Building permits, zoning and land rules in the Village of Biscayne Park, Florida

At a glance

Building permit

Required: a village development permit covers building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical work¹

Zoning

Yes, the village administers its own Land Development Code²

Septic

Permit required by state law; county health department handles septic in Miami-Dade County⁶⁵

RV living

Prohibited; RVs may be parked but not slept in³

Mobile homes

Prohibited⁴

Accessory dwellings

Prohibited under the village code⁷

Short-term rentals

License required⁸

Who to call

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

Does Biscayne Park, Florida have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and tiny homes?

Yes. The Village of Biscayne Park, Miami-Dade County, administers its own Land Development Code, with residential sector regulations set out in Table A². Zoning inside the village is the village's, not Miami-Dade County's.

RVs may be parked on single-family and duplex sites but not lived in: the code bars use as living or sleeping quarters³. Parked RVs are limited to 30 feet long and 10 feet high³. Tent camping and trailer camps are prohibited⁹, mobile homes are prohibited⁴, and garage apartments and accessory dwellings are prohibited⁷.

We could not confirm a tiny-home rule, or the minimum lot size, setbacks and height limits in Table A. Ask the Village Building Department before you plan a build.

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

Yes. No development activity may be undertaken in Biscayne Park without a village development permit¹. Development permits include building, plumbing, electrical, foundation and mechanical permits, plus fences and walls, which have their own permit¹. Construction follows the Florida Building Code as adopted by the village¹⁰.

Building permits come from the Village of Biscayne Park Building Department at Village Hall¹¹. Building a one- or two-family dwelling on a lot in a valid residential sector may proceed without a separate development order¹². We could not confirm permit fees, inspection steps or an owner-builder exemption inside the village; ask the Building Department.

How do septic permits work inside Biscayne Park?

Florida law requires a permit for any septic system⁶. The village code lists septic tank permits among its development permits¹, but we could not confirm whether the village or the state health department issues them.

In Miami-Dade County, the county health department continues to handle septic permitting and inspection¹³. Call the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County before you buy a lot that relies on septic, and ask the village Building Department whether sewer is available.

Regional soil data rates drain fields poorly: Miami-Dade County has¹⁴ of soils rated not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system.

Building a home in Biscayne Park: the steps, in order

1. Call the Village Building Department to confirm the residential sector rules in Table A for your lot²¹¹.
2. Confirm septic or sewer with the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County¹³.
3. Apply for the village development permit and building permit¹.
4. Build to the Florida Building Code as adopted by the village¹⁰.
5. A certificate of occupancy applies where Florida's private-provider process is used¹⁵; ask the Building Department what the village requires.

What stays with Miami-Dade County, and what to check before you buy?

Septic permitting stays with the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County¹³. The county's rules for unincorporated land do not apply inside the village; for land outside village limits, see the Miami-Dade County guide.

Vacation rentals inside the village need a village license⁸. Miami-Dade County's typical home insurance premium is about $7,089 a year¹⁶, and the effective property tax rate is 0.8%¹⁷; both are county-level figures.

Watch-outs

• Living in an RV or mobile home is prohibited inside Biscayne Park, so this is not a place to camp on a lot while you build³⁴.
• We could not confirm who issues septic permits inside the village, so call the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County before you buy¹³.
• The village's lot-size, setback and height rules sit in Table A of its Land Development Code, which we could not confirm; ask the Building Department².

Sources

1. Biscayne Park LDC 16.2 Development permit (Village of Biscayne Park), quoted and re-checked
2. Biscayne Park LDC 3.4 Nonconforming uses (Village of Biscayne Park), quoted and re-checked
3. Biscayne Park LDC 7.3 Recreational vehicles and trailers (Village of Biscayne Park), quoted and re-checked
4. Biscayne Park LDC 4.3 Dwelling types (Village of Biscayne Park), quoted and re-checked
5. Onsite Sewage Program (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
6. OSTDS Application Information (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. Biscayne Park LDC 3.4 Nonconforming uses (Village of Biscayne Park), quoted and re-checked
8. Biscayne Park LDC 19.1 Vacation rental license program (Village of Biscayne Park), quoted and re-checked
9. Biscayne Park LDC 3.4 Nonconforming uses (Village of Biscayne Park), quoted and re-checked
10. Biscayne Park LDC 16.7 Fence and wall permit (Village of Biscayne Park), quoted and re-checked
11. Village of Biscayne Park Building Department (biscayneparkfl.gov)
12. Biscayne Park LDC 16.2 Development permit (Village of Biscayne Park), quoted and re-checked
13. Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County (Onsite Sewage Tanks and Disposal Systems) (miamidade.floridahealth.gov)
14. 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
15. Florida Statutes § 553.791 — Private-provider inspections and certificates of occupancy (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Typical home insurance premium: Bolthole Index county data
17. Effective property tax rate: 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.