County and should not be assumed to apply inside the town¹⁰.

A factory-built manufactured home is a different case: Century allows HUD-code and Florida Manufactured Building Act homes in its residential land use districts⁶. Florida's statewide rules on RV parks and recreational camps cover permitted parks, not living on your own lot¹⁸.

Building a home in Century: the steps, in order

1. Ask the Town Clerk for the zoning district of the parcel, and confirm that a home, manufactured home or accessory apartment is allowed there².
2. Check whether town sewer is available. If it is, plan to connect; if not, apply to DEP for a septic permit⁵¹⁵.
3. If the lot is in a flood hazard area, apply to the town's floodplain administrator before any development starts⁹.
4. Apply for a driveway permit from the town if the driveway meets a town-owned or town-maintained right-of-way⁸.
5. Submit a building permit application to Escambia County Building Services¹¹¹.
6. Record the Notice of Commencement before work costing $5,000 or more begins¹².
7. Pass the required inspections, then obtain a certificate of occupancy¹⁹.

What stays with Escambia County, and what to check before you buy in Century?

Escambia County's zoning rules apply to unincorporated land, not to parcels inside the Town of Century²⁰. For land outside the town, see the Escambia County page.

The county, through Building Services, still handles building permits and inspections for the town¹, and the permit holder must secure potable water and wastewater service before seeking a certificate of occupancy²¹. A building permit does not guarantee that services or a certificate of occupancy will be provided²¹.

The figures below are for Escambia County as a whole. Its effective property tax rate is 0.6 percent²², and the county's median property tax bill is $1,406 a year²³. Annual precipitation is about 63.8 inches²⁴. Flood hazard areas need a separate development permit under Century's floodplain code⁹.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm the town's building code adoption, permit fees or whether the town adds a permit step of its own; ask the Town Clerk and Escambia County Building Services¹¹.
• Zoning district dimensions (lot size, setbacks, height) for Century were not confirmed; get the parcel's zoning from the Town Clerk before you buy².
• Development in a flood hazard area inside Century needs a floodplain permit, and the town's code also requires other state and federal permits first⁹.
• Do not assume the county's unincorporated-land RV or setback rules apply inside Century; the town's own code governs land within its limits².

Sources

1. Building Services, quoted and re-checked
2. Century Code Sec. 70-51 Residential uses (Town of Century), quoted and re-checked
3. Century Code Sec. 78-124 Permits (floodplains) (Town of Century), quoted and re-checked
4. Century Code Sec. 78-124 Permits (floodplains) (Town of Century), quoted and re-checked
5. Century Code Sec. 66-91 Regulation of public and private sewers (Town of Century), quoted and re-checked
6. Century Code Sec. 70-81 Manufactured housing, generally (Town of Century), quoted and re-checked
7. Century Code Sec. 90-81 Accessory apartments (Town of Century), quoted and re-checked
8. Century Code Sec. 66-62 Driveway permit required (Town of Century), quoted and re-checked
9. Century Code Sec. 78-124 Permits (floodplains) (Town of Century), quoted and re-checked
10. Land Use Certificate - RV as Living Quarters, quoted and re-checked
11. Escambia County Building Services (myescambia.com)
12. Permitting | Escambia County, Florida, quoted and re-checked
13. Florida Statutes, section 489.103 — Exemptions, quoted and re-checked
14. Onsite Sewage FAQ - Permitting | Florida Department of Environmental Protection, quoted and re-checked
15. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Onsite Sewage Program (floridadep.gov)
16. Onsite Sewage FAQ - Permitting | Florida Department of Environmental Protection, quoted and re-checked
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. Florida Statutes Chapter 513: Mobile Home and Recreational Vehicle Parks (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Building Guide, quoted and re-checked
20. Zoning/Land Use Verifications, quoted and re-checked
21. Building Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
22. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
23. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
24. Annual precipitation: 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.