Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Havana, Florida

Town of Havana’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Development, construction, reconstruction, alteration or moving of buildings inside Havana town limits, per the town's building and enforcement officer

  • The building and enforcement officer is appointed by the town commission and processes building permit applications.
  • Permits requiring council approval issue only after the clerk's certified approval and a zoning certificate are received.
  • Whether a Gadsden County building permit is also required is not resolved here.

  “a. receive and examine all applications for building permits. b. process all building permit applications.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Use or occupancy of premises inside Havana town limits, including change of use

  • No certificate of occupancy is issued until the premises are inspected by the zoning officer and found to comply with the ordinance.
  • No fee is charged for a certificate of occupancy.
  • Change or alteration of use requires a zoning certificate and a certificate of occupancy.

  certificate of occupancy fee: 0 USD

  “no certificate of occupancy shall be issued until the premises in question have been inspected and found by the zoning officer to comply with the requirements of this ordinance. no fee shall be charged for a certificate of occupancy.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Havana town limits (Town of Havana, Gadsden County, FL). The town administers its own Performance Zoning Ordinance; it does not apply to unincorporated Gadsden County.

  • Zoning requests go through the town zoning application and the town clerk as zoning officer.
  • The town's planning page lists the Performance Zoning Ordinance; the PDF names the Town of Havana planning commission and the town zoning officer.

  “the town clerk is the zoning officer for town of havana. all zoning requests should be submitted using our zoning application available below.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Havana town limits, by zoning district

  • The ordinance's district performance-standards table (section 4203) names districts including Neighborhood Conservation, Development, Urban Core and Heavy Industry; the extracted table text is garbled, so per-district values are not fully resolved here.
  • The planning page links a 2021 Havana zoning map (JPG) and a 2023 central business district map (PDF); neither was opened in this run.

  “step 3: determine the maximum performance standards possible for the zoning district in which the parcel is located by referring to section 4203 (table of district performance standards).”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family residential lots inside Havana town limits, per the minimum lot area footnote in section 4203 of the Performance Zoning Ordinance. The extracted table does not clearly tie the footnote to one district; the main residential district is Neighborhood Conservation (conventional subdivision), but that mapping is not confirmed.

  • Figures in the minimum lot area column are minimum square feet unless stated in acreage.
  • Lot area depends on water supply and sewage method: 21,780 sq ft for on-site water and septic; 10,890 sq ft with public water and septic.

  minimum lot area, on-site water supply and septic tanks: 21780 square feet (on-site water supply and septic tanks) · minimum lot area, public water supply and septic tanks: 10890 square feet (public water supply and septic tanks)

  “the minimum lot area will be 21,780 square feet with on-site water supply and septic tanks; and 10,890 square feet with public water supply and septic tanks.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile and manufactured homes placed on lots inside Havana town limits

  • Doublewide units with tongue and axles removed, mounted on a permanent foundation, are treated as single-family homes under the residential use regulations (sections 5200a and 5200b).
  • Singlewide units are permitted only in mobile home parks, which are performance subdivisions under section 4203.

  “and singlewide units, which are permitted only in mobile home parks.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions and plats of land inside Havana town limits

  • The planning and zoning commission reviews plat applications and makes recommendations to the council.
  • Subdivision standards (performance subdivision, conventional subdivision) are set in the zoning ordinance district table; details not extracted.

  “the planning & zoning commission reviews proposed amendments to zoning ordinances, site plans and plat applications”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning requests and permits inside Havana town limits

  • Zoning requests are submitted to the town clerk on the town zoning application (updated 2026 PDF linked on the planning page).
  • Building permit processing is done by the town building and enforcement officer; fee schedule and full steps not located.

  “the town clerk is the zoning officer for town of havana. all zoning requests should be submitted using our zoning application available below.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Havana

Town of Havana does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  On-site sewage disposal for new use or construction inside Havana town limits: the Gadsden County Health Department approves on-site disposal, and the town approves water supply and sewage disposal before a zoning permit issues.

  • Where premises are served by public water and/or sewage facilities, the town approval requirement does not apply.

  “no permit for any new use or construction which will involve the on-site disposal of sewage or waste, and no permit for a change in use or an alteration which will result in an increased volume of sewage or waste to be disposed of on the site, or which requires the gadsden county health department's approval shall be issued until said approval has been issued by the gadsden county health department.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New use or construction that involves on-site sewage disposal inside Havana town limits

  • Health department approval must issue before the town issues the related permit.
  • Town zoning permit requires town approval for water supply and sewage disposal unless served by public water and/or sewage facilities.

  “no permit for any new use or construction which will involve the on-site disposal of sewage or waste, and no permit for a change in use or an alteration which will result in an increased volume of sewage or waste to be disposed of on the site, or which requires the gadsden county health department's approval shall be issued until said approval has been issued by the gadsden county health department.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Havana or Gadsden County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for work inside Havana town limits
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Havana town limits
• Inspections — Building code inspections for construction inside Havana town limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Havana town limits
• Setbacks — Front, side and rear setbacks for residential lots inside Havana town limits

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.