Moore Haven, FL Zoning, Building Permits & Septic Rules

Moore Haven, Florida, in Glades County, has its own zoning code with set districts and lot rules¹. An RV may be parked on a residential lot but not lived in². The Florida Department of Health in Glades County is the septic authority for the county³. We could not confirm who issues house building permits inside city limits, so call Moore Haven City Hall before you plan.

At a glance

Zoning: Yes, the city has its own zoning districts¹⁴
Building permit: Florida Building Code applies statewide; who issues house permits in the city is unconfirmed⁵
Septic permits: Florida Department of Health in Glades County³
RV living: Not allowed on residential property; only in an approved RV park²
Manufactured homes: Allowed in the RMH mobile home district⁶
Minimum home size: 1,000 sq ft in R-1; 900 sq ft in Rural Estate-Agricultural⁷⁸

Who to call

Building permits

City of Moore Haven, City Hall

Main city office; the city's fence permit applications go to the City Clerk's office

863-946-0711

299 Riverside Drive, Moore Haven, FL 33471

Zoning

City of Moore Haven, Zoning, Building, Code Enforcement

City page with the rezoning, special exception and variance application, the site plan application, the comprehensive plan and the land development code

863-946-0711

Septic permits

Florida Department of Health in Glades County, Environmental Health

Septic permits and inspections for Glades County

863-946-0707

1021 Health Park Drive, Moore Haven, FL 33471

Well permits

Florida Department of Health in Glades County, Drinking Water

Limited-use water-system permits in Glades County

863-946-0707

1021 Health Park Drive, Moore Haven, FL 33471

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

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Moore Haven means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Moore Haven, Florida have zoning?

Yes. Moore Haven's code includes a zoning chapter that defines districts with uniform regulations on use, height, area, size and intensity of use of buildings and land¹. Districts include R-1, R-2, R-3, RMH and Rural Estate-Agricultural⁴. The rules differ by district, so find your parcel's district before you buy.

In R-1 single-family residential, the minimum lot is 7,200 sq ft, with a minimum width of 60 ft without sewer and 50 ft with sewer⁹. Interior lots may be covered up to 35% and corner lots up to 40%¹⁰. A dwelling in R-1 needs at least 1,000 sq ft of living area⁷.

In Rural Estate-Agricultural, the minimum lot is 1 acre and 100 ft wide, with setbacks of 25 ft front, 15 ft side and 20 ft rear¹¹. Buildings may cover 30% of the lot and reach 3 stories or 35 ft¹²¹³. A dwelling there needs at least 900 sq ft of living area⁸.

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

We could not confirm who issues building permits for a new house inside Moore Haven city limits, or what the city charges for them¹⁴. Call Moore Haven City Hall at 863-946-0711 and ask whether the city or Glades County handles building permits and inspections for your address¹⁵.

What is confirmed: the Florida Building Code is the statewide building code, and the city or county cannot opt out of it⁵. The city's code has the Building Official inspect manufactured homes installed or replaced in flood hazard areas¹⁶. Fences need their own city permit, filed with the City Clerk's office with a nonrefundable $50 fee¹⁴.

Glades County's Building Division handles building permits for the county, and its rules are written for the county as a whole¹⁷. Land outside city limits falls under the county's zoning and building rules, not the city's.

How do septic permits work in Moore Haven?

Septic permits in Glades County come from the local county health department, not from the state environmental agency's transferred-county program³. For Moore Haven addresses, that means the Florida Department of Health in Glades County, Environmental Health, at 863-946-0707¹⁸. We could not confirm whether your lot in the city is on city sewer, so ask the city and the health department before you plan a septic system⁹.

The city's R-1 lot rule gives a hint: it sets a quarter acre per unit where there is no central water and sewer⁹. Florida requires a permit for an onsite sewage system¹⁹. Soils matter too: USDA rates 0% of Glades County soils as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system²⁰. Wells for limited-use water systems need a permit from the health department²¹.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Moore Haven?

Not in an RV on a residential lot. Moore Haven allows RVs to be parked or stored on residential property but they may not be occupied at any time². Occupancy is limited to an approved RV park, and the city's RV park rule requires at least 8 acres under unified control².

Manufactured homes are different: detached single-family mobile and manufactured homes are a permitted use in the RMH Mobile Home Residential Subdivision district⁶. Florida leaves land use, setbacks and site development for manufactured homes to local governments²².

We did not find a tiny-home or accessory dwelling rule for Moore Haven. Ask City Hall at 863-946-0711 before you buy land for a tiny home¹⁵.

Building a home in Moore Haven: the steps, in order

Find your parcel's zoning district in the city's land development code, and check minimum lot size and living area¹.
Call Moore Haven City Hall to confirm who issues building permits for your address¹⁵.
Ask the Florida Department of Health in Glades County whether the lot needs a septic permit or can use city sewer¹⁸.
If you need a rezoning, special exception or variance, use the city's application on its zoning page²³.
Check whether the parcel is in a flood hazard area, which changes inspection requirements for manufactured homes¹⁶.
Build to the Florida Building Code⁵.

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

Moore Haven's city rules stop at the city limits. Unincorporated land around the city follows Glades County's zoning, which applies to everyone in the unincorporated area²⁴. See the Glades County page for the county's answers.

Septic permits and limited-use water-system permits for every address in Glades County, city or not, come from the Florida Department of Health in Glades County³²¹. Floodplain review applies in a Special Flood Hazard Area under the county's rules²⁵.

Countywide numbers give context: Glades County's effective property tax rate is about 1% and the median tax bill is $1,163 a year²⁶²⁷. A typical home insurance premium runs about $2,859 a year²⁸.

Watch-outs

We could not confirm who issues house building permits, certificates of occupancy or owner-builder permits inside Moore Haven city limits; call City Hall at 863-946-0711 before you commit to a purchase¹⁵.
A county or Google result for Glades County zoning applies only to unincorporated land; inside the city, Moore Haven's own code governs²⁴.
RVs may be parked but not lived in on residential property in Moore Haven².

Sources

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Moore Haven publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Glades County’s page lists the county offices to call.

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Moore Haven, Florida