Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Islamorada, Village of Islands, Florida

Village of Islamorada, Village of Islands’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Most construction work inside Islamorada, Village of Islands village

  • Projects not listed on the Village's permit-requirements list need a building permit: 'if your project is not listed, a building permit is required.'
  • Permit applications are accepted only electronically through the CityView portal.

  “when a permit is required a building permit is required for most types of construction work within the village.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Islamorada, Village of Islands village limits: the Village adopts and administers its own zoning districts and development standards in Chapter 30 Land Development Regulations

  • Zoning district and development standards are in Chapter 30, Article V, Division 2 of the Village Code.
  • Based on an ordinance amending that division; the full codified text was not opened.

  “chapter 30 “land development regulations,” article v “schedule of district use and development standards,” division 2 “zoning districts” of the code is hereby amended to read as follows”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Islamorada, Village of Islands village

  • District abbreviations appear in the setback table of Ordinance 13-17 (NR, RE, R1/R1M, RMH, R2, R3, R4, MF, MH, SR, VC and others for nonresidential districts).
  • Full district list and boundaries not extracted from the codified text.

  “zoning districts front yard reduced nr re r1/r1m rmh r2 r3 r4 mf mh sr vc”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Minimum front, side and rear setbacks by zoning district inside Islamorada, Village of Islands village (Table 30-684(d))

  • Setback numbers vary by district and are in Table 30-684(d); the extracted table text was not reliable enough to record per-district numeric values, so R1/R1M single-family figures remain unconfirmed.
  • Setback encroachment rules (Ordinance 19-18) were not opened.

  “the following table summarizes the minimum setback requirements of this division.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  New homes on land inside Islamorada, Village of Islands village where central sewer is available

  • Connection is required where sewer is available (per the county health page).
  • The Village completed its central wastewater system in November 2015 (Village brochure).
  • Distance or availability thresholds in the Village code were not verified.

  “in monroe county, central sewer is almost universally available, and all locations where sewer is available must be connected.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Vacation rentals of residential property inside Islamorada, Village of Islands village (Chapter 30, Article VI, Division 6)

  • Vacation rental units must be registered annually under Chapter 30, Article VI, Division 6.
  • No new vacation rental unit in the RH or MU future land use categories may be registered unless its assessed value exceeds 600% of median adjusted gross annual income for Monroe County households (Section 30-1295(2), as quoted in Ordinance 20-06).
  • Third-party license-cap and valuation figures were not verified.

  “the village finds it appropriate and necessary to restrict the use of residential properties for vacation rental purposes in order to preserve the character and quality of residential neighborhoods”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit applications filed with the Village of Islamorada

  • Fee schedule adopted by Resolution 19-08-56 (2019); later amendments were not checked.
  • New or replacement commercial, multi-family and duplex buildings pay a non-refundable $3,726 fee at filing, per the same resolution.
  • Resolution states applicable fees for single-family construction; that figure was not captured in the extract.

  minimum building permit fee: >= 97 USD (applications with a $0 fee are excluded)

  “the minimum non-refundable $97 fee shall apply to all applications, including affordable housing that is deed restricted for any period less than ninety-nine (99) years”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit intake, plan review and issuance inside Islamorada, Village of Islands village

  • Permit applications are accepted only electronically through the CityView portal.
  • Permits are reviewed by the Building Department for plan review and issued; permit records are maintained as state law requires.
  • Applicants entitled to Live Local Act expedited processing must say so at submission (per the Building Services page).

  “permit applications are only accepted electronically through cityview portal.”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Islamorada, Village of Islands

Village of Islamorada, Village of Islands 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)

  Onsite sewage systems on land inside Islamorada, Village of Islands village: Florida Department of Health in Monroe County permits and inspects under state DEP rules

  • DEP holds state enforcement authority for onsite sewage rules since July 1, 2021; the county health department permits and inspects in Monroe County.
  • Central sewer is required where available, so septic authority matters mainly for the few remaining systems.

  “under florida’s clean waterways act of 2020, the county health department offices will continue to do the permitting and inspection for septic tanks”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Islamorada, Village of Islands or Monroe County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Islamorada, Village of Islands village
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for residential districts inside Islamorada, Village of Islands village
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size by residential district inside Islamorada, Village of Islands village
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage by district inside Islamorada, Village of Islands village
• Building height — Building height limits by district inside Islamorada, Village of Islands village

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.