Bolthole Index

Hillsborough County, Florida

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Temple Terrace, Florida

Temple Terrace, Florida requires a building permit for work on buildings inside city limits, and the city's Community Development Department handles it12. The city also adopts its own zoning districts3. Septic permits come from the Florida Department of Health, not the city4. Land outside the city falls under Hillsborough County instead5.

At a glance

Building permit
Required inside city limits, issued by the city1
Zoning
City-adopted zoning districts (R-10 through P/QP)36
Septic
Florida Department of Health permit4
Living in an RV
Not on residential lots; only in licensed parks and campgrounds or with a special event permit7
Mobile and manufactured homes
Only in an approved park in R-MFA or E-I districts8
Certificate of occupancy
Required before a new or different use of land is occupied9
Floodplain
Separate floodplain development permit in flood hazard areas10

Who to call

Building permits

City of Temple Terrace Community Development (building permits)

Building permit applications, online permit status, fee payment and inspection scheduling inside Temple Terrace

813.506.6400

11250 North 56th Street, Temple Terrace, FL 33617

Zoning

City of Temple Terrace Community Development Department

Zoning reviews, permitting, inspections and plan review inside Temple Terrace city limits

813.506.6484

11250 N 56th Street Temple Terrace Florida 33617

Septic permits

Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County (Environmental Public Health, Septic Systems)

Septic (OSTDS) construction, repair and abandonment permit applications for Hillsborough County, including addresses inside Temple Terrace

813-307-8059

[email protected]

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 Temple Terrace means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Temple Terrace have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and mobile homes?

Yes. Temple Terrace adopts its own zoning districts for land inside city limits3. The city's districts include single-family classes R-10, R-9, R-7.5 and R-7, multifamily R-MF and R-MFA, an agricultural-urban A-U district, commercial, office and planned-development classes, and a parks and quasi-public P/QP district6. Lot sizes, setbacks and heights depend on the district, so look up the parcel's district with the city before assuming anything about a lot.

Two rules matter most for people who want to live in something other than a site-built house. Recreational vehicles and boats in residential districts may not be occupied for living purposes except in licensed parks and campgrounds or by special event permit7. Manufactured homes, including mobile homes, are allowed only in an approved mobile or manufactured home park in an R-MFA or E-I district8. We could not confirm a tiny-home rule or an accessory dwelling rule for Temple Terrace; ask the Community Development Department2.

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

Yes. Temple Terrace's land development code says no building or structure may be erected, altered, moved or repaired until a building permit has been obtained for the work1. Minor repairs that do not touch structural parts, stairways, occupancy class, light, ventilation or egress are excepted1. The city's own permitting page also says a premanufactured accessory structure of 151 square feet or less, moved or installed, does not need a permit, while anything assembled on site does11.

The City of Temple Terrace Community Development Department reviews applications for conformity with the land development code and issues the permits12. Residents and contractors can check permit status, pay fees, view inspection results and schedule inspections online11. Do not use Hillsborough County's permit counter for an address inside the city: the county's own permit rules cover unincorporated Hillsborough County only5.

How do septic permits work inside Temple Terrace?

The city does not issue septic permits. Onsite sewage systems inside Temple Terrace are permitted by the Florida Department of Health, and city permits carry a condition that the health department permit be obtained412. For Hillsborough County, that office is the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County, whose Environmental Public Health section handles septic construction permitting and inspection1314.

The city's sewer rules decide whether you need a septic system at all. A single-family parcel must connect to the sewer system when a gravity main abuts the property and gravity flow can be maintained, or when a low pressure sewer abuts the property15. The city manager may waive connection if the city engineer finds it cannot reasonably be completed15. Where septic is allowed, Hillsborough County soils rarely rate well for a conventional drain field: only about 0.1% are rated not limited, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system16.

