Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Clermont, Florida

At a glance

Building permits

Required from Clermont for covered construction¹

Zoning

City Land Development Code applies inside city limits²

Septic permits

Florida Department of Health in Lake County³

Owner-builder

Available for the owner’s use and occupancy; conditions apply⁵

Minimum home size

R-3 single-family dwellings: 1,000 square feet of living area, excluding garages, carports and screened areas⁶

Wells

Lake County delegated program covers wells less than 6 inches in diameter⁷

Final approval

Certificate of Occupancy or Completion after approved inspections, as appropriate⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 10, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Clermont, FL?

Clermont requires a building permit for construction, alterations, repairs, moving or demolishing a building, occupancy changes and covered trade work.¹ The city lists exceptions for specified residential work, including painting, flooring, tile work, replacement plumbing or lighting fixtures and re-screening; ask Building Services how the exception applies to your exact scope.¹ Clermont lists the Florida Building Code effective from December 31, 2023, with no local amendments to the listed codes.⁹ Owner-builder status does not remove the building-permit requirement.¹⁰

Who issues building permits and handles zoning in Clermont?

Clermont Building Services accepts city building applications, reviews plans and oversees inspections; reach the office at 352-241-7315 or [email protected].¹¹ Submit a complete building-permit package to Building Services or use the city’s online permitting link.¹¹ Clermont’s Zoning Division is the starting point for zoning approval, and the city says to obtain that approval before submitting the building permit.⁴ The Planning Division also provides planning and development review for city properties.¹² Septic applications remain a separate matter for Florida Health in Lake County, rather than the city building counter.³

Does Clermont have zoning, and can you build a tiny home?

Clermont’s Land Development Code determines how property inside city limits can be used and supplies development criteria.² Ask the Zoning Division to identify the parcel’s district and applicable lot-size and setback standards before committing to a layout.¹³ In Clermont’s R-3 district, a single-family dwelling must have at least 1,000 square feet of living area, excluding garages, carports and screened areas.⁶ That R-3 minimum rules out a smaller single-family design in that district; it does not establish a citywide minimum or answer whether a tiny home is allowed in another district.⁶

How do septic permits and wells work inside Clermont?

Septic systems inside Clermont require septic permitting through the Florida Department of Health in Lake County.¹⁴³ The Environmental Public Health office lists onsite sewage treatment and disposal and well construction services; call 352-253-6130 at the Tavares office for the appropriate application route.¹⁵ Lake County’s delegated well program issues permits for wells less than 6 inches in diameter within its district areas; ask the office which authority handles a proposed larger well.⁷ We could not confirm Clermont’s public-water or sewer connection requirements or whether off-grid sanitation is acceptable for a new city home; resolve those questions with city Building Services and Environmental Public Health before designing an independent system.¹¹¹⁵

Can you live in an RV on your land in Clermont?

We could not confirm a Clermont rule allowing residential RV occupancy on a private parcel, including temporary occupancy while building; ask the Zoning Division about the proposed use before relying on an RV as housing.⁴ Clermont’s zoning controls property use, so building-permit approval for a future house alone does not answer the separate RV-use question.²¹ For a small permanent home, start with the district’s dwelling standards: Clermont’s verified R-3 single-family minimum is 1,000 square feet of living area.⁶ Ask the city to distinguish RV occupancy, a permanent dwelling and any proposed accessory dwelling in its zoning review.⁴

What are the steps to build a home in Clermont?

1. Confirm the parcel’s city zoning district and obtain zoning approval before submitting the building permit.²⁴
2. Resolve sanitation with Florida Health in Lake County if the home will use septic, and ask Building Services about utility requirements.³¹¹
3. Submit a complete city building-permit package; plans review checks building-code, zoning, drainage and floodplain requirements.¹⁶
4. Schedule required inspections after the building permit is issued; final approval leads to a Certificate of Occupancy or Completion, as appropriate.¹⁷⁸

Clermont publishes project-dependent fee schedules, and inspection fees must be paid before a certificate of occupancy is issued.¹⁸ An owner-builder must use and occupy the building, cannot build it for sale or lease, and must personally appear and sign the affidavit while meeting supervision and employment obligations.⁵

What should you check before buying land in Clermont?

Have Clermont’s Zoning Division confirm that the proposed use and building layout fit the parcel’s district before you buy.² Development site plans must identify driveways, approaches, curb cuts and vehicular access, including dimensions and construction specifications.¹⁹ City plans review also checks drainage and floodplain requirements, so bring those questions to Building Services early.¹⁶ For a property outside Clermont city limits, use the Lake County guide: county planning and zoning rules apply to unincorporated Lake County.²⁰ Septic remains with Florida Health in Lake County for a Clermont address.³

Watch-outs

• Clermont’s 1,000-square-foot single-family minimum cited here belongs to R-3; ask the Zoning Division for the standards of the parcel’s actual district.⁶
• We could not confirm residential RV occupancy or off-grid sanitation inside Clermont; ask the Zoning Division about RV use and Environmental Public Health about sanitation before buying.⁴¹⁵
• Owner-builder eligibility in Clermont is conditional and does not waive building permits or code compliance.⁵¹⁰

Sources

1. Building Permitting Information (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
2. Zoning Division (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
3. Environmental Public Health (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
4. Clermont Zoning Division (clermontfl.gov)
5. Owner-Builder Information (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
6. Sec. 125-249. Permitted uses, R-3 district (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
7. Water Services (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
8. clermontfl.gov (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
9. Building Permitting Information (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
10. 2026 Florida Statutes § 489.103, Exemptions (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Clermont Building Services (clermontfl.gov)
12. Clermont Planning Division & Development Review (clermontfl.gov)
13. Zoning Division (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
14. Environmental Public Health (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
15. Florida Department of Health in Lake County, Environmental Public Health (lake.floridahealth.gov)
16. Building Services (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
17. Inspections Information (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
18. Site Inspection Fees (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
19. Sec. 101-352. Site plan submittal requirements (Clermont), quoted and re-checked
20. Planning & Zoning - Lake County Government, quoted and re-checked

Written October 10, 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.