Bolthole Index

Palm Beach County, Florida

Building permits, zoning and septic in the Town of Loxahatchee Groves, Florida

The Town of Loxahatchee Groves, Florida requires building permits for covered construction, issued through the Town Building Department.12 The Town administers zoning, while septic approvals inside the Town come from the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County.34 Residential development in the Agricultural Residential district generally needs a 5-acre plot, with exceptions for qualifying nonconforming plots.5

At a glance

Building permits
Required for covered work; Town Building Department issues them12
Zoning
Town zoning applies inside Loxahatchee Groves3
Septic permits
Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County; approval before building permit46
Minimum lot size
AR residential plots: 5 acres, subject to nonconforming-plot exceptions5
Setbacks
AR: front 50 feet, side and rear 25 feet; side street 40 feet7
RV sanitation
Temporary AR use requires appropriate potable water and permitted sewage facilities8
Owner-builder
Conditional Florida exemption from contractor licensing; building permits still required9

Who to call

Building permits

Town of Loxahatchee Groves Building Department

Town building applications, plan review and inspections

561-807-6675

[email protected]

155 F Road Loxahatchee Groves, FL 33470

Online permits →

Zoning

Town of Loxahatchee Groves Community Standards Department

Planning and zoning interpretation, site approvals and development engineering

561-807-6670

155 F Road Loxahatchee Groves, FL 33470

Septic permits

Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County - Environmental Public Health

Septic-system plan review and permitting, septic and well approvals, and private-well location review

561-840-4500

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Loxahatchee Groves means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in the Town of Loxahatchee Groves, FL?

Loxahatchee Groves requires a building permit for covered construction, alterations, repairs, demolition, occupancy changes and regulated building-system work.1 Listed minor work may be exempt, but the Building Official makes the final determination, and exempt work still must meet applicable building-code and floodplain requirements.1 The Town reviews construction under applicable building codes, including the Florida Building Code.10

Florida allows qualifying owners to act as their own contractor for a residence intended for their own use, with direct onsite supervision and other statutory obligations; the exemption does not remove building-permit or inspection requirements.9 Ask the Town Building Department to identify the applicable application and owner-builder requirements before starting work.11

Who issues building permits in the Town of Loxahatchee Groves?

The Town Building Department processes building applications, plan review and inspection requests electronically through MGO, without resubmission to Palm Beach County for those services.2 Contact the Town Building Department at 561-807-6675 or [email protected] for building application questions.11 Use the Town’s MGO portal for electronic submissions.211

The Community Standards Department provides help interpreting the Town’s land-use regulations, zoning codes and site-specific approvals.12 Contact Community Standards at 561-807-6670 for zoning and development questions.12 Septic-system approval remains a separate health-department responsibility inside Town limits and must precede issuance of a building permit when a septic system is involved.46

Does the Town of Loxahatchee Groves have zoning and minimum lot sizes?

The Town of Loxahatchee Groves administers its own Unified Land Development Code and zoning regulations.3 In the Agricultural Residential (AR) district, residential development generally requires at least 5 acres, plus frontage and depth of at least 200 feet; qualifying nonconforming plots have exceptions.5

AR building setbacks are 50 feet at the front and 25 feet at the side and rear, with a 40-foot side-street setback where property abuts streets on more than one side.7 Alternative nonconforming-lot setbacks and Special Exception relief for bona fide agricultural uses may apply.7 Combined buildings and roofed structures generally cannot exceed 15% of an AR plot, subject to stated agricultural and plant-growing exceptions.13 Ask Community Standards to confirm the parcel’s district, nonconforming status and proposed building envelope before committing to a layout.12

How do septic permits and wells work inside the Town of Loxahatchee Groves?

The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County handles septic permitting inside Loxahatchee Groves, under state and county regulations.4 New or modified septic systems need approval, and septic plans must be approved before a building permit can be issued.6 Final septic inspection and approval must be recorded before a certificate of occupancy is issued.14

Call Environmental Public Health at 561-840-4500 about septic plans and private wells.15 Palm Beach County well drillers submit location plans before drilling; completed drinking-water wells require completion reporting, inspection and a satisfactory bacteriological report.16 Palm Beach County’s soil data show 0% rated “not limited” for conventional septic drain fields; that calls for a site evaluation and potentially an engineered system, rather than treating septic as impossible.17

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in the Town of Loxahatchee Groves?

Temporary RV use in Loxahatchee Groves’ Agricultural Residential district requires access to appropriate potable well and sanitary facilities, including permitted septic facilities or permitted portable/pump-able tanks under the applicable section.8 That sanitation provision does not establish a general right to permanent off-grid dwelling occupancy.8 Ask Community Standards to confirm the permitted RV use, occupancy period and site approvals for the parcel.12

We could not confirm a specific tiny-home occupancy rule, an accessory-dwelling approval pathway or a minimum size for a complete dwelling in Loxahatchee Groves; ask Community Standards about the proposed home and district.12 Manufactured homes must be served by permitted potable-water, wastewater and electrical systems, plus Town solid-waste service; that requirement does not establish public-utility availability at every parcel.18

Building a home in the Town of Loxahatchee Groves: what are the steps?