Building a home in Temple Terrace: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the parcel's zoning district with the Community Development Department26.
  2. Ask whether public sewer is available; if not, apply to the Florida Department of Health for a septic permit1514.
  3. Check whether any part of the parcel is in a flood hazard area, which requires a floodplain development permit; that permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days of issue10.
  4. Apply for the building permit with the city's Community Development Department111.
  5. Build to the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023)17. We could not confirm how Temple Terrace adopts the code locally or what inspections it schedules; ask the city.
  6. Obtain a certificate of occupancy before the new use of the land is occupied9.

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

Septic permits for every address in Hillsborough County, city or not, come from the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County13. The county also handles driveway permits only for unincorporated addresses: its right-of-way permit page says the county does not issue them for Tampa, Plant City or Temple Terrace18. For land outside city limits, use the Hillsborough County page, where the county's own permit and zoning rules apply to unincorporated areas5.

Before you buy, note that Hillsborough County's effective property tax rate is about 0.8% and the median bill is about $2,787 a year1920. County-wide, typical home values are about $380,04121. Ask the city about any pending zoning reclassification, and check flood hazard status before closing10.

Watch-outs

  • Do not plan to live in an RV on a residential lot in Temple Terrace: occupancy is limited to licensed parks and campgrounds or a special event permit7.
  • Mobile and manufactured homes are not allowed on ordinary residential lots in Temple Terrace, only in approved parks in R-MFA or E-I districts8.
  • We could not confirm Temple Terrace's setbacks, minimum lot sizes, building permit fees, owner-builder rules or private well rules; ask the Community Development Department before you commit2.
  • Private wells inside Temple Terrace are unconfirmed; ask the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County14.

Sources

  1. Temple Terrace LDC Sec. 12-405 General provisions (permits) (Temple Terrace), quoted and re-checked
  2. City of Temple Terrace Community Development Department (templeterrace.gov)
  3. Temple Terrace LDC Sec. 12-187 Purpose (zoning districts) (Temple Terrace), quoted and re-checked
  4. Temple Terrace LDC Sec. 12-560 Floodplain permits (Temple Terrace), quoted and re-checked
  5. Permits for Homeowners, quoted and re-checked
  6. Temple Terrace LDC Sec. 12-187 Purpose (zoning districts) (Temple Terrace), quoted and re-checked
  7. Temple Terrace LDC Sec. 12-859 Recreational vehicles in residential zoning districts (Temple Terrace), quoted and re-checked
  8. Temple Terrace LDC Sec. 12-192 Manufactured homes/mobile homes (Temple Terrace), quoted and re-checked
  9. Temple Terrace LDC Sec. 12-418 Certificates of occupancy relative to land (Temple Terrace), quoted and re-checked
  10. Temple Terrace LDC Sec. 12-560 Floodplain permits (Temple Terrace), quoted and re-checked
  11. City of Temple Terrace Community Development (building permits) (templeterrace.gov)
  12. Temple Terrace LDC Sec. 12-560 Floodplain permits (Temple Terrace), quoted and re-checked
  13. Septic Systems, quoted and re-checked
  14. Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County (Environmental Public Health, Septic Systems) (hillsborough.floridahealth.gov)
  15. Temple Terrace Code Sec. 22-268 Sewer connection when required (Temple Terrace), quoted and re-checked
  16. 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
  17. 61G20-1.001 Florida Building Code Adopted (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. Apply for a Right of Way (ROW) Management Permit, quoted and re-checked
  19. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  20. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  21. Typical home value (Zillow): 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.

Answers from the rulebook for Temple Terrace

Temple Terrace’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Erecting, altering, moving or repairing buildings inside Temple Terrace city

    • Minor repairs or changes not involving structural parts, stairways, type of construction, occupancy class, light or ventilation, or egress are excepted
    • Community development department reviews applications for conformity with the LDC
    “No building or structure, or part thereof, shall be hereafter erected, altered, moved or repaired unless a building permit shall have first been obtained for such work.”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Land with a new or different use inside Temple Terrace city