  1. Ask Community Standards to confirm zoning, the proposed use and any site-specific approvals for the Loxahatchee Groves parcel.12
  2. Resolve septic plans with Environmental Public Health before building-permit issuance, and have the well driller submit the well-location plan before drilling.616
  3. Address the Town’s Land Development Permit requirements for covered flood-hazard-area work and drainage; Town construction must retain its stormwater runoff and must not direct water onto neighboring properties regardless of FEMA zone.19
  4. Obtain the approved site plan where site-plan review applies, then submit the building application through Town MGO.2
  5. Request building inspections through Town MGO and secure recorded final septic approval before the certificate of occupancy.214

What should you check before buying land in the Town of Loxahatchee Groves?

Loxahatchee Groves regulates drainage-affecting development, including covered work in Special Flood Hazard Areas, and requires construction to store its own stormwater runoff regardless of FEMA zone.19 Ask Community Standards about development engineering and right-of-way approvals as part of the access and drainage review.12

Florida’s exemption for qualifying nonresidential farm buildings on bona fide agricultural land excludes residential dwellings and preserves floodplain-management requirements.20 The Town’s AR rules also provide a Special Exception process for qualifying agricultural relief from coverage, floor-area-ratio, setback or height restrictions.21 Ask the Town to assess the proposed agricultural structure against both provisions.1211 For land outside Town limits, Palm Beach County’s guide covers the county-administered building-permit jurisdiction.22

Watch-outs

  • An AR plot smaller than 5 acres needs review of the qualifying nonconforming-plot exceptions before residential development; ask Community Standards.512
  • A farm-building exemption does not authorize residential use or waive floodplain-management requirements.20
  • We could not confirm ordinary residential height limits or short-term-rental rules in Loxahatchee Groves; ask Community Standards about the intended use.12

Sources

  1. Do you need a permit? Requirements and Exemptions (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  2. Building Department (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  3. Community Standards (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  4. Septic Tanks and Private Drinking Water Wells (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  5. Unified Land Development Code, Section 20-025, Minimum plot size and dimension (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  6. Septic Tanks and Private Drinking Water Wells (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  7. Unified Land Development Code, Section 20-035, Setbacks (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  8. Unified Land Development Code, Section 20-050, Recreational vehicles (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  9. 2026 Florida Statutes § 489.103, Exemptions (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  10. loxahatcheegrovesfl.gov (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  11. Town of Loxahatchee Groves Building Department (loxahatcheegrovesfl.gov)
  12. Town of Loxahatchee Groves Community Standards Department (loxahatcheegrovesfl.gov)
  13. Unified Land Development Code, Section 20-030, Plot coverage, floor-to-area ratio, and pervious area (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  14. Septic Tanks and Private Drinking Water Wells (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  15. Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County - Environmental Public Health (palmbeach.floridahealth.gov)
  16. Septic Tanks and Private Drinking Water Wells, quoted and re-checked
  17. 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
  18. Unified Land Development Code, Section 80-070, Manufactured home (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  19. Land Development Application (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  20. F.S. 604.50 — Nonresidential farm buildings; farm fences; farm signs (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  21. Unified Land Development Code, Section 20-030, Plot coverage, floor-to-area ratio, and pervious area (Town of Loxahatchee Groves), quoted and re-checked
  22. Code Violation Permit Process, quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 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 Town of Loxahatchee Groves

Town of Loxahatchee Groves’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Construction, alteration, repair, demolition, occupancy changes, and regulated electrical, gas, mechanical, fire-protection, plumbing, accessible, or flood-resistant site work inside the Town.

    • Permits may be exempt for listed minor work under Section 105.2.
    • The Building Official makes the final determination of permit requirements.
    • Exempt work remains subject to applicable building-code and floodplain requirements.
    “shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit.”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    Construction inside Loxahatchee Groves is reviewed and permitted by the Town under applicable building codes, including the Florida Building Code.

    • Permits and inspections are processed by the Town.
    “8th Edition of the Florida Building Code 2023”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside the Town of Loxahatchee Groves; the Town administers its Unified Land Development Code and zoning regulations.

    • The Town Community Standards Department provides assistance with interpretation and compliance with the Unified Land Development Code and zoning codes.
    “administering town codes and ordinances related to planning, zoning”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Residential development in the Agricultural Residential (AR) zoning district.