    • Accessory buildings to dwellings need no separate certificate if included in the dwelling's certificate
    • Nonconforming uses need a certificate to be maintained or changed
    “No land upon which a new or different use is established shall be occupied or used until a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued therefor.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Temple Terrace city limits

    “For the purpose of this article, the following classifications of zoning districts are hereby established for use within the city:”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts inside Temple Terrace city: R-10, R-9, R-7.5, R-7, R-MF, R-MFA, PD-R, E-I, C-O, C-G, PD, PROF, LI, A-U, PRS, P/QP

    • District standards not opened
    “For the purpose of this article, the following classifications of zoning districts are hereby established for use within the city:”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    RVs and boats in residential zoning districts inside Temple Terrace city

    • Parking only in rear or side yard at least 5 feet from property lines, screened, or in garage/carport
    • Front yard parking up to 2 days for loading, or up to 7 days for visitors
    • Living occupancy only in licensed parks and campgrounds or by special event permit
    • Camper vans 20 feet or less in length are exempt
    “The recreational vehicles or boats may not be occupied for living purposes except in licensed parks and campgrounds, or by special event permit.”
  • Camping on your landLimited

    Camping on public property inside Temple Terrace city (private land: see RV rule)

    • Applies to public property including sidewalks, rights-of-way and parks
    • Allowed where specifically authorized by the city
    “It shall be unlawful in the City of Temple Terrace to engage in camping on any public property including sidewalks, rights-of-way, and parks, except as may be specifically authorized by the city.”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured and mobile homes inside Temple Terrace city

    • Only in an approved mobile/manufactured home park in R-MFA or E-I zoning districts
    • Floodplain installation standards apply in flood hazard areas
    “No manufactured homes, including mobile homes, shall be permitted within the corporate limits of the city, except in an approved mobile/manufactured home park in a R-MFA Alternate Multi-Family Residential or E-I Educational/Institutional zoning district.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupConditional

    Sewer connection for new and existing development inside the city's sewer service area

    • Single-family: gravity main abuts the property and gravity flow can be maintained, or a low pressure sewer abuts the property
    • Multi-family/commercial 500-1,500 GPD: main within 100 feet; over 1,500 GPD: within 500 feet
    • Industrial: within 1,320 feet for new development
    • City manager may waive if the city engineer finds connection cannot reasonably be completed
    • Public water connection rule not located

    multi-family/commercial distance 500-1,500 GPD: <= 100 feet (waiver by city manager)

    “The owner of each and every parcel of land heretofore or hereafter developed within the service area shall be required to connect to the sewer system when any of the following conditions are met:”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Development in flood hazard areas inside Temple Terrace city

    • Applies to development wholly or partly within a flood hazard area
    • Includes buildings exempt from the Florida Building Code
    • Permit expires if work not commenced within 180 days

    permit validity before work must start: <= 180 days (extensions of up to 180 days each)

    “a floodplain development permit or approval shall become invalid unless the work authorized by such permit is commenced within one hundred eighty (180) days after its issuance”

Rules another office applies inside Temple Terrace

Temple Terrace 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 septicState (with conditions)

    Onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems inside Temple Terrace city (administered by Florida Department of Health)

    • City permits carry a condition that the Department of Health permit be obtained
    • Local county health department office not separately confirmed
    “Florida Department of Health for onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems; F.S. § 381.0065 and Chapter 64E-6, F.A.C.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    Onsite sewage systems inside Temple Terrace city, per the city floodplain permit conditions

    • Source is the floodplain permit section; it requires state permits to be obtained before commencement of permitted development
    • Applies where a septic system is used instead of public sewer
    “Floodplain development permits and building permits shall include a condition that all other applicable state or federal permits be obtained before commencement of the permitted development”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Temple Terrace or Hillsborough County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Temple Terrace city
  • Building code adopted — Building code inside Temple Terrace city
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside Temple Terrace city
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in R-10, R-9, R-7.5, R-7 and A-U districts
  • Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size in single-family districts and A-U
13 more unanswered
  • Setbacks
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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.

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

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