    • Nonconforming plots of prior record and plots made nonconforming by public-right-of-way dedication may qualify for exceptions.
    • Plots must also have frontage and depth of at least 200 feet unless an exception applies.

    minimum plot size: >= 5 acres (Subject to stated nonconforming-plot exceptions)

    “No plot shall be developed for a residential use unless the plot contains five or more acres.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Buildings and structures in the Agricultural Residential (AR) zoning district.

    • Nonconforming lots may use alternative percentage-based setbacks subject to the section's limits.
    • No nonconforming-lot setback may be less than ten feet from a property line.
    • A Special Exception may allow reduced setbacks for a bona fide agricultural use if the stated showing is made.

    front setback: 50 feet · side setback: 25 feet · rear setback: 25 feet · side street setback: 40 feet (For property abutting a street on more than one side)

    “(A) Front setback. Fifty feet. (B) Side setback. Twenty-five feet. (C) Rear setback Twenty-five feet.”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Plots in the Agricultural Residential (AR) zoning district.

    • The coverage rule has stated exceptions for plant-growing buildings and bona fide agricultural uses requiring a Special Exception.
    • The minimum pervious area is 70 percent of the plot area.

    maximum plot coverage: <= 15 percent (Subject to stated exceptions)

    “The combined area of all buildings and roofed structures shall not exceed 15 percent of the plot area.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    Recreational vehicles used temporarily in the Agricultural Residential zoning district.

    • The RV must have access to appropriate potable well and sanitary sewer facilities, including a permitted septic tank, or permitted portable/pump-able septic tanks subject to the section's requirements.
    • This claim does not establish a general off-grid sanitation right for permanent dwellings.
    “portable/ pump-able septic tanks as well as the waste removal therefrom are permitted under this section”
  • Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

    Manufactured homes inside Loxahatchee Groves.

    • The cited rule requires permitted potable water and wastewater service; it does not establish a universal public-utility availability or distance threshold for every new home.
    • Electrical service and Town solid-waste service are also required.
    “A manufactured home shall be connected to and served by permitted utilities, including potable water, wastewater, and electrical systems”
  • Agricultural exemptionConditional

    Bona fide agricultural uses in the Agricultural Residential (AR) zoning district.

    • A Special Exception is required to exceed plot coverage or floor-area-ratio limits.
    • The applicant must demonstrate that the requirement prohibits, restricts, or otherwise limits a generally accepted farming practice.
    • Setback or height relief for bona fide agricultural use also requires a Special Exception under the cited setback section.
    “the applicant shall obtain a Special Exception pursuant to Article 170”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Development and drainage-affecting work inside Special Flood Hazard Areas and other Town-regulated development areas.

    • A Land Development Permit is required for specified work in Zones AE or VE under the current FIRM.
    • Construction must not direct water onto neighboring properties and must store its own stormwater runoff regardless of FEMA zone.
    • Minor-fill, minor-engineering, and minor-sand-ring procedures may apply to limited activities.

    minor fill threshold: < 20 cubic yards per 1.25 acres (Approximate threshold stated by the Town)

    “A Land Development Permit is required for any repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, alteration, addition, or other improvement of a building or structure”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Building permit applications, plan review, inspections, and certificate requests inside Loxahatchee Groves.

    • Applications, plan reviews, and inspection requests are submitted electronically through MGO.
    • The Town processes new requests without resubmission to Palm Beach County.
    • An approved site plan is required before issuance of any building permit where site-plan review applies.
    “All new permit, plan review, and inspection requests will be accepted electronically and processed fully by the Town”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Loxahatchee Groves

Town of Loxahatchee Groves 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)

    Septic systems inside Loxahatchee Groves, administered through the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County, under state and county regulations.

    • The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is responsible for implementing Florida OSTDS statutes and rules.
    • The county health department continues permitting and inspection for septic tanks.
    “charged with regulating, permitting and monitoring proper onsite sewage treatment and disposal.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    New or modified septic systems serving property inside Loxahatchee Groves.

    • Health Department approval is required before a building permit can be issued.
    • Operating permits additionally apply to ATUs, performance-based systems, commercial septic systems, and industrial or manufacturing-zoned or equivalent systems.
    “must be approved by the section before a building permit can be issued.”
  • Septic inspectionRequired

    Septic systems inside Loxahatchee Groves.

    • The county health department continues septic permitting and inspection.
    • Private-provider OSTDS inspections are optionally available where authorized.
    • Final inspection and approval must be recorded before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
    “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 Town of Loxahatchee Groves or Palm Beach County directly.

  • Minimum dwelling size — Residential dwellings inside Loxahatchee Groves.
  • Building height — Buildings inside Loxahatchee Groves.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Loxahatchee Groves.
  • Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Loxahatchee Groves.
  • Short-term rentals — Short-term rental use inside Loxahatchee Groves.

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 Town of Loxahatchee Groves publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Palm Beach County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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